Book Sponsorship

Why does the book need sponsorship I hear you ask? The idea is if I can get a lump sum up front I could buy a print run of books at a discounted price, which I can then sell on making more money for the charity, also potentially sell through local bookshops, and also be able to send copies to the people who have kindly given up their time for free to help with this book. At the moment I would have to buy copies myself just like anyone else, which makes it difficult to send copies out to these people or for reviews etc.

As part of a print run it might well be possible to get some bigger hardback cover books done too. This would be an expensive outlay, so instead of having to wait for a certain number of people to pay up front, this could be done through the sponsorship. When the last book was published a number of people did ask about hardback covers.

What would a sponsor get for their money? The cover would feature the sponsor's name and logo, and possibly on the inside too depending on a sponsors requirement. It might also be possible to photograph a sponsor's patron for inclusion in the book.

How much? This is the big question. £250 would probably allow me to buy 50 normal editions of the book. £500 around 100 copies. £1000 which would be fantastic then brings the hardback cover into the equation too, as my current guess is that these copies will cost over £20 each to buy depending on how many I order at once.

So if there are any potential sponsors out there reading this and are interested please get in touch, or if anyone knows of anyone please let me know I would be really grateful. If I am unsuccessful it will not affect the publication in any way.

Coming Soon... Miles and Erica from The Wonder Stuff

I was delighted when a request on Twitter to Miles Hunt and Erica Nockalls from The Wonder Stuff to take part in the book was accepted straight away by Miles. If everything goes to plan this will be the last photo I take for the book as I am meeting them at their acoustic gig in Winchester at the beginning of March. Hopefully by then the last few people I have left to photograph will have been done, and then the countdown to publication can begin!

So as the book nears completion I still have to hopefully photograph, Gabby Logan, Freya North, Christopher Biggins, and Kylie Michelle Smith. If I can nab anyone else in the next 6 weeks I will, but I am going to try and work to an end of February deadline, bar Miles and Erica, otherwise the book will just keep going back. I am so looking forward to sharing this labour of love I have been working on over the last year.

One more thought I am having is whether to ask someone to write a forward for the book? It might be nice to have someone who I have photographed do this?

Where Will My Late Grandfather Fit Into The Book?

This a photo of my grandfather taken on his wedding day in Maidenhead in 1923. I don't want to reveal too much at stage as to how, but he fits very nicely into the book. There is a specific reason of me using a photo of him from his younger days rather than a photo of him in later years when I knew him. He passed away 40 years ago, so his involvement in the book will be through my recollections and archived material...

Working On The Cover Design

The cover design of the book is hugely important, as I want it to be something that will stand out grabbing the prospective buyer's attention, whilst at the same having a relevance to the book and its content. The above photo is one such idea I am working on at the moment where I use a human head shape, and fill it with cropped and resized mini-photos from the book. How many people inside the head can you recognise?

I have to be honest that I struggle to visualize anything involving design, so this is a pretty decent effort for me! I will save how I have created this for another blog when the cover design is finalised, but modern photo editing software allows even amateurs such as myself to get creative. 

It appears at the moment that there are 9 spaces inside the head for full uncut photos, so if I go with this idea I shall have to think carefully as to who makes it onto the prestigious central spaces. Even doing a book where everyone has so kindly given up their time I still have one or two favourites! I like the idea of making it black and white as it will stand out nicely on a white cover. I am also thinking of trying the same idea using a coloured tint.

On eBay I have ordered a polystyrene human head as I want to try out this idea in my little photo studio, and see how it compares to the one above I created by downloading the head image from the internet.

I have also to decide on the font for the main title, and I have still to settle on a sub-heading that will describe the fundraising purpose of the book. I will also come to a decision on whether there is going to be a back cover or to leave it blank. My current feeling is to have a back cover, which is something my first fundraising book didn't have.

I am always open to offers of help or fresh ideas with this, so don't be shy if you have something to say on the topic!

Thanking Jane Roberts for this latest idea, which is to turn the face photo into a negative image. This might work!

Introduction to the Lives & Times Fundraising Book For Beating Bowel Cancer

2015 will see the publication of the "Lives & Times" fundraising book for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity. This blog is dedicated to the book, and will follow its progress as it nears completion and is published. The book will feature a collection of photographs of various people, and anecdotal stories about the photos. The process of putting the book together started back in March 2014 when I photographed Status Quo from the photo pit at the Hammersmith Apollo, and since then I have met up with and snapped many famous people who have all very kindly given up their time to support the book. Among those on board are Steve Redgrave, Gabby Logan, Matthew Wright, Christopher Biggins, Carrie Grant, Johnathan Agnew, Gail Porter, Alan Davies, Freya North, Antonia Mariconda and Clare Grogan. As well as a number of bands the book also features many everyday people photos.

I have been supporting this particular charity since 2012, as it was then that my mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer. In September 2012 she had a section of her bowel removed and then at the start of 2014 she underwent two further operations on her lungs where she had a cancerous nodule ,which was a secondary bowel cancer. She remained in remission for about 18 months, but unfortunately in November 2014 another cancerous nodule appeared on one of her lungs. She underwent surgery in February which was successful, and has made a fantastic recovery. The treatment and care she has received throughout has been wonderful. Information about the charity and the work that is does can be found by clicking here.

Following mum's treatment I decided to try and give something back, so at the end of 2012 I published a book of various photos, and the stories behind them called "Beating Bowel Cancer". It is still available to buy on Amazon and all proceeds raised are donated to the charity. 

The current plan is to publish "Lives & Times" this summer once again on Amazon. The book is well on the way to completion with just a few more photos to get done. I will move the publication date back if necessary as the main thing is to make the book as good as I possibly can. The above picture is one idea I am currently working on for the book cover. 

The blog will be regularly updated with news on photos, and most importantly its release date and how to buy it.