If you’re an artist, or if you’re well connected to other artists, you might be interested in assembling, printing, and eventually selling an art book. This could be a valuable move for your career because it serves as a way to generate new revenue and a way to share your art with more people, earning your personal brand more exposure in the process.
These days, it’s relatively easy to put together a digital file that showcases some of your best artwork. And it’s not hard to find online printers that are capable of turning that digital file into a physical, printed book. But if you want to make a profit, and make the biggest impact, you’ll need to carefully think about your strategy.
The High-Level View
From a high level, your art book work will unfold over the course of three phases:
- Research and planning. First, there’s research and planning. If you already have a collection of art pieces you want to show off in a book, you may already have an idea of the type of book you want to create. Still, it’s on you to figure out who your target audience is, how to appeal to them, how to manage the costs of production, and how to maximize your potential disability and profit.
- Production. Next, you’ll start planning the pieces of art to include so you can eventually print your art book. During this phase, you’ll select the most appropriate pieces to include in your planned book, select an online printer, and begin the production process.
- Distribution. Finally, you’ll undergo distribution, circulating the copies of your book to any outlets that are profitable for you to pursue. Depending on your strategy, this may mean selling your book in both physical and digital outlets, and there are thousands of options in both categories to consider.
Research and Planning
In the research and planning phase, you’ll need to decide what type of art book you want to create and the best ways to create it.
- Market research. Everything starts with a few rounds of market research, in which you’ll seek to better understand the people most likely to buy your art book. Who is your art book for? What are the best ways to appeal to this target audience? Is this target audience likely to spend money on a book like yours, and if so, how do you maximize that likelihood?
- Competitive research. After that, you’ll need to engage in competitive research. What other art books like yours are already on the market? Who are your top rivals, what are they doing right, and what are they missing? Are there any strategies or angles that are currently underrepresented?
- Title and theme. At this point, you’ll be ready to start putting together a theme for your art book, as well as a title. It’s important to competitively differentiate your work, while simultaneously appealing to your target market. And of course, you’ll also want to choose a theme and title that accurately reflect your artistic brand. This is a tricky juggling act, and it could take you some time to finalize your ideas.
- Purpose and goals. Generally, what are you hoping to accomplish? Are you trying to sell as many copies as possible, or is this more about building your own credibility and visibility as an artist?
- The business plan. If you’re serious about selling your art book, you’ll need some kind of business plan in place. You’ve already done some of the preliminary research necessary for this type of document, so put together the pieces and come up with a viable overall strategy. You’ll also need to research the costs of production, your options for marketing and advertising, and your plans for future growth.
Production
After that comes the production phase.
- Creation and curation. Depending on whether you’re producing this book for your own work or with the work of someone else, you’ll need to either create or curate the pieces of art that you want to include. Be thorough and judicious here, adhering to your main theme and following your main goals.
- Positioning and complements. The layout is very important. Obviously, you need to make sure your pieces of art have plenty of white space to draw attention to them, you’ll also want to include details like the title of each piece and potentially some background or descriptive text.
- Printing options. When you’ve given the entire layout a final polish, you’ll be ready to select a printer. Choose an online printer that has all the options you need at an affordable price – and don’t neglect quality!
Distribution
If you’re working with a publisher, they’ll likely handle distribution on your behalf. Unfortunately, it’s harder than ever to get a deal through a publisher or through an agent these days. Self-publishing may be a more viable strategy.
If you choose to self-publish, there are many distribution options available to you. You can sell your art book through your own website, through digital distribution platforms, through various online stores, or even in partnership with local retailers. Most people choose to use a combination of different strategies.
Creating an art book can be challenging, and selling it is even more challenging. But if you’re committed to your ideas, and you’re willing to put in the work, this can be both profitable and good for your artistic career.
