15 Feb 2010 Microstock Money Shots – Book Review

Ellen Boughn’s book will be released later this year.   It’s called ‘Microstock Money Shots – Turning Downloads into Dollars with Microstock Photography’.   I’m honored to be a small part of the book and the first to publish a review.

I contributed some short notes on analysis, keywording tools and competitive research for the second chapter. I managed to work in plugs for LookStat, picNiche, Yuri’s keywording tool and iStockcharts.de.

I also gave Ellen’s publisher a quote and was amazed to find they printed it on the cover! Click the image to the right to see a version big enough to read the quote.

In order to have the quote be authentic I needed to read the book, so Ellen sent me one of the final drafts to read. This is how I can review it before it’s published.

How is Microstock Money Shots Different?

Ellen’s book isn’t like some other physical microstock books which repeat the content of blogs and forums with tips and tricks, instructions on how to FTP and which agencies are better than the others. This book is focused on how to create photos that maximize sales!

Additionally, Ellen draws on her experience working at all levels of the stock photo market. It’s interesting to read a succinct history of how stock photography came about, followed by an equally succinct overview of the entire industry as it is today.

What’s in the Book?

Microstock Money Shots has a foreword written by top microstocker Andres Rodriguez.   He tells his story about how he started in microstock after being unable to find a stock photo he wanted and shooting it himself. He includes a few personal stories and talks about what pushed him to the top of the market.

The topics covered are broad, but all deal with generating stock that sells with minimal expense. Whole chapters are dedicated to choosing subjects, working with models, locations, and which themes are evergreen in stock photography.   It also includes a case study, talks about branding and lists things to be avoided.

As you would expect, the book is written with Ellen’s sense of fun and sarcasm, making it easy to read. It’s also illustrated with hundreds of microstock photos so you can visually see what she’s talking about.

The book is rich with information on a broad range of topics that influence the sales performance of stock photos. Even seasoned microstockers will learn a lot from this book.   I had already read all of Ellen’s blog posts on Dreamstime and thought I had a solid grip on best practices for creating stock photos. But reading through the book I found so much new information.   Just when you think you know it all, Ellen puts it all back into perspective.

When Can I Get it?

Microstock Money Shots hits shelves on August 24 but you can pre-order now using my Amazon.com affiliate link if you prefer to get it as soon as possible.

A big thanks to Ellen for the honor of allowing me to contribute to her book and getting my name on the cover.

Read more about Ellen Boughn and don’t forget to subscribe to her new blog for more great insights into maximizing your stock photo revenue.