Every year we look at calendars from about August. The shops start marketing them and businesses start giving away calendars soon after. We are dependent on calendars despite our electronic diaries and cell phones. There are many people who buy calendars every year so the market is huge. This means that there are huge opportunities to make cash from your camera in this market.
The great thing about making money from calendar photography is that there are two routes, the more difficult calendar publishers market and the option of self-publishing. I think that both have great possibilities and the standards are pretty much the same. The only differences are entry points which both demand serious photography and quality. So what needs to happen to get into these markets?
1. Focus on quality
As with any photography venture, if you are not producing quality then the market will determine whether you sell or not. Calendars, because of the size of the images say in comparison to postcards or greetings cards, demand high quality. In the old photo days if you were shooting on 35mm film you didn’t stand much chance as medium format was the requirement. Today, if your digital images are high quality you are in with a big chance. So keep your quality high and your compositions of a high standard.
2. When to submit to publishers
It’s important to know when to submit a portfolio of images to publishers so contact them individually in order to find their production cycles. Some work a year in advance while others start in the first few months of a new year so be aware of the right timing. Publishers are more eager to view new images during their selection process than during deadlines. If you are not sure then go to the company’s website or ask them for a submission schedule and guidelines for submitting.
3. Where to submit
With the world of the internet everything is made easier and you are able to research with ease in the comfort of your office or home. But, don’t stop there. As with postcards and greetings cards the best place to find out what is selling is at the point of sale. Because of costs involved it’s not as easy as starting a postcard collection so get into the stores and find out the details of publishers on the back of the calendars. By knowing which are good sellers you will know who to approach first.
4. Self-publishing
This is considerably more difficult than postcards or greetings cards just because there is more printing to be done so the costs increase. There are different levels of entry into this market and with the high quality printers of today you can actually start the whole process from home. Many local businesses give away calendars so find out what they want and you may be able to brand your calendars with their name and sell to local business. With the age of digital well entrenched in the printing business you will be able to find printers giving reasonable prices on low volume print runs so testing the market is nowhere near as costly as it used to be.
5. Marketing
Once you have created a quality product you need to take the time and effort to market to the retailers. Be prepared for rejection but also be wise in who you approach and where they are situated. It’s pointless finding resellers of your calendars if they are in the wrong areas. Rather target the right areas where you will experience more rejection but the ones who are prepared to sell for you will achieve a higher volume of sales.
Here’s a plan of action to get your going:
a. Do your research and find out what type of calendar subject sells.
b. Select images from your own portfolio.
c. Shoot new images in line with market trends.
d. Find a publisher or decide to self-publish.
e. Submit your images.
f. If you are self-publishing select your final images.
g. Once your calendars have been printed, market to the right retailers.
There are great possibilities with calendar publishing if you can get you work accepted by a publishing company. If you can’t then self-publishing can also work and probably will be more profitable in the long run. Perseverance is key so keep knocking at doors until they open. Happy shooting!
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