Estimating returns from publishing a photography book

**cwinhall** · 06-06-2011 03:03 PM

Hi all, new here to YE,

I am wanting to start a 12-14month photography project in Zimbabwe with the end product being a book (about 125-150 pages - hardback). I know absolutely nothing about book publishing and how to estimate the revenue it could potentially generate.

I need such info for the proposal document I am writing to try to find investors / grants / sponsorship to get my project underway.

Any help on this would be great appreciated! Also if anyone knows of a place to find investors / grants / sponsorship for such a project that would also be fantastic!

Colin.

**napoleonwill** · 06-12-2011 10:22 AM

Hi Colin,

Before you do anything, try to see if people would buy what you are trying to sell. Tim Ferris (the 4 hour work week) says to actually see if they would commit to buying, not just asking them. So he says to set up a dummy site with shopping cart to see how many people go to the final purchase page.

Right now, I believe it might be able to generate some money but it would be an extremely small market. Think about mass psychology. Most people want quick pleasures ie food, alcohol, etc. Who is the type of person who would buy the book, how many of these types of people exist?

**cwinhall** · 06-13-2011 01:22 AM

Thanks for your reply napoleonwill.

Making a fake website seems a little scammish to me though and not the ebst way forward. Any other alternatives to working out the possible market out there to read such a book?

Colin.

**napoleonwill** · 06-13-2011 06:20 AM

It's more like market research. I don't consider it underhanded at all. From a pure business stand point, you don't want to spend all this time and money trying to make this book. Only to find that no one wants it. You start with the market place. It starts with your customer first. If you are doing the book simply as a fun project, then go ahead.