How to Make Dollars
from Cents
The unique selling point of the microstocks is their low pricing. This,
in turn, means that the commission payable to the photographer
can be as low as $0.25 per image sale, although, in practice, this
fi gure is at the bottom end of a range that can go a lot higher.
With such low commissions it might seem that it will be impossible
to earn “real” money. That is a view shared by many traditional
stock photographers. In fact, discussions on the subject can become
quite heated!
Yet, despite this, I have now reached sales from a portfolio of fi ve
microstock sites of around $750 per month in around 2 years from a
standing start. That’s useful money in anyone’s language, particularly
as I am not shooting stock full time. But this is a far from exceptional
result (see Chapter 10); the truth is I could have earned a lot more if
I had not been so darn busy with other projects. And the income is
increasing.
Now I believe I have some talent as a photographer, even if I am
not Ansel Adams. But—and this is a critical point—in many ways, the
demands of the microstock libraries are very different from the kind
of camera club success stories keen amateurs might be familiar with.
For a modern-day microstock phenomenon, consider the case of
Yuri Arcurs (see his site at http://www.arcurs.com),,) who claims to sell over
400,000 images a year (Figure 2.1). He has two assistants who help in
the production and upload process, and he concentrates on popular
themes. He is a great microstock success story. If you want to mimic
that level of success, it will take a lot of time and effort. But the point
is that it can be done. Follow this advice: forget fi ne art and learn fi ne
business if making money from the microstocks is your goal.
No Pain, No Gain
Everyone who sends work to the microstocks undergoes a steep and
psychologically painful learning curve (and I do mean everyone, be