This is slightly off the topic of stock sites, but is perhaps an interesting way to monetize some of our images. I recently spent a week in Warsaw, and had many walks around the old town with my camera. Of course those images are now on-line at the main stock sites, but I thought it might be interesting to create a short Photographer's Guide to Warsaw with a street walking guide and images that you are likely to see. The plan is that I would sell it as an e-book for downloading and printing prior to a visit. Getting it high up on Google wasn't hard (not much competition!), but it made me think that perhaps other members of this group would be interested in creating such books and we collaboratively sell them.
I have created a web site (to be on
www.e-photoguide.com once the internet changes take effect). It is presently under an old domain of mine
http://www.backyardbengal.com. The actual Photography guide itself is linked from the main site to my blog, and there is an example file (the first 3 pages) available on the site as well.
There are two possible business models - one which works as the site does now - the link goes to the owner of the guide and they sell it, or a second more complex version would require the addition of a shopping cart, contracts etc. and I operate the site making payments to the authors in much the same way as a stock site does.
I'd be interested in any thoughts on the format of the guide itself to photographers like yourselves, and whether you think there is a market to create and sell these guides. This is obviously a market where we could do much more together as I can't do more than a handful of guides on my own.
Steve