A Look Inside - My first self-published book

[Peter David Grant]

While we are on "gatekeepers" and advice, when I was still in school, Dennis Oppenheim, the artist, befriended me and told me, "never take a job you like besides being an artist." Sadly, I did not take his advice.

You are right you have to keep being "ready" always -- but the "ready" I was referring to was more along the business sense of things. Artists really are in business, sole proprietors. "Failure" for artists is hard to define, failure for commercial work is easy to define -- you don't make any money.

Yes, I am well aware that as an artist I am in business. I am giving myself two years to try and earn some income, and from there to decide if I have a chance at sustaining myself full time.

Only time will tell on that front.

 

[Peter David Grant]

Using Blurb or a small number of competitors in the "print on demand" business is simply a function of the authors decision not to make any investment in printing. Once a decision is made to make a limited print run, there are many more options available.

Personally, I rejected Blurb and other POD competitors who subcontract out the actual printing because of the print quality. I chose Edition One Books in Berkley CA to make a print run of 100 copies of my book "Vignettes Cubano" because of their quality and reasonable price.

My approach was different as you cannot buy a copy of my book. If you are one of the 65 people who have a copy, it is because I wanted you to have one and gave it to you. My decision not to sell my book was based on my conviction that the very best I could ever hope for was to recover my marketing costs. That is no profit was realistically possible and an economic loss was probable even before considering my time invested. But I am a bit unique in photography and publishing circles being a MBA / CPA with a lifetime of business financial management. My publishing decision was based on a personal desire to better communicate the message of the book and to leave some legacy for family and friends (a/k/a enhanced self esteem)

These financial factors are based on economics and unrelated to the quality of the actual work contained in the book. Publication of Robert Frank's "The Americans" was not initially financially successful. If his talent could not pull it off at the beginning, I doubt that any of ours could.

Hi Bob,

You are of course completely right. It was very much a conscious choice to use a print-on-demand product, so to keep my financial investment down with money in the bank instead of in a stack of books I may or may not sell.

Thank you for sharing your thought process on your book, they make perfect sense given your situation.

By the way, I adore the picture of yours with the girl and chicken (http://bobmichaels.org/Cuba%20photos%202103/slides/060-girl-w-chicken-SS.html)

Cheers,
Peter

 

[Peter David Grant]

"... my intent is to challenge people's perceptions...."

I am so tired of arrogant, pedantic art school speak that whenever I read phrases like the above I just shut down.

Sorry about that. Thank you for stopping by though, I appreciate you time.

 

[Peter David Grant]

My sentiments exactly. I feel captions, apart from factual ones, (almost) always cheapen photos. Like writing the viewer on the nose.

I could also do without the accompanying descriptions. A lot of it sounds like it's from a cheap self-help book, and some are borderline ridiculous (picture of female cyclist without helmet: "Life is already short and fragile enough, why wouldn’t you just wear a helmet?"; picture of girls smoking: "Beautiful girls, but I wonder what damage lies within?"). On the whole the texts just feel moralizing and lecturing. I did enjoy your photos; they deserve better than that

And your comment "challenge people's perceptions", well -- I believe this type of writing is more likely to just annoy people ("who are you to tell me what to think?"). But again, my criticism is only about the text. I like your photos. Thanks for showing them.

Hi andersju,

Thank you for taking the time to look at my photographs and sharing your thoughts. I am sorry that you didn't appreciate the commentary - so far I've had (and very much expected) mixed feelings about the use of words. I cannot please everyone, and frankly I don't intend, or want to either.

I am glad though, that you liked my photography, that is good to hear! Perhaps one day, I should do a higher quality book, without any words.

Cheers
Peter

 

[Peter David Grant]

Well my perceptions were challenged -- I don't know which perceptions exactly -- but I'm sure some were. I do agree that the art-speak is annoying. How else though does one justify 60K per year at Parsons? Of course going through the art-speak is part of the journey -- until the day one's head explodes like a popcorn kernel. However without the art-speak art would sell for much less if at all. So let's just keep on dancing...

I look forward to my head exploding! But for now I shall keep on dancing...

 

[Bob Michaels]

.....
I am sorry that you didn't appreciate the commentary - so far I've had (and very much expected) mixed feelings about the use of words. I cannot please everyone, and frankly I don't intend, or want to either.
.....

Peter: I love your approach understanding that you cannot please everyone and only striving to please yourself and whatever audience thinks as you do. Personally, I believe that once one starts to try to please others, their work becomes mushy and lacking that internal direction.

If you ever start to feel that you are wavering in that direction, read a bit of the initial reception to Andy Warhol's work.