Publishing, distribution and funding

A printed book is not yet a published book. Publishing means making the work available to readers: registering it, describing it so shops and libraries can find it, pricing it, getting it into hands through sales and distribution, and paying for all of this. Photobooks rarely make large profits, so funding and realistic planning are as important as design. This lesson compares publishing models, explains contracts with publishers, covers ISBNs, barcodes, metadata and legal deposit in Canada and the United States, shows how to set a retail price and understand trade discounts, outlines distribution channels including book fairs, and examines crowdfunding and other funding sources. VIS-410 covered grants, residencies and public funding for creative careers in general; here the focus is on financing a specific publication. Fees, rules and programs were checked in October 2026 and should be confirmed before you rely on them.

Publishing models

Photographers bring books into the world in several ways, and the line between them has blurred.

Many independent photobook publishers ask artists to contribute part of the production cost, sometimes a substantial sum, raised through grants, presales or private funds. This is not necessarily a vanity arrangement: the publisher contributes editorial expertise, design, reputation and distribution, and photobook economics rarely allow a publisher to carry all the risk. However, ask what the publisher provides in return, how many copies you receive, who keeps the income from sales, and whether the publisher's books are actually stocked in shops and reviewed. Speak to other artists who have published with them.

Publishing agreements

If you publish with a publisher, the agreement sets out rights and money. Read it carefully and, for significant contracts, have it reviewed by a lawyer or an organization that offers contract advice to artists. Key clauses include the following.

• Grant of rights: which rights you license (print, ebook, translation, territories) and for how long. Keep copyright in the photographs; license publication rights.
• Financial contribution: any amount you must pay or raise, and when.
• Royalties: a percentage of the list price or of net receipts, often in the range of about 7 to 10 percent for photobooks, sometimes paid partly or wholly in copies.
• Author's copies: free copies on publication and the discount for buying more.
• Approvals: your right to approve the sequence, cover, text, proofs and print quality.
• Print run, price and format: who decides and whether you are consulted.
• Reversion of rights: when rights return to you if the book goes out of print.
• Subsidiary use: whether the publisher can use images for promotion and on what terms.

Royalty percentages sound small, and photobooks seldom sell enough copies to earn large amounts. For many photographers, the more important terms are the number of author's copies, the right to buy more at a deep discount for resale at exhibitions and talks, and approval over quality.

ISBNs and barcodes

An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 13-digit identifier for a specific edition and format of a book. Shops, distributors and libraries use ISBNs to order and track books. A hardcover, softcover and ebook of the same title each need their own ISBN. You do not need an ISBN to print and sell a book yourself, for example at fairs and exhibitions, but you need one to sell through most bookshops, distributors and online retailers.

In the United States, the official ISBN agency is Bowker, which sells ISBNs directly. At the time of writing, a single ISBN costs about $125 and a block of 10 about $295, so buying a block is far cheaper per number if you plan more than one edition or book. Some print-on-demand services offer free ISBNs, but they list the service rather than you as the publisher.

The barcode on the back cover encodes the ISBN as an EAN-13 symbol, usually with a five-digit price add-on for the US market; the add-on 90000 indicates no suggested price. Barcodes can be generated with layout software or free tools; check that the barcode prints in solid black on a light background at an adequate size.

Metadata

Metadata is the information that describes a book to the trade: title, contributors, ISBN, format, dimensions, extent, price, publication date, subject categories, description and cover image. Distributors and online retailers exchange metadata electronically, usually in the ONIX format, and subject categories use schemes such as BISAC in North America and Thema internationally. Good metadata helps a book appear in searches, in library catalogs and in retailer databases. Write a concise description of about 100 to 200 words, a short author biography, and choose accurate subject categories, for example photography collections and monographs, together with the subject of the work.

Libraries use cataloging data. In Canada, Library and Archives Canada offers Cataloging in Publication (CIP) data to eligible Canadian publishers; check its current eligibility rules. In the United States, the Library of Congress CIP program excludes self-published works, but its Preassigned Control Number (PCN) program assigns a Library of Congress Control Number to titles outside CIP; check whether your book is eligible before applying.

Legal deposit

Both countries require publishers to deposit copies of published works with the national library or copyright office, so that national publishing is preserved.

Legal deposit is a small cost that places your book permanently in the national collection, where researchers can find it. Build the copies into your print run and send them promptly. Follow the current instructions of Library and Archives Canada or the Copyright Office, because procedures and addresses change.

Setting a retail price

The retail price must cover production, the share taken by shops and distributors, and some margin for you. A common rule of thumb in trade publishing is a retail price of four to six times the unit production cost; photobooks often end up closer to three to four times because higher prices would put them beyond buyers' reach. Compare prices of similar books in shops and online: size, extent, binding and reputation all shape what buyers expect to pay.

When a bookshop buys a book, it pays the publisher the retail price minus a trade discount, typically about 40 percent for independent bookshops and higher, often 50 to 55 percent, through distributors and large retailers. A distributor also takes a fee or share, so the publisher may receive as little as 35 to 45 percent of the retail price.

Distribution channels

Photobooks reach readers through several channels, each with different margins and effort.

Photobook and art book fairs have become central to the independent photobook world. Examples include the New York Art Book Fair organized by Printed Matter, the LA Art Book Fair, the Toronto Art Book Fair and Montreal's Expozine, as well as international fairs such as Polycopies and Offprint, held in Paris around the Paris Photo fair. Fairs let you sell directly, meet bookshop buyers and publishers, see what others are making and enter dummy awards. Budget for table fees, travel, shipping stock and accommodation, and estimate how many copies you must sell to cover them.

Returns and consignment

In the trade, bookshops can often return unsold books for credit, sometimes months later. Distributors pass returns back to the publisher, and returned copies may be shopworn. Factor a return rate into forecasts; for small press books it can be substantial. Consignment means the shop pays only when a copy sells. Keep a simple record of which shops hold how many copies, when you delivered them and when to check in. Ask for sales reports and payment at regular intervals, and collect unsold copies after an agreed period.

Crowdfunding and presales

Crowdfunding platforms let supporters pledge money in advance in exchange for rewards, such as a copy of the book, a signed print or a special edition. Presales through your own website work similarly without a platform. Crowdfunding can raise production funds, test demand and build an audience before the book exists. It also creates obligations: you must deliver what you promised, and backers expect regular updates.

Platform and payment fees reduce what you receive. On Kickstarter, at the time of writing, the platform takes 5 percent of funds raised and payment processing typically adds about 3 percent plus a small fixed fee per pledge, with a different rate for very small pledges; other platforms differ. Rewards also cost money to produce and ship. Set a target that covers the net amount you need after fees and reward costs.

Here \( T \) is the funding target, \( N \) is the net amount needed for production, \( R \) is the cost of producing and shipping rewards, and \( f \) is the total percentage of fees as a decimal.

Grants, sponsorship and other funding

Public arts funding can support publication, either through programs for individual artists or through support for publishers. In Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and provincial and municipal arts councils fund many photobook projects and art publishers. In the United States, federal arts funding for individual visual artists is limited, but state and local arts agencies, private foundations and some photography organizations offer grants, fellowships and publication prizes. VIS-410 discussed writing applications and finding programs; for a publication grant, be ready to provide a project description, a dummy or sample spreads, a budget, printer quotes, a distribution plan and a schedule.

Other sources include sponsorship from businesses linked to the subject of the work, partnerships with institutions that buy copies for their members, collector's editions sold at a higher price with a signed print, and prizes for dummies or self-published books. Combining several modest sources is common.

Sales tax on books

Selling books means collecting and remitting sales taxes where required. PHOT-410 covered registration thresholds and filing. Book-specific rules differ by jurisdiction.

In the United States, most states with a sales tax apply it to books, and online sales may require collection in states where you meet economic nexus thresholds, as discussed in PHOT-410. Marketplace platforms often collect sales tax for you in many states. A few states have no general sales tax. Check each state's rules or use a tax service if you sell widely.