The Baby as Art Workbook is one of the most gorgeous and cutest photo books Bookmobile has ever printed—let’s just get that out of the way first. Comprised of photos of newborns in beautiful settings by professional photographers, it’s a fine art photo book that was designed, printed, and sold (sold out!) in an exemplary manner. Baby as Art is a team of two photographers, Carrie Sandoval and Britt Woodall. They’ve been photographing newborns together since 2005 and have been featured in numerous magazines and conventions, and they have also been teaching workshops for the past ten years. In the children’s photography community, they are trend-setters who are considered “THE definitive modern baby photographers,” as Stephanie Beatty from Lifeography put it. Carrie and Britt offered their last workshop in 2014 and decided to offer an eBook and print book that encompasses what they’ve taught through the years.
The book is a how-to for professional photographers, for newborn photos specifically: how to prop a baby safely, the best lighting to use, ways to pose the baby (my favorite is the taco pose, shown above). With a retail price of $250, it is very clear this book is for professional photographers, and it is not a coffee-table book for a general audience. Carrie and Britt know their audience and the market, AND they know that their knowledge and experience is valuable. Recognizing that, and having a pre-existing audience (from workshops, conventions, and social media), it’s been a win—and by selling direct to consumer, they get the entire profit, because no percentage is going to a distributor or publisher.
Why Bookmobile for Fine Art Photo Book Printing?
At Bookmobile, we’re seeing more and more books from fine art photographers and artists. And we’re a great match: Our color printing has exceptional quality, we offer many options like foil stamping and French flaps, and we’re book people, not commercial printers—which means our clients find a staff of professionals devoted to books only, resulting in a fantastic printed book. Museums like The Drawing Center and The American Folk Art Museum have become regular clients, among other galleries and individual artists. Browse our Gallery to see our range of clients and work!
When Bookmobile launched our new website in August of 2014, we did so with a strong emphasis on our art book printing and fine art photo book printing, and with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Our art book printing clients had been growing from referrals and attending shows like the National Museum Publishing Seminar, but of course we wanted to get the word out beyond that, and Google and SEO is the way these days. And it works—it’s how Britt found Bookmobile. We sent her a quote, then sample pages, and the project was a go. Britt had used Blurb in the past for a prior workbook, and found they don’t even compare—Bookmobile offers better pricing and better quality. In Britt’s own words,
When I began researching printers for my book I started out on Google. There were so many companies to choose from ranging from printers to full-on publishers. I knew I wanted to go with a printer instead of a publisher and that cut my choices down significantly. Even so, Bookmobile immediately stood out amongst the crowd of both publishers and printers alike. Their website was clean and beautifully laid out. I requested a quote and the team at Bookmobile quickly responded with a quote for several different options to consider. I then ordered samples from three different printers. The sample I received from Bookmobile was exactly what I was looking for and the quality far surpassed the samples from the other two printers. I’m so happy I went with Bookmobile! Their customer service has been absolutely phenomenal. They have always been quick to respond to any questions or concerns I had throughout the entire process. As someone who is new to the process of publishing a book, their excellent customer service has been invaluable. Bookmobile has a system that works and a quality that, in my opinion, can’t be matched. I look forward to working with Bookmobile again in the future and I will recommend them highly to others!
Britt kept track of the book’s progress on the Baby as Art Facebook page, from the sample pages to the proofs, and even the UPS tracking number—it’s fun to see. The first run of The Baby as Art Workbook shipped in mid-January and it sold out within 24 hours of its arrival! A reprint is already underway at Bookmobile to fulfill more orders. It’s a definite success!
Interested in Bookmobile printing your fine art photography book? Contact me!