144 Twenty Tips and Tricks to Winning on Microstocks
cannot spread your portfolio of royalty-free stock images around
other sites to maximize your income. On the other hand, exclusive
photographers on iStockphoto receive some benefi ts apart from
increased commission, such as free business cards, faster image
review times, and attendance at some exclusive-only events—and
access to that Getty program.
I don’t dispute that iStockphoto is an excellent microstock library,
possibly the best of the lot for sales for many photographers, but
my personal take on exclusivity is this: since exclusivity was fi rst
made an option at iStockphoto, a number of new libraries have
emerged that offer genuine competition. (This must be apparent
from a quick look through the appendices to this book, which list
most of the major libraries.) In the fast-developing world of micro-
stock photography, you must ask yourself if artist exclusivity is
the best option for you and your work. iStockphoto’s purchase by
Getty was a major cultural shock to those who thought iStockphoto
was all about the little guys taking on the big guys. iStockphoto is
now part of one of the “big guys”—so much for the revolution. But in
place of the revolution comes evolution and the movement away from
“us and them” attitudes as microstock photography takes its proper
place as a respected business model. Who really knows how such a
fundamental change in ownership will affect iStockphoto in the medium
to long term? Corbis has just launched SnapVillage, still currently an
immature site but one that might emerge as a big hitter when you
consider the parentage. Shutterstock, Fotolia, Dreamstime, Stockxpert,
and others have already emerged as genuine threats to iStockphoto’s
top position. Big Stock, Can Stock, 123RF, and others all serve loyal
constituencies, as do the other libraries listed in Appendix 1. The
industry remains volatile at this time. Guessing the future is an exercise
in crystal ball gazing.
For all these reasons, plus a personal dislike of unnecessary restric-
tions on my artistic freedom, I don’t think artist exclusivity is a sensible
choice for me. My tip, therefore, is to submit your work to a range of
different microstock libraries and avoid artist exclusivity. The risks are
simply too great. Diversify, just as a sensible investor in the stock
market would usually do. You always have the option to choose to
“go exclusive” at a later date.
But where? Which libraries should you choose? Simple. Choose
the top four at this time, which I regard as iStockphoto, Shutter-
stock, Dreamstime, and Fotolia. With those in the bag, and assuming
your work passes their acceptance criteria, add a few more if you
wish from the other microstock libraries. There are up-and-coming
players like Corbis’s SnapVillage, more established smaller libraries
like Stockxpert (a rising star), 123RF, Big Stock, Can Stock, and
others.