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Poll

For istock exclusive - how many images do you need to earn $10,000 month

5,000
8 (5.9%)
10,000
2 (1.5%)
15,000
6 (4.4%)
20,000
7 (5.1%)
25,000
8 (5.9%)
30,000
3 (2.2%)
35,000
5 (3.7%)
40,000
7 (5.1%)
45,000
0 (0%)
50,000
3 (2.2%)
55,000
1 (0.7%)
60,000
3 (2.2%)
65,000
0 (0%)
75,000
1 (0.7%)
80,000
1 (0.7%)
85,000
0 (0%)
90,000
0 (0%)
95,000
2 (1.5%)
100,000
24 (17.6%)
I'm not an exclusive
55 (40.4%)

Total Members Voted: 126

Author Topic: istock exclusive - how many images for $10,000 per month?  (Read 16139 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

stock-will-eat-itself

« Reply #25 on: October 07, 2014, 15:30 »
+3

I would ask this question for Leaf and you. Why $10,000 a month? That's $120,000 a year. Kind of a high income, or has the world changed that much?
Why $10,000 a month? 5% of individuals in the United States make more than $100,000. 16% of households if you want all people earning included in one number.


yes, very very very good point +10 Uncle Pete.
i think the sum should be more to the question (to replace my current occupation), as i am sure none of us are in the NBA or in the Forbes 100  :D
i remember one of the old msg-ers here who once say, "i am earning as much as i used to earn working in a boring office".
that should be the amount , i think. as each of us will have a different amount.

$10k per month should be achievable from talented photographers and illustrators, its a good indication of the health of the business model. It allows a sustainable workflow, equipment upgrades, software, model and location hire etc. They are the ones who pull in the designers who shop around for the other low budget work that is floating around.

I make a good solid income from client work, they pay within 40 days, there's no risk. In todays market I have to wait years with no guarantee of a return for my time, it's becoming too risky.

If $10k per month is becoming impossible to reach then why choose stock over client work or even your day job? You just end up chasing your tail.



ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #26 on: October 07, 2014, 15:40 »
0
Have we established whether the monthly $10k is gross or net? IMO a gross figure is pretty useless, since a lot of new best-sellers are very expensive to make.

FWIW, the average UK salary in January was $2208pm gross, or US$3554, but with less buying power.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 15:47 by ShadySue »

« Reply #27 on: October 07, 2014, 16:52 »
+1
I took it as gross revenue, not personal income. Personal income, before tax will be just a fraction of that, less than half, maybe 4000-5000 dollars. Apart from production costs and studio there is also costs for professional insurance, travel, accounting. i mean, you are running a business, wether it is a small plumbing business or a studio, you need to pay your bills.

Obviously if you have a day job and do stock as an add on, it will be different.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 17:20 by cobalt »

Uncle Pete

« Reply #28 on: October 08, 2014, 10:31 »
0
What, gross income, adjusted income, net income ??? I was looking at Gross for a figure on the forum here but good point when asking one of these polls, is to define Gross or Net or we will get a mix of responses. I'd be hard pressed to figure out my Net for photography. And even harder to divide Micro from Contracts or magazines, or websites or direct sales.

Average Gross Salary Individuals: (2013 private survey)

89,040 CNY (14,000 USD) China
660,537 RUB (20,700 USD) Russia
19,282 ($30,978 USD) Scotland
36,936 EUR (45,600 USD) France
46,085 CAD (46,550 USD) Canada
30,400 GBP ($47,500 USD) UK
$47,000 USA - average household income $69,821
59,940 EUR (74,000 USD) Germany
72,960 AUD (76,000 USD) Australia

Also yes, new images might or might not have the same value and returns as old content. But at least IS Exclusives have probably been the same for some time, which means they could extend out their Guestimates.

Past Performance is No Guarantee of Future Results


Have we established whether the monthly $10k is gross or net? IMO a gross figure is pretty useless, since a lot of new best-sellers are very expensive to make.

FWIW, the average UK salary in January was $2208pm gross, or US$3554, but with less buying power.

« Reply #29 on: October 08, 2014, 11:10 »
+5
Have we established whether the monthly $10k is gross or net? IMO a gross figure is pretty useless, since a lot of new best-sellers are very expensive to make.

FWIW, the average UK salary in January was $2208pm gross, or US$3554, but with less buying power.

I am from Norway
I just picked $10,000 because it is a nice high lofty goal for people, a nice round number.
I was also thinking gross sales.  Even though $10,000/month is a high amount I wouldn't consider it a crazy high amount.  If you are producing quality stock you are also spending money.  I'm happy to spend 50% of my income on stock production .. so if I want to pay myself $65,000/year (a rather modest Norwegian wage) I need to earn at least $130,000 from stock photos.

« Reply #30 on: October 09, 2014, 14:36 »
+2
Have we established whether the monthly $10k is gross or net? IMO a gross figure is pretty useless, since a lot of new best-sellers are very expensive to make.

FWIW, the average UK salary in January was $2208pm gross, or US$3554, but with less buying power.

I am from Norway
I just picked $10,000 because it is a nice high lofty goal for people, a nice round number.
I was also thinking gross sales.  Even though $10,000/month is a high amount I wouldn't consider it a crazy high amount.  If you are producing quality stock you are also spending money.  I'm happy to spend 50% of my income on stock production .. so if I want to pay myself $65,000/year (a rather modest Norwegian wage) I need to earn at least $130,000 from stock photos.

but i was assuming u r already making 10K p.m, leaf. i don't know how many thousands of microstock became microstocker from clicking on your link to the right of this page. at least, i did.
so you r no doubt earning a lot from affliates ;)

« Reply #31 on: October 10, 2014, 04:54 »
+3
Have we established whether the monthly $10k is gross or net? IMO a gross figure is pretty useless, since a lot of new best-sellers are very expensive to make.

FWIW, the average UK salary in January was $2208pm gross, or US$3554, but with less buying power.

I am from Norway
I just picked $10,000 because it is a nice high lofty goal for people, a nice round number.
I was also thinking gross sales.  Even though $10,000/month is a high amount I wouldn't consider it a crazy high amount.  If you are producing quality stock you are also spending money.  I'm happy to spend 50% of my income on stock production .. so if I want to pay myself $65,000/year (a rather modest Norwegian wage) I need to earn at least $130,000 from stock photos.

but i was assuming u r already making 10K p.m, leaf. i don't know how many thousands of microstock became microstocker from clicking on your link to the right of this page. at least, i did.
so you r no doubt earning a lot from affliates ;)

I haven't ever said how much I was or wasn't making.
I don't count affiliate income with regular microstock income.
Shutterstock cut their affiliate income to only 1 year, Fotolia scrapped theirs, iStock's was never good... that is to say, yes there is some affiliate income but if you want to try and finance working on a website with affiliate income, your going to be waiting a long time.

« Reply #32 on: October 10, 2014, 08:15 »
+4
I don't know if I've ever met many people who get this almost mythical "average salary".
Most seem to say "I wish" or "Bl**** H***, somebody must be making a lot!" :)
Suppose it depends where you are, what you do, where you live and whether you are public or private sector. (Public sector apparently gets on average around 14% more in the UK)

As far as $10,000 per month at iStock goes. I'm getting so very few sales at present that input by me is almost meaningless.

« Reply #33 on: October 17, 2014, 00:00 »
+2
There is no correct answer to this question because it all depends on the quality of the contributors portfolio.  I know a lot of people who have 3-5 times as many files as I do but earn the same or less because their portfolio is just mediocre. I also know people with many fewer files who earn as much or more than me because their photos are simply better than mine.


 

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