Just put out a new post on the emerging "Metaverse" reality and how we may profit from it as stock contributors:

https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2021/11/20/get-ready-for-the-metaverse-future/

I've been paid for my 1st Arc sale.  A little disappointed in that it was just under a 3 figure � sum.  However, it's a lot better than microstock.

I believe from what I've read that the smaller sales � amount is probably due to lower distribution/licensing numbers.  It's a German language novel only, as far as I know only printed in Switzerland. 

I think that English language international best sellers will earn more.

So, the project is that everyone who reads this please buys this novel, to turn it into a bestseller, that will then be translated into several languages (for which I think I'll be paid again).

You may have to learn German 1st.

Christof Gasser: 'When the Shadows Die'.

Incidentally, for anyone who cares to look, the red brush strokes are mine (on an authentic vintage photo).

I was in an email discussion today with Ole (formerly of the Sstock forum) about whether the contributors who spend more (in money and time) say on models, sets etc, are paid more, but my gut feeling is that it's just down to distribution numbers/usage of the image.  I'd love to know the answer to this question ...

Congrats again on your first sale, many more to come.

I don't have a huge sample, just 17 sales but my UK and US royalties are about double that of other countries. So, you're right that if it's translated into English you should expect some good returns.

Repeat sales are the beauty of the Rights-Managed model and one such book has sold 4 times, earning me commission on each sale.

Yes, it's purely down to print run and perhaps resolution size of the image used. There is also negotiations going on between Arcangel and the client, especially if they are a regular client.

Investing in make-up, clothes, setting and post-processing with a strong concept should help the image stand out and in turn sell. I'll be heading down to Granada during the Christmas break with my girlfriend and research some Arabic clothes she may wear when we visit Alhambra!

Quote from: Brasilnut on November 11, 2021, 05:42

Quote from: DOP on November 11, 2021, 04:23

Quote from: Brasilnut on November 01, 2021, 03:06

Welcome to the October 2021 detailed monthly report during these increasingly normal times (on the surface at least).

In addition to the earnings report, check out a summary of a super useful/interesting chat with Nash Mascaro, Sales Director at Arcangel who served me a large portion of humble pie and valuable tips on improving my approvals/sales over at Arcangel.

https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2021/10/31/october-2021-brutally-honest-earnings-report/

Hope you had a good month and keeping healthy.

Alex

Do you know Alex how many contributors Arc has?

Don't know, but easily a few 1000. Most are no longer active.

As of today, Arcangel boasts 847,652 online images (of which 1,055 are proudly mine ). Drop in the ocean but growing!

Just seen that you've had a whole raft of new images published on Arc - that's no mean feat! Looks like your conversation with Nash paid off 

Also, just read your interview with Kerem Gogus on your website.

Great article + what a brilliant artist he is.

Appreciated Kerem's attitude to creating art and not just thinking about the $, I trust that he'll have success at Arcangel much more so than at the micros where they don't value his work.

Here's a link to the article for all those reading: https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2021/11/13/interview-with-keremgo3d-creative-digital-artist/

As for my port at Arcangel, having a record month number of accepted at currently 48 (here's 4 recent ones) Nash's talk has certainly helped to bring down the rejections to a much more reasonable 30-40%!

Quote from: gemmy12 on November 09, 2021, 11:28

Yes Dop. How can you not know about your sales..

Quote from: Uncle Pete on November 09, 2021, 11:16

Quote from: DOP on November 09, 2021, 09:11

I've had one sale when I got to about 100 images and have been uploading for a year.
Unfortunately I still don't know how much I've earned.

How do you not know how much you earned if you made a sale? Don't they tell you?

I'm awaiting an email telling me .. there's no interface like there is with Sstock etc.

At at beginning of a given month you'll receive a notification by email if you had a sale go through on a previous month.

In the meantime, the best place imo to check for sales is by searching your name + Arcangel on Google Books. Will also show some interesting results for sales via microstock agencies.

'Keep in mind that the more famous the book/author, the larger the potential royalties'.

Is that because what we are paid depends on the size of the print run?  Also, am I right in thinking that under this sales model, we can be paid again for the use?

Thanks as ever for sharing your stock photography journey with us 

You're welcome...it's a fun journey which helps to take my mind off my relatively dull corporate day-job.

Not 100% sure how the royalties work (as not involved in the negotiations)...some details here:

https://arcangel.com/buy-stock-images-illustrations/

I only upload Rights-Managed to them so I've received repeat sales for the same image that were printed for different countries.

Following the logic, if an image is selected for a big-time author like Stephen King it will be printed in dozens of places for 100,000s of copies so would produce potentially large royalties. My USA and UK sales have earned me quite a bit more than a book cover published in Poland, for instance.

My average earned on Alamy is about $10/net vs average of 70cents on the micros. Unfortunately volumes aren't 10+x though.

I like Alamy, have had some huge sales, although the lack of consistency is a problem.

Quote from: Brasilnut on October 27, 2021, 05:16

Trying to up my book cover game for Arcangel

How are you getting on with that?
I'm only getting photos accepted with (family) models.
I watched the 'thriller' book covers video on the app, saw the baby booties photo that had been used as a book cover, looked at their stock and saw there are very few, uploaded 10 and they were all rejected.
I haven't had any sales yet but my port is small.  I'm also spending time working on the keywords.

Doing OK, still many rejections. Recently had a very productive chat with the Sales Director at Arcangel who went through my port and gave excellent advice. Basically, I need to up my game big time....my images are very mediocre compared to some of the top-producers. Served me a large portion of humble pie.

He has also confirmed that standards have got tougher during the past few months, as suspected. They're aiming at the high-end market.

Keep going!

Trying to up my book cover game for Arcangel

Welcome, new SS forum refugees!

First of all, I love your blog. Very insightful and inspiring. Secondly glad for you that you sold this picture.

But I'm trying to grasp why the buyer bought it.

If I look at it I don't see anything pinsharp, all looks out of focus. I see noise, or is it the rain? I see a disturbing lamppost on the right, buildings are cut off, lighting is awful.

Can you walk me through the beauty of your picture? I don't seem to understand it.

Kind regards and keep up the good work, always nice to see your blog each month.

Hi, it's all part of the "mood".

Here's the final version used in the book cover (the latest version is in German, yet to be spotted).

I've probably never seen the Eiffel Tower from this angle.

I was in Paris for 3 weeks a few years ago and deliberately searched for "unique Eiffel Tower spots" and managed to find this one here...leading me to Av. de Camoens with the iconic Haussmann architecture on the foreground.

Welcome back to the September 2021 detailed monthly report during these increasingly strange and desperate times. Hope your stock business isn�t proving to be too much of a tough climb�

https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2021/09/30/september-2021-brutally-honest-earnings-report/

Alex

Quote from: Brasilnut on September 21, 2021, 01:42

Quote from: Uncle Pete on September 20, 2021, 12:53

Quote from: angelacat on August 16, 2021, 08:00

Hi

I have a 1.7k port and increasing with Wirestock that gets a few sales a month - had 0 sales in the past 3 weeks or so - totally dried up.

Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing a big drop in sales.

Thanks
C

Just thinking back to your original question. Wirestock sells nothing, they only manage and send images to the agencies. So in effect, if sales are down, the problem isn't Wirestock, it's the agencies?

Not that any of that will make you feel better or make more money, but Wirestock doesn't get downloads, they just distribute things.

Wirestock have recently started selling directly. Fixed prices $5 a pop for stills. Not sure how much for videos.

Thanks Alex.  Do you know what percentage of that contributors receive?

Wirestock have just notified me that the percentage is 70% for direct portfolio sales. They also do direct sales with brands and agencies in which case it is 50%.