The Three Pillars of Publishing
There are three methods of selling work and receiving assignments. But you’ll need to conquer the first before the last two are possible. And the toughest part? The first method is entirely up to you!
SELF DIRECTED PROJECTS
These are funded by the creator themselves, made independently without any client interest or direction. Once the project is complete, it’s offered to relevant contacts in the hope that one or two will buy.
PROS:
You have artistic freedom and can work where you choose. You’re also emotionally and financially invested - it’s your baby, and you’ll pour energy into it.
CONS:
The gamble is that once complete the work might not sell.
PRE-PITCHED PROJECTS.
Pre-pitched projects are similar to self-directed projects - they’re self-funded and you’re working on your own vision. But once relationships have developed with some editors and clients, project ideas can be pitched upfront to gauge outlet interest and budget.
PROS:
You maintain artistic control, freedom of location, and perhaps find a buyer before gambling time on the work.
CONS:
If there are no positive responses it can be discouraging, even if the idea is solid. For me it takes the wind out of my sails and gives the client an opportunity to limit the scope of the work.
OFFERED ASSIGNMENTS.
Clients come to you with their own narratives and budgets. Once established, editors and content buyers might reach out with ideas for their own projects that they’d like you to collaborate on.
PROS:
Offered assignments don’t require research, pitching, or access negotiation, plus they come with solid money offers.
CONS:
These narratives often lack depth, the element of adventure, and artistic freedom. You’ll also have to abandon rights to the ownership of the work.
While advising toward self-directed projects might seem like weak advice, it is the only way to build a portfolio, contacts, and notoriety, and over my career there has been no substitute for the motivation that imbues these journeys. Even now, with the option to pitch ideas upfront, or accept assignments, working on self-directed stories is still my favorite way to produce. There is no pressure to deliver on a timeline, and I can get lost in pure creation without the distraction of external motives.
The first story I developed was self-directed and embedded with a Texas-based survivalist group. They’d meet every weekend in suburban backyards or desert shooting galleries to practice weapons exercises. They’d make escape plans - routes out of the cities to rural camps in case of societal collapse. They’d stockpile food, ammunition, and medical supplies.
I spent a year going backwards and forwards from downtown Dallas, where I was living, to Plano, Texas to spend time with them. Every weekend I'd visit. They'd let me photograph as long as I participated. I’d do some weapons drills, build survival kits, and was given a nickname. Slowly they began to invite me into their homes and trusted me to share their vulnerabilities.
A body of work developed, a photo series and a written article. It was a nice story about the sensitivities of the members, the camaraderie they found in their group, and individual motives for their alternative lifestyle.
Soon after I finished the story, I left America for a while. The survivalists threw a leaving party for me. They took me out for sushi and gave me gifts - shot glasses, camouflage print underwear, and a combat knife.
I entered the project into a competition for young photographers, it did pretty well, and resulted in a follow-up publication in The New Yorker.