Photograph + writing = Published article

[Sean Moran]

I took a photograph of a fortune teller in India on my Leica M3 with rigid 50mm Summicron, using Ilford hp5+.

Then, I scanned it on a flat-bed scanner with a view to publication. But how?

Here's how. To accompany the photograph, I wrote a 1,600 article on why fortune tellers could not actually foretell the future. Then I emailed the article and photograph to the editor of Philosophy Now magazine.

And it is hitting the news-stands right now: http://philosophynow.org/issues/96/Fortune-Tellers_and_Causation

This was my first combined publication (ie photograph and text), but I will be doing more of this sort of thing.

Any tips from more experienced writer-photographers?

All the best,

Seán.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Sean,

First, congratulations! This, along with writing books (the latter not lately) is how I've earned most of my living for well over 30 years.

That's quite a long article by modern standards, but presumably you researched the length they wanted, and the sort of thing they run. That's all there is to it, really. Remember that the standard resolution for repro is 300 dpi, so work out the likely or maximum size the pic will run and scale accordingly. Further thought: except for photography magazines, editors rarely give a toss what equipment you use, and can be put off if you tell them too much about that -- or, usually, if you tell them anything at all about it.

If it's not a rude question, what did they pay you for 1 pic + 1600 words? In many cases, word/page rates have remained static or even dropped as magazines lose advertising to the internet, and there comes a point where it's just not worth writing any more -- where you can't persuade the taxman that it's not a paying hobby. But as long as you can break more or less even, you can set off expenses against income, so you get paid for doing things that most people have to pay to do (photography and travel). The rewards tend to be more in lifestyle than in money...

Cheers,

R.

 

[Sean Moran]

Hello Roger,

It's great to hear from such a prolific writer as you. I have some of your books and enjoy your work in Amateur Photographer.

As an academic, I don't expect to be paid for writing - which must be irritating for a professional writer to hear. The UK/US magazine Philosophy Now rejects 11 out of every 12 articles that are submitted to it, so it doesn't need to pay. They do, however, give authors a free 12-month subscription to the magazine (which I would have bought anyway). These are generous terms for academics. Our reputations are partly based on our publication records ('publish or perish'), and writing is seen as part of the job. The punchline of one joke doing the rounds is that Jesus would not have done well in modern academia ('Great teacher, but doesn't publish').

I'm about half way through writing a short book (final length: 30,000 words) called 'How to be a Good Teacher'. This will probably produce close to zero income, but the reputational benefits could be substantial. I haven't yet decided whether to include some photographs to illustrate it.

You have my admiration for making a living out of this sort of thing.

Warm regards,

Seán.

PS Thanks for the tip about equipment. It's easy to forget that not everyone has even heard of Leicas.

 

[Exdsc]

Your photo is simply a good old fashioned 'illustration'.

Your article sounds interesting, I'll read it.

 

[swoop]

The UK/US magazine Philosophy Now rejects 11 out of every 12 articles that are submitted to it, so it doesn't need to pay. They do, however, give authors a free 12-month subscription to the magazine (which I would have bought anyway). These are generous terms for academics. Our reputations are partly based on our publication records.

In my best mafioso voice "They want content, they gotta pay. They all pay."

Magazines thrive on content. No content = no readers. Of those 12 articles they recieved in submissions how many of them are actually any good, probably just that one they printed. Free content is everywhere, good content isn't. So the story you wrote has value. Being paid in a subscription isn't acceptable. Is that what the editor is paid in. Does he buy his groceries in exchange for subscriptions.

I also understand the credibility that comes from being published. And while that does have value and can lead to other work it shouldn't be all the publication has to offer. A check should be in that deal too. And if everyone whose article submission was accepted held out for a check instead of the fleeting excitement of being published it's likely the magazine would have a different policy. Of course I've made this argument before and was rebuffed with "You can't unionise photographers" and I know that but even those with aspirations of going pro have to realize they are only hurting their own potential at success when they accept nothing for their work.

Either way, congratulations on getting noticed. I know it is a great feeling and well worth celebrating.

 

[kuvvy]

Congrats on getting it published Sean.

Paul

 

[Bobfrance]

Superb stuff Sean. Congratulations!
Remember to drop us a line if you're ever passing through Manchester again, it would be good to catch up.

 

[Nigel Meaby]

Yes congratulations on getting published...at the same time I have to completely agree with Swoop.

 

[Roger Hicks]

In my best mafioso voice "They want content, they gotta pay. They all pay."

Magazines thrive on content. No content = no readers. Of those 12 articles they recieved in submissions how many of them are actually any good, probably just that one they printed. Free content is everywhere, good content isn't. So the story you wrote has value. Being paid in a subscription isn't acceptable. Is that what the editor is paid in. Does he buy his groceries in exchange for subscriptions.

I also understand the credibility that comes from being published. And while that does have value and can lead to other work it shouldn't be all the publication has to offer. A check should be in that deal too. And if everyone whose article submission was accepted held out for a check instead of the fleeting excitement of being published it's likely the magazine would have a different policy. Of course I've made this argument before and was rebuffed with "You can't unionise photographers" and I know that but even those with aspirations of going pro have to realize they are only hurting their own potential at success when they accept nothing for their work.

Either way, congratulations on getting noticed. I know it is a great feeling and well worth celebrating.

On the one hand, I completely agree. On the other hand, I know from bitter and sustained experience that editors will ALWAYS go for free content whenever possible, and that most people don't care and will never care because their day job pays for their photography/writing.

Much as you and I may deplore this, there's very little that you or I or anyone else can do about it. Those who own the means of dissemination, and those who work directly for them -- editors, etc. -- are, increasingly, the only ones earning a living. Jaron Lanier's Who Owns the Future? addresses the question very convincingly.

Cheers,

R.

 

[cz23]

Congrats, Sean. I would think selling photos direct to magazines would be difficult today with the proliferation of cheap stock imaging. So writing seems a more promising avenue. Doesn't your statement about pay to academics apply to scholarly journals? This magazine looks more commercial, where publication usually warrants compensation.

Regarding future prospects, you could check Writer's Market and Photographer's Market, which might list publications that accept writer/photographer submissions.

I get this magazine, and often the writer and photographer are the same person. There must be others, especially in niche markets.

John

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Sean,

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I understand about 'publish or perish' and also about magazines such as Philosophy Now, often run on a shoestring by two men and a dog, plus a part-time secretary; it's clear why they don't pay, and it's also clear that they're rarely in competition with magazines that do pay. On the other hand, as Swoop says, a culture of not paying -- and of everything free over the internet -- does make life harder and harder. Philosophically, I'd heartily recommend Jaron Lanier's book as noted in my post above.

Cheers,

R.

Hello Roger,

It's great to hear from such a prolific writer as you. I have some of your books and enjoy your work in Amateur Photographer.

As an academic, I don't expect to be paid for writing - which must be irritating for a professional writer to hear. The UK/US magazine Philosophy Now rejects 11 out of every 12 articles that are submitted to it, so it doesn't need to pay. They do, however, give authors a free 12-month subscription to the magazine (which I would have bought anyway). These are generous terms for academics. Our reputations are partly based on our publication records ('publish or perish'), and writing is seen as part of the job. The punchline of one joke doing the rounds is that Jesus would not have done well in modern academia ('Great teacher, but doesn't publish').

I'm about half way through writing a short book (final length: 30,000 words) called 'How to be a Good Teacher'. This will probably produce close to zero income, but the reputational benefits could be substantial. I haven't yet decided whether to include some photographs to illustrate it.

You have my admiration for making a living out of this sort of thing.

Warm regards,

Seán.

PS Thanks for the tip about equipment. It's easy to forget that not everyone has even heard of Leicas.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Congrats, Sean. I would think selling photos direct to magazines would be difficult today with the proliferation of cheap stock imaging. So writing seems a more promising avenue. Doesn't your statement about pay to academics apply to scholarly journals? This magazine looks more commercial, where publication usually warrants compensation.

Regarding future prospects, you could check Writer's Market and Photographer's Market, which might list publications that accept writer/photographer submissions.

I get this magazine, and often the writer and photographer are the same person. There must be others, especially in niche markets.

John

Dear John,

And even in not-so-niche, with magazines about motorcycling and Land Rovers being example I know well.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Harry Caul]

If this is an academic journal, I know it's a foreign concept to many folks here but it's important to remember that very few people in the process are paid. Typically editors, authors, and reviewers are all unpaid. It's strictly a peer review process and, ideally, keeping money out of it improves the quality and equity of the science being published. That said, your success as an academic is highly dependent on publishing and with an increasingly crowded field with fewer and fewer jobs, this historic niche system is starting to buckle under the pressure. This is a whole other conversation though and one that bears little resemblance to the 'publishing' as most of the world experiences it.

While an interesting photo, it likely had zero to do with this article being accepted. It is often a requirement to submit a photo with your articles (usually on the off chance you get a cover -- in which case you will end up submitting a better photo/illustration/graph anyway). In my field (renewable energy and environmental studies) mos scientists just go to free libraries at NASA, DOE, Creative Commons, etc... And grab the first image that is remotely relevant (picture of crops in a field, a wind turbine, etc...).

None of this is meant to disparage the OP's successful publication by the way. Each and every academic publication is a hard fought win. Congrats!

 

[cz23]

Dear John,

And even in not-so-niche, with magazines about motorcycling and Land Rovers being example I know well.

Cheers,

R.

Right. Then you've become a documentary photographer. Not that that's a bad thing. But it is a major decision about work and creative aspirations. Of course, you can always seek guidance from a fortune teller.

John

 

[Sean Moran]

Thanks for your helpful comments, chaps.

By the way, I didn't write the piece and then look amongst my negative files for a photograph to illustrate it. The process was the other way around.

The concept started with a photograph and then the question: what can I say about this?

All the best,

Seán.

 

[Sean Moran]

Superb stuff Sean. Congratulations!
Remember to drop us a line if you're ever passing through Manchester again, it would be good to catch up.

I certainly will, Bob.

Thanks,

Seán.