A few weeks ago, I was approached by a not-so-very-well-known company that prints books, art prints and other arty products.
They wanted me to submit a book of images for them to print. The deal was they’d give me $150 off the printing price in exchange for a review.
I’m thinking, “Huh? 150 bucks? Who spends that on printing a book?? Even amazon, where it costs me $15 to print one of my 90-page all-color art books, isn’t as bad as that!”
So I figured, just for fun, I’d put together a 100-page all-color book of photographs and images, and detail shots, of some of my best artwork over the last 20 years, and call it a 20-Year Retrospective. (Get it HERE)
I submitted it, and bloody knock me over! Upon checking the price guide I was sent, I saw that it would have cost me $188 to get it printed with them!
I wondered who the heck pays these people to make books that expensive?
I asked the guy, and he said it was for artists and photographers who wanted beautiful, professional, top-quality portfolios. And coffee table books.
Well, I could see that. Especially if they are showing the book to prospective customers who are going to pay big bucks for a wedding or something. Or maybe they have wealthy collectors who buy the books for their living room coffee tables.
ERM…
But remember, 100 pages is only 50 sheets of paper!
My book, if printed out, would be a scrawny little thing! The pages would be, what, maybe a quarter of an inch thick? I’m supposed to pay almost two hundred bucks for a skinny book like that?
“We have lots of clients how buy our books,” he said. “They love how our paper is heavy and satiny smooth, with great color saturation. And that we have lay-flat binding so there’s no curving pages, and hefty hard padded leather covers or even ones with a thick, clear acrylic covering.”
OK. Nonetheless. Even if it’s half an inch thick in the end, including those fancy covers! In retail it’s common to double your cost for the retail price – so – I’m supposed to sell an 11″ square book that’s only a wee thickness for $376? I don’t think so!!! Roll on the floor laughing…
SO NOW WHAT?
Now I have a beautiful pdf Ebook with over 70 of my best pieces – from my choicest pastel paintings, to my paintings in oils and acrylics of goddesses and gals and critters and trees and glorious seascapes, to a whole bunch of my best sculpture from when I was in New Zealand as Artist-in-Residence.
All of it in beautiful, full, radiant color, all dressed up … and nowhere to go.
THINKING…
I sat there and thought to myself, I guess I’ll probably publish it on amazon … and then my whirly little brain kicked in and said, in the kind-time as you get that going, why not just make the pdf of the book available to folks?
They can download it and enjoy it immediately. No ordering and waiting for weeks to get it fancy-schmancy printed and bound and finally shipped.
OK, I thought, I’ll do that!
HOW ABOUT 90% SAVINGS?
So there you are – you can have the book right now, right this moment – NOT for $376 – but a measly $9.98!
Want to see some of the images in the book?
Go here to see them, and to get it and download it and really enjoy cruising though it.
You know how, once you’ve made something unusual, you kind of look at it and go, “Wow, I did that?” Well, that’s what I did last night as I went through the book. That was fun!
Get your own copy – CLICK HERE!
I’ll let it have such a weeny price for a few days – but it really ought to be 19.97 at least. For now though, all you pay is nine bucks and a bit. Go for it!