How to Create a Photo Zine or Book – Part 1

Hey everyone,

I made some detailed notes while watching some videos by photographers who have made books and zines of their photography work. It’s a really interesting thing to do. Have you considered printing your work and putting it into a bound volume like a book or zine? I may undertake that in 2025 as part of the new Still Life Street project. So how do you get started you might ask?

Let’s look at some of the major aspects that are covered in a video by YouTuber Nick Carver and supplementary details from the Deposit Photos blog. The self-publishing process for photography zines/books involves several key steps:

Here is a brief summary of the major steps including thought processes and actions you have to complete. At the end of this post I’ll provide links to some great resources.

1. Conceptualization and Planning:

• The process begins with defining the topic and format of your zine. This includes deciding on the purpose, the stories you want to tell, the visual and text content, and the overall look and feel of your publication.
• Consider the release frequency (regular or irregular).
• Visual storytelling is an important feature, where images dominate and form a sequence that tells a story. The narration should be personal, inviting the audience to see the world from your perspective.

2. Design and Layout:

• It’s crucial to develop a zine template, considering the overall design and content of each spread, including palette, fonts, indentation, title and caption style, and the ratio of text to illustrations.
• Adobe InDesign is a recommended software for designing zines as it’s purpose-built for this kind of layout. However, you don’t need to be an expert to use it.
• Set up your document with the desired dimensions (e.g., 6×9 inches), facing pages, margins, and bleed (typically 1/8 inch). Nick Carver adjusted the inside margin to compensate for the gutter.
• When laying out images, consider how facing pages complement each other in terms of color, composition, or subject matter. Try to direct the viewer’s attention into the book.
• You can resize high-resolution files within InDesign, but Nick Carver preferred to resize images to their final print size at 300 PPI in Photoshop before importing them. This allowed for optimized digital sharpening.
• For two-page spreads, it’s important to offset the images slightly to compensate for what gets lost in the gutter. Some photographers avoid spreads for this reason.
• The last step in image preparation before importing into InDesign is often converting each image to a CMYK color profile, especially for mass printing, as printing presses use CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) rather than RGB (red, green, blue). While some printers might handle RGB, converting to CMYK allows you to preview and adjust for potential color shifts.

3. Proofing and Refinement:

• Before committing to a full print run, it’s essential to get proofs made to check several factors. Nick Carver checked:
  • Font design legibility: Ensuring the text is easy to read and making adjustments to size and darkness if needed.
  • Interior paper weight: Checking for bleed-through (where images on the back of the page are visible). Nick Carver increased his paper weight from 80 to 100 pounds.
  • Color, sharpness, resolution, and contrast: Ensuring the images print as expected. Nick Carver had to adjust the contrast by using a tone curve to reduce blown-out highlights.
• Proofreading thoroughly is also crucial. Use software and get a smart human friend to read 🙂

4. Printing:

• You have the option of using a local print shop or an online printing service. Nick Carver chose a local print shop to support local business and to have better in-person communication and quality control.
• Be aware that print shops may have limitations on the resources they can dedicate to smaller print runs.
• When submitting files to the printer, it’s important to provide them as PDFs with the bleed included. Separate PDFs for the booklet and the cover/spine might be requested, so it’s best to check with your printer.
• Consider the binding style. Nick Carver chose perfect bound (glued spine) for a more book-like feel, even though it’s more expensive and takes longer than saddle stitch (staples or string).
• Paper choices for the interior and cover are also important for the feel and durability of the zine. Nick Carver used silk 100-pound text for the interior and 14-point C1S with a soft-touch lamination for the cover. He based these choices on zines he had received from others.
• Be prepared for potential production issues. Nick Carver’s first print run had to be scrapped due to machine malfunctions.

5. Presentation and Distribution:

• Develop a distribution plan. This can include:
  • Announcing the release to your network / get pre-sales
  • Organizing presentations in cafes, libraries, galleries, and online.
  • Contacting independent bookstores with an offer to buy your zines.
  • Participating in book festivals and thematic exhibitions.
  • Getting your zine into online libraries (free or paid).
  • Reaching out to zine libraries, art galleries, and museums, as they often collect zines.
• Packaging and shipping are significant parts of self-distribution. Nick Carver chose to handle this himself to sign copies and create custom packaging. This involved sourcing shipping supplies like padded mailers, envelopes, and cardboard backers.
• Consider including a thank you card or other personal touches.
• Be mindful of shipping costs, especially if offering free shipping within a certain region or subsidizing international shipping.
• Payment processing fees also need to be factored into your costs.

6. Cost and Profit:

• Calculate all the production and fulfillment costs per zine, including printing, materials (thank you cards, envelopes, cardboard, padded mailers), and processing fees. For Nick Carver, this totaled $12.72 per zine with free US shipping.
• Determine your pricing strategy. Nick Carver offered different price points. Most of his zines sold for $25, resulting in a profit of $12.28 per zine after deducting costs.
• Understand that volume significantly impacts the per-unit cost of printing. Smaller print runs will have higher individual costs.

Overall, self-publishing a photography zine or book involves meticulous planning, attention to detail in design and proofing, careful consideration of printing options, and a strategy for distribution and sales. It’s an act of artistic freedom that allows photographers to share their work in a unique and tangible format.