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Rangefinder Magazine
June 2003

Make Money with Montage Art Book by Kathleen Hawkins
By Art Leather

Rule #1: You have to show it to sell it! You discovered a hot new product, now what? It is time to create your sample album. Always show the largest style and size your studio plans to offer. Clients can always visualize smaller, but they will seldom build it bigger! Decide if you want to take advantage of a loaner program, such as that offered by Art Leather. This will get a sample in your studio immediately, while you are selecting and prepping your images.

Rule number 2: Don’t forget about children’s album potential when implementing this product into your marketing plan. Several shooting sessions over the first year may make this product more financially feasible and precious in the long run!

Rule #2: Price it Profitably! Create art books level to your marketing plan. This book is also ideal for a children’s narrative album, so add it to that pricing packet as well. When determining the price, be sure to take into account the design time versus the assembly saver. Also, analyze your studio’s current 11x14 print cost when designing the 10x14 style album. Due to the multiple images on a page and the design time involved, your pricingshould be equal or greater to the 11x14 price currently in your package.

Rule #3: Arm yourself with the tools of the trade! When designing your coffee-table art book, the new Montage Pro Album Design software program is a basic time saver. As you gain more experience, use PhotoShop for a more advanced or elaborate look to your pages. Note: There are many template programs available that may actually add time to the design process. Make sure you don’t select a program that confines your creativity. Think outside of the box!

Rule number 3: Art Leather’s New Montage Pro software can make designing this album easier for beginner designers.

Rule #4: Sell your albums prior to the wedding day! Maintain control of your art work and pre-sell the album prior to the wedding day, allowing your clients to add additional pages if needed afterwards. Be sure to create restrictions in your marketing material. Just because you can cram 30 images on a panoramic spread, doesn’t mean you should. Consider limiting the amount of collage pages per book, or creating an average—such as four images per page.

Rule #5: Create a proofing procedure. Establish specific guidelines for the proofing process. Our preferred method of proofing is as follows:
• Schedule an in-studio proof-viewing session and coach your clients through the process.

	Rule number 4: Limit the amount of images on a page. Just because you can create a collage page, doesn’t mean you should! Here, two insets were used on the right-hand page for added impact.

• Select the images with the client.
• Run a slide show of the images selected to make certain the story has been told.
• Discuss design specifications: cover, verses, important images, etc.
Once these items have been discussed, you are ready to begin the design process.

Rule #6: Charge for design modifications: Once the design is complete, submit it to your clients via pdf (portable Document Format), low-res email, or printed in a digital portfolio. Have the client initial and approve each page. As a suggestion, allow a certain number of basic design modifications. For example, “Five basic modifications included in the design fee, $XX modification charge for each additional modification. Image substitution and additional extensive design modification charges will be determined at the discretion of the designer.”

Rule #7: Increase your perceived value! Compare the wholesale investment to a traditional-style album. Often, once you include printing and assembly, the cost of this album isn’t much more substantial compared to the caliber of the product and its perception in the marketplace.

Rule number 5: Detemine in advance what your preferred method of proofing will be.	Rule number 8: Consider adding a pocket-sized gift with purchase program and increase your profits and advertising simultaneously!	Rule number 10: Make a note, the Art Leather Futura Album Bag holds the boxed 11x14 Montage Art Book perfectly—a great way to increase your perceived value at a sensitive price!

Rule #8: Add a gift with purchase program! The little wallet book is a great tiny treasure and two duplicate books can be purchased for only $75! These “purse books” are a wonderful source of advertising and a terrific incentive to up your sales!

Rule #9: Close with a clause! Add a “Caring for your album clause” to include in your thank-you note when delivering the product. Because it is printed on photographic paper, mounted, and library bound, proper care is required to protect its vulnerability.

Designer album pages allow you to create motion on the page by combining photographs with strong inherent design elements. The digital album is a thing of beauty.	Digital album designs make amazing one of a kind layouts, that are sure to please your clients.

Rule #10: Deliver with dignity! You have taken every step possible to prepare a high quality product, now it’s time to deliver it with dignity and class! The Montage Art Book currently ships in a durable box, but consider adding pizzazz to your presentation and deliver it in a higher quality slip case or album bag showcasing your studio logo (both offered by Art Leather: www.artleather.com.)

Kathleen and Jeff Hawkins operate Jeff Hawkins Photography, a thriving business in central Florida. Kathleen is the operations director for the business. Jeff shoots all of his upscale weddings digitally. Together the team has authored three books: Bride’s Guide to Wedding Photography, Professional Marketing & Selling Techniques for Wedding Photographers and Professional Techniques for Digital Wedding Photography’ all published by Amherst Media.