Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/05/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]A history lesson real time on being published and or getting published! My first book happened long before what we can do these days. So I thought you might like to know the realities of then, now and how! A couple of friends, a husband & wife photographer team who had several books published previously happened to see an A/V production of mine in Ottawa using 16 projectors at the same time on ?cowboy life!? All Kodachrome colour slides. Later unbeknownst to me, they told their publisher in Toronto about the images and the potential for a book. Publisher phoned and asked me to fly to Toronto at their expense for a meeting and would I bring a selection of mages for the editorial staff to have a look. We had the meeting, they looked at the images, they decided to ?publish a book!? It was as simple as that! ?Men of the Saddle, Working Cowboys of Canada.? I believe it?s on used book internet sites and still found, maybe tattered and rumpled, but it?s still a neat book. Colour and black & white images. I believe some on the list have copies? The next book occurred because a publisher in Toronto wanted to do a book on the Leader of the Opposition, as in Leader of the Opposition to the Government, Mr. Joe Clark and they?d like to send a Toronto based photographer to do so. The Leader?s Director of Communications said? ?No way, we have a photographer who is the only one allowed behind the scenes for in depth photos. And your stranger photographer will never have that kind of access! Use Ted Grant or you don?t get the coverage. Now that?s the kind of people you want on your side for promotion. :-) Publisher said ?OK have him send a selection of prints so we can see whether he?s any good? I did, 200 11X14?s and the next day I was on the way to the second published book by a publisher who?d never heard of me, neither I of them. The first medical book was a near disaster even though the medical world from coast to coast thought they were the most revealing and interesting of anything any had ever seen. One publisher shot it down on a first look. Had a bad taste for anything medical. I could never figure out why he even bothered to have a look in the first place! But then publishers aren?t known for their abundance of brains! Next publisher thought it was fantastic and encouraged me to continue as they were very very interested. I did so. Three years later with everything ready to go to press, their marketing manager quite pointedly offered? ?It?s all B&W, nobody buys B&W photo books!? BAM DEAD IN THE WATER! Later there was a large gallery showing of the work for the public where a visiting publisher approached me with, ? This is the most fantastic medical related photography I?ve ever seen and it should be a book!? In my mind the reaction was? ?hell man I know it should be a book, so do it!? :-) Three days later on the phone? ?We?re sending you a contract to publish your wonderful photographs.? another one on the way. , ?Homes?Mean while another publisher producing a book of Canada?s Leaders.? As in the home of the Prime Minister, two of them. And the official home of the Leader of the Opposition wanted me to shoot the material for the book. And the next was on the way. Then a re-make by a different publisher of the first medical book entitled, ?Doctor?s Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.? Then came ?Women in Medicine. A Celebration of Their Work.? A collaboration with Photojournalist Sandy Carter creating another smash hit if you haven?t seen it. The very wonderful thing about this book is, two photographers worked in different locations and hospitals and in the finished book you can?t tell who took what pictures we we?re so evenly matched in how we observed and saw the subjects. Quite amazing really. And extremely rare! In any event that?s some real time at being published. Combination of highs and lows unimaginable, unless you?ve experienced it. Cheers, Dr. ted