Why are photo books and illustrated books so expensive?

Why a picture book is worth a thousand dollars

The first books that you probably read as a child were those that had pictures and illustrations. After all, in that age, our brains are more likely to interpret images rather than texts. This is why you won’t see a children’s book that hasn’t been illustrated. Children’s books are not the only books that have been heavily illustrated. Books pertaining to travel, photography, fashion and other subjects also feature a wide range of images. If you like to browse photo books online or flip through the children’s books’ section in your local book shop, then you may have noticed that these types of books tend to be more expensive than text-only books.

Show and tell. Children’s books may look fun, colorful and charming but they actually take up a lot of work to create. Aside from the fact that the writer has to come up with the story, a corresponding visual story also has to be created. The author can choose to do the illustrations or hire an artist to them.

Double effort. As you can see, an illustrated children’s book costs double effort—that of the writer and that of the illustrator (even if they may be the same person). Illustrators need to come up with thumbnails first before they can start drawing. Thumbnails will give the artist the sense of how they want to compose the image. If the artist is coordinating with the author, then the former must prepare several options for the writer to choose from. The help of the author will also be needed when it comes to drawing the characters.

What a picture is worth. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and apparently, it can also be worth a thousand dollars or even millions. It is not surprising then that books that collate brilliant photographs can be quite expensive. These are the photo books that gather photographs that have strong artistic themes and were created under excellent technical conditions. These photo books can tackle almost anything under the sun—poverty in the country, fashion, style, African landscapes, family and other subject matters. What these photographs have in common is their poignancy, artistry and their thought-provoking nature.

Create your own. If you are a budding photographer, then you probably envy those famous photographers who have published dozens of coffee table books or sold photographs for millions of dollars. Even though it may be quite a while before your join their ranks, there is something that you can do right now—make a photo book from your very own pictures. There are now available printers on the market such as Picaboo or Blurb that can help you print out your book.

Share and compare. If you are a true book lover, then it’s important to keep in touch with your fellow readers, admired writers and local book sellers. Books Buyer is a site that lets you join this community. Get to share book reviews, opinions, pose questions and join a variety of other book-related activities.