Resources

Bookbaby Offers E-book Publishing Advice for Writers

WRITERS. A free 15-page e-book from Bookbaby provides important advice for independent authors who want to self-publish e-books that can be read on multiple devices.  In the publication, entitled “E-book Publishing: The How-To Guide for Writers,” Steven Spatz notes that “E-books and e-book readers have moved quickly past the ‘early
adopter’ phase to become the preferred choice of millions of readers.”

Considering how many people will receive e-books as gifts this holiday season, the demand for e-books is expected to surge in 2012.

After explaining various options for independent authors (and describing Bookbaby’s own services), Steven Spatz makes the following suggestions.

Find a professional editor who is experienced with your type of subject matter. Spatz notes that when your work is accepted by a traditional publisher, editing is one of the most important elements that the publisher brings to the process: “Just
because you’ve chosen to go another route doesn’t mean that the requirements for editing are any less strict.” The e-book suggests several ways to find a competent and experienced editor.

Format your manuscript properly for conversion into e-book file formats. The experts at Bookbaby have learned that e-book formatting works best when authors supply original files in .doc, .html, or .txt file formats. In addition, don’t use tabs or the space bar to format paragraphs, use standard fonts for your document, and do all of your image resizing work outside of the document.  The e-book lists other tips that can help make
the conversion process go more smoothly.

Make sure your cover design looks professional. Can it pass the “2-second test”? Can a potential reader understand what your book is about from a quick glance at the cover? Plus, he notes, “If your cover art looks amateurish, the customer will assume that
the writing is too.”

Create the right metadata. Browsing through online bookstores usually begins with a search, Spatz points out: “If your metadata does not reflect what someone is searching
for, no one will ever find your book” even if it has an eye-catching cover or attention-grabbing title. In the e-book, Spatz explains the type of metadata that Bookbaby will ask you to provide, and list ideas for creating good metadata.

As for pricing your e-book, Spatz notes that there is some logic behind different pricing strategies. He explains why some authors choose to charge $4.99 to $7.99 while others price their books in the $0.99 to $1.99 range. But, he notes: “Like the rest of the e-book world, we’re in a rapidly evolving environment when it comes to e-book pricing. Things are so new, and changing so quickly, that pricing strategies can be outdated in the blink of an eye. One of the great things for authors who self-publish their e-books is the ability to change the price, test different price points, and react to the market demand.”

LINKS:

E-Book Publishing: The How-To Guide for Writers

About  Bookbaby

 

Learn DSLR Filmmaking at Four 2012 Photography Events

In a previous post on this blog, we explained some of the reasons the demand for professional video services is starting to explode. If you want to help meeting the burgeoning demand, make plans to attend one of the four major photography conferences planned this spring. All four conferences feature courses that can help you improve your ability to produce professional-quality videos with a DSLR camera.

DIMA CONFERENCE
January 8-9 at Bally’s
in Las Vegas, Nevada
(in conjunction with PMA@CES: January 10-13)

Jeff Medford and Ross Hockrow of Cinestories will present a two-part “Get In Motion” session on DSLR filmmaking. During “Part 1: The Art of Storytelling with Moving Images,” you’ll learn fundamental principles of filmmaking and see examples of films you can make with tools you already have. In “Part 2: Post-Production Magic,” you will learn how to edit video using Adobe Premiere CS 5.5. Learn the art of the cut, when to cross-fade, how to add movement to static clips, color correction, how to add text and assemble audio, and how to add a soundtrack. By the end of the session you will be able to turn your footage into compelling films.

After the DIMA Conference wraps up, see the latest digital-imaging technology and consumer electronics at the massive Consumer Electronics Show. After visiting the booths of camera, video, and imaging-product manufacturers at PMA@CES at the Venetian, take a shuttle to the Las Vegas Convention Center and explore thousands of exhibits showcasing innovations in 3D imaging, tablet computers, apps, connected TVs, audio equipment, and more.

LINKS

DIMA Conference

PMA@CES

IMAGING USA
January 15-17 in the
Ermest N. Morial Convention Center
New Orleans, Louisiana

The world’s longest-running professional photography conference includes three full days of artistic and business education for wedding, portrait, and sports photographers. Organized by Professional Photographers of America (PPA), the conference includes three sessions on DSLR filmmaking:

Transitioning from Stills to Motion
Canon Explorer of Light Ken Sklute will guide you through everything you need to know in order to capture moving images and present them to clients. You will learn about shooting video clips and capturing audio and see how to create techniques in movement and produce time-lapse films. Sklute will also cover DSLR workflow, asset management, editing techniques, and the latest grip gear for shooting moving images.

HDSLR Cinema 101: Shooting Video Like a Pro
As a 10-year veteran of the Saturday Night Live Film Unit, Alex Buono must deliver high-end commercial parodies and short films in as little as 24 hours. In this session, he shares how shooting with the Canon 5DmII and 7D has revolutionized the way he works. He will demonstrate everything you need to know to shoot videos with your DSLR. You’ll get an extensive list of setup necessities, including shutter speeds, frame rates, aspect ratios, camera settings and vital production gear. Alex will also suggest on-set and post-production workflows and discuss the advantages of Canon DSLRs versus other formats. Plus, he will explain how to transcode files into edit-friendly codecs, and how to create time-lapse sequences.

From Still to Motion
Cinestories’ Jeff Medford and Ross Hockrow will show how to use your artistic talent, training, and equipment to expand your business possibilities with HDSLR filmmaking. You will see specific examples of the types of films you can create, including Web commercials, wedding films, birth announcements, family films, and films for events such as conventions.

LINKS

Imaging USA

WPPI 2012
Conference: February 16-23; Exhibits: February 20-22
MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada

Conducted by Wedding and Portrait Photographers International, this event offers a diverse mix of 90 platform classes, 50 master classes, 2-day PLUS classes, and a two-day WPPI U for emerging photographers. The filmmaking sessions include:

The Art and Business of DSLR Filmmaking
After describing top mistakes photographers make when adding DSLR filmmaking to their repertoire, inspirational filmmaker Ron Dawson will teach the basics of filmmaking, discuss audio and editing issues, and talk about what gear to use.

Storytelling with Video and Stills
Celebrity wedding photographers and digital-cinema leaders Charles Maring and Jennifer Maring will show why video is fast becoming a staple in studios around the world. Whether you want to use DLSR video for client projects or public relations, you will learn how to maximize the potential of your DSLR to increase profits, educate consumers, and tell visually captivating stories about your clients or your studio.

Photo Video Fusion
Wedding photographer Vanessa Joy and Rob Adams explain how to capture, edit, produce, and market films that still photographs with video footage.

Six Films to Make With Your HDSLR
Cinestores’ Jeff Medford explains how to add filmmaking products to your offerings. Topics include how to make Web commercials, wedding films, birth-announcement films, family music videos, senior music videos and films for events. He will discuss different camera movement techniques, what additional gear to acquire and how to edit it all in Adobe Premiere CS 5.5.

LINK

WPPI 2012

PHOTOSHOP WORLD
March 24-26 at the
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Washington, DC

Whether you’re brand new to photography or a seasoned pro, sessions at NAPP’s Photoshop, Photography and Lighting Conference can help take your work to the next level. Four sessions explain how to use DSLR and Adobe software to produce great-looking “motion graphics.”

Pre-Conference Workshop: On Location DSLR Video Workshop
During this seven-hour workshop at the Rhed Pixel video production studio in nearby Falls Church, Virginia, Richard Harrington will show how a real-world project comes to life. You’ll also get a hands-on lesson on executing your own video projects from start to finish, from acquiring footage to the post production process.

Creating Time-Lapse Movies
Richard Harrington (author of Photoshop for Video and Motion Graphics Studies Techniques) shares power-user techniques for creating time-lapse movies. Learn how to prepare Photoshop files for import into After Effects or a video-editing tools. Learn to use advanced options such as video layers, smart objects, and 3D objects for special uses.

Photographers Video Tool Kit
Rod Harlan of the Digital Video Professional Association, shows how to take your DSLR footage further with techniques available in Photoshop. Learn secrets for creating time-lapse videos.

Getting Started with Premiere Pro
Richard Harrington explains the essentials of video editing and working with video and audio. You’ll also see how to publish your results to the web.

LINK

Photoshop World

RELATED POST

Six Reasons Photographers Should Learn to Shoot Video

 

 

 

Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide Shows Gains for Creatives

Professionals in creative fields can expect average starting salary gains of 3.5 percent in 2012, according to the recently released “The Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide.” The guide lists starting salary ranges for more than 100 positions in interactive, content-development and management, advertising and marketing, and public relations.

Professionals with interactive skills, such as user experience (UX) designers, are especially sought after as firms look to improve their web presence and transition many of their marketing programs online. Other in-demand creative professionals include online project managers, search-engine optimization (SEO)/search-engine marketing (SEM) specialists, video producers, web analytics specialists, and web designers/developers.

The figures in the guide are national averages for the U.S., but can be adjusted for more than 130 U.S. markets, using the local variance figures also included in the guide.

The Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide is one of five new Salary Guides released by Robert Half International. The Salary Guides include:

2012 Salary Guide from Robert Half for accounting and finance

Robert Half Technology 2012 Salary Guide

The Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide

Robert Half Legal 2012 Salary Guide

OfficeTeam 2012 Salary Guide 

Among the fields researched, technology positions are projected to see the largest gains in starting salaries, with an anticipated 4.5 percent increase in base compensation. Accounting and finance professionals can expect starting salaries to rise an average of 3.5 percent. Starting salaries for administrative professionals are expected to rise 3.4 percent, and starting salaries in the legal field are anticipated to rise 1.9 percent on average.

Salary calculators that can be used to determine average starting salaries in hundreds of local markets can be accessed via the links to the Salary Guides above.

Since 1950, Robert Half has produced Salary Guides to offer business owners and hiring managers information on prevailing starting salaries in their geographic areas and insight into employment trends. Information in the guides is based on the thousands of job searches, negotiations and placements managed each year by Robert Half’s staffing and recruiting managers, along with the company’s ongoing surveys of executives. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has used the guides when preparing its comprehensive Occupational Outlook Handbook. The salary guides only report starting salaries, because continuing salaries are based on many other variables, such seniority, work ethic, job performance and training.

On the Robert Half International website, you can find a variety of reports and white papers, including “Business Etiquette: New Rules for the Digital Age.” The guide discusses etiquette related to Facebook, Twitter, instant messaging, and phone, video, and web conferencing.

LINKS

About Robert Half International

Salary Guides

The Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide

About The Creative Group

Business Etiquette: New Rules in a Digital Age

 

New Book Explains How to Build a Photography Business

Are you among the many people who imagine it would be super-cool to be a full-time professional photographer? And, sure, it can be mighty tempting to give it a shot—particularly if you suddenly find yourself “self-employed” (unintentionally or by design).

But many aspiring pros fail to consider is that building a sustainable business as a photographer is hard work. It requires much more than a passion for photography, a good camera, and some software.

To get a taste of what building a photography business entails, read the new book by Skip Cohen and Scott Bourne. Entitled “Going Pro: How to Make the Leap from Aspiring to Professional Photographer,” the book explains some of the steps involved in converting your passion into a business. In addition to mastering the craft, you must have the patience and perseverance to execute a well thought-out business plan and know how to use both social media and traditional marketing tools, such as press releases, advertising, and direct mail.

In the book’s introduction Bourne and Cohen remind readers that, “Being a professional photographer carries with it a great deal of responsibility, especially when working with clients. They’re putting their trust in you to capture everything they’re not going to have time to see, especially at an event like a wedding. A commercial client is looking for you to show the essence of a product in ways that can promote and grab the attention of the public. A photojournalist has a responsibility to freeze a moment to share with the rest of society with a full commitment to truth in imaging.”

The authors of “Going Pro” provide practical advice on choosing your niche, putting together a portfolio, pricing and showing your work, positioning your brand, and planning for diversification.

Even if you’ve been a working pro for awhile, you may want to read the book’s sections about how to use social media to build an online presence. The book includes checklists for promoting your blog, explains how to use Twitter Search to find clients, and discusses why properly adding keywords to your photographs can be the single best thing you can to get your work seen on the Internet. The chapters in the 240-page, gorgeously illustrated book suggest some things to consider before turning pro:

  • Chapter 1: Define Your Niche
  • Chapter 2: Be the Best Photographer You Can Be
  • Chapter 3: Test the Water and Show Your Work
  • Chapter 4: Marketing
  • Chapter 5: Social Media Marketing for Photographers
  • Chapter 6: Use Twitter to Grow Your Photo Business
  • Chapter 7: Blogging: Your Online Presence
  • Chapter 8: The World of Search
  • Chapter 9: Old-Fashioned Marketing
  • Chapter 10: Expand Your Business
  • Chapter 11: Outsourcing

Photographer Scott Bourne, of the Bourne Media Group, is the publisher of Photofocus.com and an expert in social media. According to wefollow.com, Scott is the most influential photographer on Twitter. He notes that, “Prospecting for new clients in a lifetime job for professional photographers, and Twitter Search is a powerful tool that can help you find clients and generate business.”

Skip Cohen, the president of Marketing Essentials International, previously served as president of Rangefinder Publishing, where he oversaw Rangefinder and AfterCapture magazines, the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Association and the WPPI trade show.

In “Going Pro,” Skip reminds readers that “The fastest way to grow a healthy network is to attend every workshop, class, convention, and trade show you can. These events give you a chance to meet other photographers and talk about the challenges of everything from technology to customer service. This is about communication on the most basic level.” He offers a series of pointers on how to grow and maintain your network and get the most out every photography event you attend.

Throughout the book, “Going Pro” offers tips and some amazing images from 25 of the best-known names in the photography business, including Chase Jarvis, Vincent Laforet, Matthew Jordan Smith, Jeremy Cowart, Jules Bianchi, Bambi Cantrell, Tony Corbell, Clay Blackmore, Kevin Kubota, Jerry Ghionis, and more.

Published by Amphoto Books, “Going Pro” is scheduled for release October 18. You can pre-order the book on Amazon.com or through links on the Going Pro blog: GoingPro2011.com

LINKS

Going Pro: How to Make the Leap from Aspiring to Professional Photographer

GoingPro2011 Blog: About the Going Pro Staff

 

Author Learning Center Teaches Book Creation and Marketing

Author Learning Center LogoWRITERS. Author Learning Center is a new online educational resource for authors engaged in any stage of the story development or the book marketing process. Designed for both aspiring and established authors, the subscription-based community offers live and on-demand webinars, podcasts, videos and articles from industry experts and notable writers.

Some of the sessions covered include:

  • Working with an outside publicist
  • Advice for beginning writings
  • What is a short story?
  • Constructing a memoir
  • The elements of a page-turner
  • Developing your teen writing voice
  • Writing and editing traps to avoid
  • How agents can help authors
  • Tips for getting your book published
  • Digital marketing
  • Steps for turning your book into a film

A division of Author Solutions, Inc., the Author Learning Center is built on the experiences gathered during the publishing of more 140,000 new books from over 90,000 different authors. Publishing industry A-listers such as Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee and best-selling authors such as Mitch Albom, Elmore Leonard, and Victor Villasenor will have a presence, providing fun and informative video resources to the Author Learning Center.

“We recognized a basic need that existed in the book publishing community for a comprehensive educational resource designed to guide authors through both the business and creative aspects of book development,” said Keith Ogorek, senior vice-president of Marketing of Author Solutions, Inc. “We envisioned the Author Learning Center as the complete resource for authors to bring their book from the idea phase to the bookshelf.”

Features of the Author Learning Center include:

Author Space. This online workspace is your portal into the Author Learning Center. From here you can access your book projects, personal profile page, the author community and the site’s complete library of educational content. Author Space also provides links to new and popular content as well as recommended content based on your profile settings. Content that has been read or viewed can be easily added to a convenient “My Resources” tab for quick retrieval at a later date.

Book Development Tool. Here you can create a book project, establish a timeline, and track the completion of various book-development tasks using a sliding status bar.

Author Community. This tool functions as a customizable workgroup, allowing you to share content with other authors and solicit feedback and critiques.

Mobile Video Capability. You can access to the videos and webinars of the Author Learning Center via your smartphone or mobile devices.

The Author Learning Center’s full catalog of features is available on a yearly subscription basis for $149. Free, limited guest access is also available. For a free trial subscription, visit http://www.authorlearningcenter.com.

About Author Solutions, Inc.
Author Solutions, Inc. (ASI) is a world leader in indie book publishing. ASI’s self-publishing imprints include AuthorHouse, AuthorHouse UK, iUniverse, Palibrio, Trafford
Publishing and Xlibris. Through strategic alliances with leading trade publishers, ASI is making it possible to develop new literary talent efficiently and provide authors a platform for bringing their books to market.

LINKS

Author Learning Center

Author Solutions Inc.

 

Agency Access Helps Commercial Photographers and Illustrators Find Clients

PHOTOGRAPHERS. ILLUSTRATORS. When you’re busy meeting multiple project deadlines, it’s easy to let marketing efforts lapse. But when you’re about to wrap up the last job in the pipeline, panic sets in because no new projects await. It’s time to restart your marketing!

Keith Gentile, CEO of Agency Access, understands why many small commercial photography studios and illustrators neglect marketing when things get busy. The trouble is, he says, “Marketing only works if you’re consistent.”

This is particularly true in today’s ultra-competitive environment. Your name and work must be in front of a buyer when they are ready to make the assignment for which you are best qualified.

Agency Access can help. They provide one-stop direct-marketing support for commercial photographers, illustrators, artist reps, and stock agencies. The company’s sole purpose is to help members find new clients.

At the heart of Agency Access services is an international database of 60,000+ commercial art buyers at ad agencies, magazines, book publishers, in-house departments, graphic design firms, and architectural firms. To help you connect with the individuals included in this database, Agency Access can help you plan, design, produce, and send email and direct-mail marketing campaigns.

With the all-inclusive Campaign Manager Pro program, you will work with a team of two Agency Access marketing experts, a Professional Artist Consultant, and a Campaign Manager. To help you land the type of jobs you want, the consultant will help you improve your brand, choose the right images, and edit your website. If your consultant believes your work isn’t quite up to the quality standards most clients require, they will coach you on steps you can take to improve. Your Campaign Manager Pro team will also help you develop a marketing plan, create the perfect leave-behind portfolio, produce and send direct-mail postcards, design and send e-mails, and conduct 6 cycles of follow-up telemarketing on your behalf.

Merger with ADBASE

Gentile expects services to Agency Access clients to become even better now that the firm has acquired the Adbase marketing mailing list service for creative professionals and the Adbase FoundFolios division. The FoundFolios Creative Network combines an online portfolio site for artists with a social-networking community for photographers, artists, designers, and photo buyers.

Adbase and FoundFolios are now divisions within Agency Access and will be maintaining their websites, brand identity and product offerings. Nelson Nunes, the co-founder of Adbase and FoundFolios, is now the vice president of the ADBASE group within Agency Access, responsible for its technology and day-to-day operations.

Gentile believes that “Combining forces will give both Agency Access and ADBASE members the best of both worlds.”

Adbase subscribers can continue to use the self-serve marketing tools they originally purchased from Adbase. Or, they can migrate to the full range of marketing support, campaign-management, and consultation services available through Agency Access.

Through new bundled subscription offerings, Agency Access members can purchase FoundFolios, additional self-serve marketing options, and all members will benefit from even stronger technology.

Gentile says the Adbase and Agency Access mailing lists will both continue to be updated and improved. Eventually, the two databases will be merged to become the largest, most comprehensive database available to commercial photographers and artists. For example, commercial photographers who want to market some of their work as fine art will be able to connect with some of the fine-art photography galleries that were originally included in the Adbase list. And Adbase members will be able to use the new Agency Access database of 6,000 broadcast clients for motion artists.

In a recent interview, Gentile said he doesn’t expect the consolidation of the companies to result in higher prices: “We have no plans to raise prices, and in fact some prices may drop. We’re just happy that we’re going to make Agency Access even better than it was before.”

Free Marketing Advice

Even if you don’t plan to use Agency Access or Adbase services in the immediate future, check out the valuable marketing advice that is freely available through Agency Access and Adbase blogs, podcasts, and videos. Here are a few posts that caught my eye:

Art Buyers Talk About Assigning Still + Motion Projects

Photographers: Stop Treating Video as an Add-On

Art Buyers Talk About Stock Imagery

Why and How Artists Should Use Social Media

21 Questions to Accurately Estimate a Photography Job

Some blog posts are being consolidated into e-books. When I signed up to follow Agency Access on Twitter, I received a link to en e-book entitled “35 Tips for Getting Noticed, Getting Meetings, and Getting Hired.”

The Creative Collision video series lets you see for yourself how industry experts answer questions frequently asked by Agency Access members. The Creative Collision team (Jennifer Kilberg, Suzanne Sease, and Amanda Sosa Stone) have interviewed top reps, art producers, art directors, and creative directors from firms such as The Martin Agency, StrawberryFrog, Saatchi & Saatchi, Jed Root, Bernstein & Andriulli, and GSD&M. Take a look:

Creative Collision Video: Is Print Dead?

Creative Collision Video: The Industry’s Direction

Creative Collision Video: Making Sense of Printed vs. iPad Portfolios

A free 3-day trial of Agency Access is available. The trial includes an online demonstration of how to use the Agency Access website.

LINKS

Agency Access

Adbase

Found Folios

FoundFolios Creative Network

 

Seminar Teaches Photographers Fundamentals of Filmmaking

PHOTOGRAPHERS. If you want to learn the fundamentals of filmmaking, check out the “Get In Motion” tour conducted by CineStories. Led by Jeff Medford and Ross Hockrow, the seminar will teach you how to use your artistic talent, training, and equipment to also make moving images.

Get in Motion Tour LogoWhether you want to learn how to make films yourself for your clients, or plan to hire someone else to make them for you, understanding the fundamental principles will allow you to contribute to the final finished film and filmmaking process.

The Get in Motion Seminar Tour kicked off Sept. 19 and is scheduled to make stops in more than 35 cities until the end of November.

During the 4-1/2 hour seminar, the instructors show examples of specific films you can make right now, including:

  • web commercials
  • wedding films
  • birth-announcement films
  • family films
  • senior music videos
  • films for events

They will also discuss fundamental filmmaking techniques, what gear to acquire, and how to use it. Some of the specifics you will learn include:

  • Why purposeful storytelling is the most important aspect of filmmaking
  • Techniques that can enhance the story and move it forward.
  • How to “see the story” before you start shooting.
  • How to create the intrigue necessary to keep viewers engaged.
  • How to choose lenses, camera movements, and cuts that lead back to the point of your story.
  • Techniques for creating the types of emotions you intend your viewers to feel.
  • Why your camera moves tell the viewer how to interpret the scene.
  • Why the proper selection of lenses will enhance your ability to create emotion.
  • How to record clean audio and mix it properly during post-production so viewers can pay attention to your story and not be distracted by an imperfect soundtrack.
  • Why the quality of your audio should make the quality of your footage.
  • Why editing doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think.
  • How to use cut points and transitions, line up audio, add text and graphic elements, make basic motion enhancements, add a music soundtrack, and correct color.

If your clients haven’t asked you to provide video services yet, chances are they will soon. Over the next three years, spending on video advertising is expected to swell from $1.97 billion to $4.71 billion. Plus, tens of thousands of companies (big and small) will be using video content on their websites, to tell the stories behind their products and services.

To see examples of the types of films CineStories has produced, visit their website. And don’t forget to watch the very amusing trailer on the Get in Motion Tour website.

LINKS

About CineStories

Get in Motion Tour