Would you sell your image for...... nothing?

I got a call today from someone who saw this image hanging at an exhibit at our local library. He want's to use it for an ebook he's putting together about birds. He said he's a photographer, but is lacking in owl shots, so mine interested him. Here's the catch.... He knows he can download an image for about $5-10, but they have "imprints" and he wants a "clean image." He wants to sell his book on Amazon or elsewhere, wherein the iPad would be the primary reader for this book. "Great", I said. To which he replied that he can't pay me anything, because he can't afford it, but my name would be associated with the image.

Gee, thanks. Guess what? Yeah....... For a commercial use, I'm thinking more like $500, rather than $5. Is that too much? Not enough? I just want to counter with what I think the photo is worth. And, not for nothing, I really like this image a lot. It's worth lots to me, even though it was an injured, captive owl. Your thoughts? He's sure not getting it for $5 or for free. Screw that.

Hi Diane,

Stock pricing has many variables...the use this fellow is requesting would fall under editorial use, in my opinion. Many book publishers pay as low as $50-$100 for 1/4 page inside use. I would ask a few more questions to determine a price quote. It's a lovely shot.

Polly

Thanks, Polly. This is exactly the kind of info I am hoping to get. I'm supposed to talk to him again on Saturday. I don't think I'd want to drop lower than $100. After all, this isn't a "stock" shot. Not that stock shots are bad. And, I'm really not sure what "editorial" means. Yeah, I need to ask more questions. But, I think asking $100 or $1,000 or $1,000,000 is the same thing. He won't pay. But, that's his call. I don't need $50 that badly. Maybe that's a bit arrogant of me, but I like to think that this image is worth more than that.

That is a beautiful shot. I dont know that I would give it away for free, especially since he plans on making money from it. As to the price... I have no idea.

Not arrogance, but intelligence.

If we give away our work, or for little money, we devalue it.

MINIMUM $100.00, I would stick closer to between 250.00 - 300.00

Does he anticipate how many copies of the book he wants the license purchase to cover?

And spell out the limited use of the image and how many copies he is limited to producing. If its 250 books, etc. He will have to re-purchase rights for any books above that number which allows him to keep his cost down and if his book is doing well, he can pay for another round of usage.

If he wants unlimited use of your picture, the price goes up.

Way up.

Roman

A photo appears in a newspaper as an illustration in an article... it's editorial use. The local TV news uses a still photo of a location in a news report... it's editorial use. A photo appears in a book as an illustration... it's editorial use. Conversely, a photo appears in a newspaper as part of an ad... it's commercial use. That's taking it the long way around defining it but I think it might help you understand.

The fees for commercial licensing are traditionally much higher than for editoral use. You need to ask questions about how many copies the author thinks might be sold. An image appearing in a book that will sell 100K copies is obviously worth more money than in a book that will sell only 100. The thing with "ebooks" is that the term can mean a lot of things. It may be a book sold through Amazon with tons of exposure, or the guy might self-publish and sell it through his own website only. There's a big difference in the earning potential of those two. There are a lot of professional and semi-professional photographers self-publishing ebooks these days.

Below are a couple of free online calculators for photo uses. The first one seems the most current with recent trends. Hope they help.


Another Price Photo Calculator


Stock Photo Price Calculator

Thanks for posting those links Bob

Interesting stuff, all. Thanks!!! I ran the calculator, and this was the result based on my input:

Usage Details

Usage Type: Electronic Media
Usage Details: CD/DVD Multimedia Books
Duration: Up To 1 Year
Size On Screen: Up To 1/2 Screen
Quantity: Up To 100 Units
Region of Use: Worldwide

Calculator Price : US$183.48

This is the base figure generated by our calculator for single non-exclusive use. Photographers should make an adjustment for any additional rights that might be required. Some photographers may wish to make further adjustments for the quality and uniqueness of the image.

That seems really closer to what this guy wants. Fact is, I don't really know yet what he wants, so I'm making assumptions. I don't know whether it will be used for 1 year or 5 years. I don't know if he plans to sell 100 or 500 copies. I'm assuming, given that he said that he was looking to sell the book on Amazon, that it would be published worldwide. What I do know now, is what kind of questions to ask.

As for editorial use, I guess that's what this is. But, given that he's a photographer who is looking to sell a book about bird photography, his bird photography, but doesn't have any owl shots, I think his request goes beyond simply editorial. Maybe not quite commercial. Also, as a photographer, he should know better than to think that giving me credits is enough payment. I work for the National Park Service, and the old school expression is that rangers (which I am not) "get paid in sunsets." Well, you can starve to death on sunsets, for crissakes. Same principle applies.

I'm not stingy with my images. I have given lots of them away. I have granted free use to environmental groups, to the Pine Barrens Commission, to Seatuck Environmental Association, etc., for their exhibits and publications. These people are not looking to make money off my images. And, I'm happy to support their causes. I feel honored that they ask me for some images. And, I am always very explicit about making sure I get proper credits.

Again, thanks so much for your help. I have bookmarked the calculator sites. Even if the prices aren't perfect, they at least lead you to asking the right questions. And, that's a lot.

Diane,

I think this is more accurate for what the request is:



Of course I don't have details on number of copies so this is a guess.

The use is what will determine the price, which is why asking specific questions will help you determine the right fee. Keep in mind that the calculators often quote fees that are quite a bit higher than what you'll be seeing in the real world of licensing images. They are a starting point to give you some guidance. Yes, the uniqueness of the image will bump up the fee, if it's a shot the buyers can't locate elsewhere. For instance, last week I licensed an image of an Abyssinian cat eating food from a glass bowl...they needed that specific shot, not just another portrait and so I was able to obtain a larger fee as the image was somewhat hard for the client to locate.