That's right. The definitive book for beginners and those struggling with the in's and out's will be released on Shutter stock first on wed 5/28/08. This book Is a virtual Book and will be viewed online. it's a labor of love that took a year and a half to produce. DVD versions and hard cover to follow in the months ahead. This is the first book in a series of 4. David Smith and I sincerly Hope you enjoy it.

Hey, Laurin - that's great news!  I was wondering how "entry level" this is - do you think someone like myself would benefit from this, or is it geared more towards those just trying to break in?

How much?

Thanks - Perry

That's great Laurin.  Will we be able to download it so we can read it offline,  Or will that only be an option with the DVD/hard cover?

The two of you deserve all of the support you can get with this effort, as you have given as much advice on the Shutterstock boards as anyone in microstock ever has.

DP

No Dan. Then i would be to easy to steal. A year and a halfs work is a bit much just to let that happen. it's in Powerpoint and Flash. The first version Is only available with a link. You can read it as many times as you wish from anywhere and your viewing will be tracked by some very cool software. The deliverly system is what took so long. Soon there will be an option to purchace a DVD and then a Hardcover. This is the first in a 4 book project.

Congratulations!
I'd love to post a link to your book from my stock page on my website. Please let us know when we can link up.
-- Lou

heres the Table of contents, Im getting requests for.

Here you go Guys. Overall, the book is geared toward the beginner because it covers alot of basic information about cameras, lenses, filters, lights and other equipment. It also has information about the principles of photography such as composition, exposure, etc. Additionally it covers areas such as how to submit to stock sites, what sells etc.

As some who have been around awhile have said that they found information in the book helpful and did learn something new.

We just wanted to make sure that people knew it was not an advanced study and lesson in stock photography but there to help the beginner and those who have some experience in stock work. Here is the Table of Contents. This is not an index so there are things within the chapters that are not listed such as taxes, insurance, copyright & trademark info, editorial work, keywording etc.

Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………..Pgs 4-5
About the Authors ……………………………………………….…………Pgs 6-9
Prelude…………………………………………………………………………………...Pgs 10-11
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………Pgs 12-13
Chapter 1–What Is Microstock Photography?Pgs 14-30
Chapter 2–Getting Started–The Proper Equipment Pgs 31-65
Chapter 3–Technical But Essential Things to know Pgs 66-78
Chapter 4 – What to Shoot…………………………………….Pgs 79-107
Chapter 5 – How to Shoot – Lighting/Composition/Exposure…………………..……Pgs 108-124
Chapter 6 – Post-processing and Workflow.Pgs 125-142
Chapter 7 – Making It Work ..…………………..Pgs 143-146
Appendix I – Model and Property Releases.Pgs 147-149
Thank You……………………………………………………………………………………………….Pg 150

Fair enough question.  Most of what I write AND start new threads about is Questions from Other people that are intimitated by posting themselves or are shy to post. I ask questions and start discussions. I think this business is in flux and actually always has been. If you REALLY read all of what I say, i say you can do very well here IF......And this is a big IF If you do the work, Have talent , an extreme work ethic and take it like a business and not just some place to park your images OR, A place so you tell your friends your a "Stock" Photographer. Or a free website for your stuff. This business is like any other business, Do the work and IF your good, you will be successful. Simple as that. Im a long time reviewer and the quality that comes across my desk everyday has improved tremendously. But I only still approve maybe 25% if that of the stuff I see.And Im positive it's the same elsewhere. The bar is being raised everyday My friends. This book, If you read it portrays an accurate honest account of what it takes and also talks alot about The BS mentality of "Make Money with  Pictures on your hard drive" Farce. That slogan was used to get huge numbers of images. Now. There all tightening up. It's not about how many they have anymore, It's how good.  Im a stauanch supporter of microstock and what can be achieved with Work and Im also the first to speak out when I feel something is wrong and couldn't care less if I offend any one site. I do it for Us. Not me. The sales thread was in responce from hundreds of e-mails I get and answer everyday. Just like The LCV thread. We got all those rejections overturned because we stood up. So In conclusion, I think it's still a wild west and on the flip side we must be vigilant. otherwise we would still be at 20 cents a DL.

                                               I'll always go to bat for anyone that want's more and is serious about this craft. if someone isin't. I could care less. Theres a whole bunch of people that do extremley well on the sites. and you will never know who they are. The problem is theres a 1000 times more that don't have a clue and Wont invest the time to learn.  I didn't title the book Make Money with your camera. The book is for people that have already made the decision that are having problems getting there work seen.


                                              The book is based on thousands Of questions and thousands of hours answering. I put it all in one place. That was the goal, And I think it works quite well.  Laurin

Thanks dan.

I purchased it but it is a bit annoying you can't download it. i thought it would be a pdf file.

can't you take screenshots (crtl + prtscrn) and paste them into word/ ppt to have a back-up copy? well, on +100 pages that might be a bit of work?!

can't you take screenshots (crtl + prtscrn) and paste them into word/ ppt to have a back-up copy? well, on +100 pages that might be a bit of work?!

Sounds like hassle, I'll wait for the DVD too I think. Sounds like it's going to be worth the wait!
There's probably some sort of solution to the theft problem that still allows download, I think I've bought other e-books that you can download but only open on the computer you bought them from (?)
A determined thief could now just do the above and use a comic book reader to publish the screen grabbed results, that or use software to convert the Flash file.
Laurin has enough experience to know that you can't really 100% protect your stuff on the internet anyway!   

Hi. Great news! I was just about to ask where to find a good guide for newbies like me! 

Really? Reviving a thread that's almost ten years old?

Still, it's not as though anything has changed in ten years 

Newbs, if you're considering starting out today, don't bother! 

(Apparently in 2008 it was much easier)

...now if you really have what it takes...