How much should I charge for a photo?

[Miss Chicken]

Awhile back an author contacted me because he wanted to use one of my photos on Flickr in his book. I allowed him to have it so long as I was acknowledged and I also received a copy of the book which all happened. Now the author wants to buy the photo outright and asked me how much I would be willing to sell the photo for.

I said $12 because this is enough to buy me a book. Am I stupid to ask this price? Should I asked for more, or for less?

 

[Sephiroth]

what book, what photo?

 

[Miss Chicken]

There is a preview of the book here.

My photo is of a magpie sitting on a branch. I took the photo in my backyard,

 

[Joshua Howard]

It sounds solidly fair to me, though $12 does seem a bit low. If I were you, I would probably do about what you did. Nevertheless, photos can sell for quite a bit of money.

The big question is how much the author would be willing to pay to obtain yours. Assuming that the author is looking to buy illustrations to fill a whole book, it seems probable that he/she is trying to work within a budget. What that budget is, or how important your photo is to him/her, however, is hard to figure.

I guess a good way to try to test the waters would be to ask for an offer before spouting a random number. I mean, who knows? Maybe this person is just super-impressed with your bird photo, and was actually willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for it.

 

[Miss Chicken]

It sounds solidly fair to me, though $12 does seem a bit low. If I were you, I would probably do about what you did. Nevertheless, photos can sell for quite a bit of money.

The big question is how much the author would be willing to pay to obtain yours. Assuming that the author is looking to buy illustrations to fill a whole book, it seems probable that he/she is trying to work within a budget. What that budget is, or how important your photo is to him/her, however, is hard to figure.

I guess a good way to try to test the waters would be to ask for an offer before spouting a random number. I mean, who knows? Maybe this person is just super-impressed with your bird photo, and was actually willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for it.

The book has already been published and he sent me a copy (retailed at 49.95). He is now trying to sell translation rights to the book and he has been told that it is easier to do that if he owns the photos outright.

 

[Miss Chicken]

The author has emailed me back and has offered me $40 for the photo. I am really pleased with this amount. It is the first time I have ever sold a photo.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

The author has emailed me back and has offered me $40 for the photo. I am really pleased with this amount. It is the first time I have ever sold a photo.

Congratulations. Seems like a productive exchange.

 

[Mary Ann]

Fantastic, Miss Chicken, and a free copy of the book to boot. Well done.

 

[ancientone51]

Curious, will you still get a credit in future books? It could lead to more...?

Good work all 'round, congrats.

 

[Holdfast]

You could have got a fair bit more as translation rights are money for old rope.

But if you're happy, you're happy.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That sounds pretty good for a first sale. Of course, with the book already in print, you were in a good place for negotiation.

He would have been out of luck with me; I don't sell my Copyrights. But I would have let him use it in international editions just for putting my website address with the pic.

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

Awhile back an author contacted me because he wanted to use one of my photos on Flickr in his book. I allowed him to have it so long as I was acknowledged and I also received a copy of the book which all happened. Now the author wants to buy the photo outright and asked me how much I would be willing to sell the photo for.

I said $12 because this is enough to buy me a book. Am I stupid to ask this price? Should I asked for more, or for less?

$12 is fair if you wish to retain the copyright and profit from the image elsewhere. If you are selling him all rights to the photo, thus giving up your own, you need to charge significantly more.

 

[Shatnertage]

You should definitely get a photo credit, and be aware that professional stock photo companies like Corbis can charge quite a bit for photos. I'd have said $50 maybe, along with a credit line.

 

[Sephiroth]

yeah, this guy is gonna make a lot of money off this book, and I'd hate to see you not get your due

 

[ed629]

If his book sells a large amount of copies, he's the one making profit from the photo. Corbis charges quite a bit for their photos, and they still 'own' the image. I've used them for work I've done for companies and paid around $300 for one image. That said, you could of negotiated a higher price and given him ownership, or a certain amount for each copy of the book and still own the rights to the photo.