To celebrate the launch of FotoMarket, the first ever crowdfunded photobook store, we got in touch with some of the best photobook publishers throughout the world and asked them a few questions about the photobook industry, their approach to photobook making, and what photographers should consider when looking to make a photobook. Sign up to our newsletter to be sure you don’t miss any of the interviews in the Publisher’s Insight series.
It’s the turn of Chris Picler, founder and owner of California based publisher Nazraeli Press, to share his thoughts about photobooks and the photobook market (read our previous interviews in the series with MACK Books and Dewi Lewis Publishing).
Hello Chris, thank you for this interview. Please introduce us to Nazraeli Press.
Thank you for inviting us to participate. I founded Nazraeli Press in Munich, Germany in 1992. It began very small, of course; first with postcards, then one book a year, and then two. By 2016, Nazraeli Press had published over 500 titles. We are now based in Paso Robles, California and have a small satellite office in Manchester, England.
How would you define the photobook as a medium?
The medium of photography isn’t dependent on books for its existence; and books certainly don’t need photography in order to function. But when photographs and books get together, it’s a match made in heaven. Looking at a book is a very private and personal experience; a published book of photographs allows hundreds, or thousands, of individuals to each have their own unique experience with the same body of work. This is very different from looking at images on the wall of a gallery or in a museum.
What qualities should a photographic project have to pique your interest in making a photobook out of it?
Authenticity is more important to me than subject matter. We have published books that are “about” many, many different subjects, but a good book is also “about” the photographer, and his or her relationship with the subject. When a photographic project grows naturally out of a photographer’s personal knowledge of a subject, and their passion for it, this authenticity shines through in the work.
Can you describe Nazraeli‘s approach to photobook making?
I like to work quickly and intuitively, and not labor over decisions and details. There is no right or wrong way to making a book, but I like to strip away whatever is unnecessary, and to end up with a book that is “un-designed”, with the images and paper and materials all coming together in what Robert Adams once referred to as “blessed restraint”.
What advice would you give a photographer looking to make a photobook?
Before you ask a publisher to publish a book of your work, ask your own self why the work should be published. Is there a market for such a book? Does the work function well in the format of a book?
What are the most recent books in your catalogue, and what upcoming titles we can look forward to?
We recently began to publish a series of books called NZ Library. The books are published in groups of six titles at a time, once each year. The print run for this series is limited to 350 numbered and signed copies, and the books are quite large – 12×15 inches – and individually slipcased. The production value of these books is very, very high, and they are marketed to serious book collectors and institutional collections and libraries. We have published the first 12 titles already, and are working now on the next 6 titles. I’m excited about this series because the format and print run allows me to focus on the content and design of the books, and not worry too much about marketing. I think that these books are the best that we have ever published, and I love working on the new titles. In a way, NZ Library is my dream library, and I hope that it will grow and become something special.
Can you share any figures about how many copies you sell per book on average, and which sales channels have proven more successful for Nazraeli?
Our print runs vary tremendously, depending on the type and purpose of the book. Our average print run is about 1,000 copies; but we have sold over 10,000 copies of some individual titles, while NZ Library books are limited to 350 copies, and books in our deluxe series Six by Six are limited to only 100 copies. For distribution, we like working with a few great bookstores in each big city that we reach, and supplementing that by selling books directly to individual customers all over the world.
Photobooks are often costly to produce and scarcely profitable. Is this the case for Nazraeli, and if so, what strategies do you use?
We are fortunate in that our overhead costs are relatively low, so we can direct revenue to making new books rather than paying a lot of peripheral expenses. Also, as we edit and design almost all of the books in house, we are able to produce books at a reasonable price. Our goal is to make a profit, of course, but also to offer great value to the people who purchase our books.
What other limitations or flaws do you find in the photobook market? What do you think the industry needs to grow?
Through technology and new distribution methods such as online stores, publishing has become super democratic. That’s a good thing in many ways, but it also means that so many books are being published right now that people can’t keep up. I don’t think that the market can grow enough to absorb all of the new books, but I also have a feeling that this is just a temporary phase. Nazraeli Press tries to publish books that separate us from the crowd, such as the titles in our NZ Library and Six by Six series, and not worry about what’s going on in the rest of the industry.
Does Nazraeli accept submissions? What should photographers do to reach out?
We don’t accept unsolicited submissions anymore, because we unfortunately just don’t have enough time to spend with all of the proposals that would come in. However, I do attend events such as the Palm Springs Photo Festival, and review portfolios by attendees. I really like doing this, and have learned about some wonderful book projects this way.
Support the launch of FotoMarket and get a 10% lifetime discount on all books bought from the store!