Photography

A very important thing to know if you’re not familiar with copyright laws is that all images belong to the creator as Intellectual Property, not unlike how you own the copyright to your writing. This law covers all images in any medium, including photographs, illustrations, paintings, music and sound recordings.

Therefore, you should know that you cannot simply utilize photos or images copied from the internet or scanned from printed materials in your possession without being granted rights by their creators.

To get around this issue, you may consider the following options:

• Creating your own images for your book (taking your own photographs, drawing your own illustrations, etc.)
• Commissioning someone to create images for you
• Paying the creator for the license to use the images
• Paying for royalty free stock images from a stock repository

Other than creating your own images, royalty free licenses are the most affordable method of sourcing images for your book. Typically, you will only need to pay once for an image that you are allowed to use for multiple purposes with no time limits. This method is included within the cost of our packages.

We have memberships to multiple royalty free stock repositories, so we can provide the most suitable photos for you while saving you time and money. And if you change your mind about any of the photos later on, we can source for more at no additional cost.

When Are Royalty Free Images Not For Me?

You should note that royalty free images are usually not sold exclusively, but can be sold many times over to different buyers. Therefore, if you are looking for unique images and illustrations that solely represent your book and your brand, this option will not be suitable for you.

Also, if you are a children’s book author, you will usually require images that are customised to the content of your book. The best route for you in this case is to commission an illustrator.

If you have any questions about what types of images you should use and the costs involved, please give us a call or drop us a line and we’ll be happy to advise you.