Looking back – our first book

In 2007, we published our first book, recording the tails and trails of a mad adventure race in the Scottish Highlands. It was a stunning backdrop to see some of the worlds greatest adrenaline athletes give it their all, in a quest to take home the A

dventure Racing World Series title. I found it fascinating to experience the race and realise just how hard the competitors had to push themselves in obtain viagra without prescription the rough wilderness, often on little or no sleep. Honestly, this is a sport seriously undervalued and one that deserves far greater respect and awareness.

“You’re about to embark on a unique adventure racing experience. This photo book is as real as it gets without actually entering the race” Travis Macy.

Now, five years on and after producing a dozen more titles, it seems a good time to sit back and reflect on the lessons learnt and advice worth sharing.

Take on board what you will:

 

  • Create books around the subjects you are passionate about. Just thinking about them should give you a buzz
  • Find ambassadors to help sell / promote your book. Being a standalone salesman in a very big crowd is not a good start. Share a piece of your pie and you will reap the dividends. The same counts for the magic of PR. Don’t turn great products into great secrets. Use magazines and online platforms to promote your book. Encourage (favourable) reviews by sending editors a copy of your book. Maxmise your use of social media. It’s a great tool to amplify your message and best of all, it doesn’t cost a dime
  • Find a printer that allows you to be involved in the printing process. Getting ‘backstage’ really adds value to the entire process and means you can make corrections if and when necessary
  • Get yourself the best designer you can afford. Don’t skimp on this and don’t DIY. Good design work requires a unique skill set involving vision, art and consistency. Let them work their magic and I guarantee it will pay off. Working with Jerry was the best choice I made and without trying, turned into a great and ongoing partnership
  • Perhaps a 6p font is a little too small to read
  • Familiarise yourself with RGB to CYMK conversion
  • Know the difference between pages and spreads and make sure all are on the same page … confusion will play havoc with your budget
  • Surround yourself with people in the circle and in particular, find yourself a copywriter with a passion for and experience in the subject area. Travis Macy did a grand job on the text, himself a second-generation adventure racer who is adept at brilliantly conveying the sport on paper
  • Find a sponsor to cover some of the cost. Every penny helps and great industry brands attract others. At the same time, stay true to making clean books. Littering a book with ads is a serious NO GO so promise never to do this. Instead, opt for some subtle product placement or have a dedicated page at the end

 

Our first book never hit any positive figures or even close but breaking into new territory is always a slow and insightful learning process. A note from our UK distributor announced the clearing of non-selling books by sending them off to pulp … a bitter aftertaste but hey without a first, there would never have been a second or third. Lessons were learnt, perseverance prevailed and we’re now running a successful business with a recent a gold award being the icing on the cake.

 

Stories are not made at transition points. You need to get out there into the field, come rain, hail or shine and regardless of how tired you feel. After the winning Team Nike crossed the finish line, the temptation was to sit back and chill out, edit my work, drink real coffee, sip cold beer and catch up on much needed sleep. In fact, I remember being so close to doing so … but instead got my act together and geared up for a 12 hour hike up the UK’s tallest peak, Ben Nevis. Following the horseshoe race circuit in reverse, I hoped to hunt down a few more teams and as it happened, the weather cleared and I shot some of my best work including the cover for the book. Worth every last bit of energy!

 

The best assignments are those that give you complete freedom. This book was on our own account, with our own vision. There’s something to say about producing your own titles, producing your own brief and being your own creative director. Most of my books that followed were paid much better but the trade-off was the client having the final say about content. Favourite shots are replaced with those depicting ‘important’ messages and flowing text replaced with marketing jargon. That said, we’re still enormously proud of the finished result of every book we’ve been a part of.

 

There is an ocean that lies between print and digital formats. A physical book stays with you forever. It is tangible. You can gift wrap it and give it to friends, you can pull it off a shelf in 30 years and have your grand children laugh about the funny clothes people were wearing and you can use it to kill flies. iPad’s will come and go whilst books remain for good. My heart will forever lie with print, yet I’m constantly aware of the environmental impact so we choose our paper source wisely. More about this in another post …

 

In summary, do what you love, leap great steps and be bold. Nothing worth having or doing comes easy and creating your own stuff rocks.

 

Remember, be bold …

Wk.

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