Brand new albums

[patterson.photo]

I am looking for some advice about creating and pricing albums. I have done a couple of albums in the past for very close friends. They weren't fast nor were they of a quality that I would be happy to have a stranger present to their friends and family. (very cheap)

I am looking for some advice on the price to charge for a quality album (can't be more specific) and how much time, how many pictures to include, and what software is best to use with limited time.

I know this is a VERY broad subject but would appreciate any help you all might have.

Jeff

[Mike30D]

As far as pricing goes, it depends on the photographer and market. There are some things to take into consideration like how much is your design time worth? How long does it take you to design the album? Last but not least, how much is the album costing you? Does the album have to be shipped out to your client or can you make a delivery? If you make album deliveries, don't forget your fuel costs. I do see a lot of photographers just flat out mark it up around 300% and be done with it.

I'm sure someone else can chime in with info on this....

[PhotosGuy]

The forum tested several book publishers before we made our books, & Blurb won for overall quality. There are much more expensive, & I assume better, options for wedding pics.
I've done two with Blurb & like the results. Be aware that they've upgraded their software several times since these threads:

See my post #13. I want to make a book but... (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=351213)

Hardcover Books (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=454887)

[patterson.photo]

Thanks for the info. I will look into blurb. The last album I did took me about 12 hours for 20 pages. Do you think this is typical or does practice improve speed? I was using the Mpix's program which is easy to use but the quality wasn't as good as my home printer.

[tim]

KISS albums, design it with FotoFusion. I use Queensberry and Photojunction, they're pretty expensive but amazing albums. My first albums took me longer than what you've said, but I can do it a LOT faster now.

[Mike30D]

Take your pick....
High End Albums Include:

Finao - http://www.finaoonline.com/
Graphi Studio - http://www.graphistudio.com/usa/index.html
Queensberry - http://www.queensberry.com/
Art Leather - http://www.artleather.com/
Picto Book - http://www.pictobooks.com/html/index.php
Leather Craftsman - http://www.leathercraftsmen.com/
Jorgensen - http://www.jorgensen.com.au/
La-Vie - http://www.la-viealbum.com/
Kiss Wedding Books - http://www.kissweddingbooks.com (http://www.kissweddingbooks.com/)

Mid-Range Albums Include:

Album Art - http://www.albumart.com/
Albums Unlimited - http://www.albumsunlimited.com/albumsFlushMount.htm
Zook Book - http://zookbinders.com/
White Wedding Album - http://www.whiteweddingalbum.com/
Premeria - http://www.premiraalbums.com/
Albums Inc - http://www.albumsinc.com/
Candid 2000 - http://www.candid2000.com (http://www.candid2000.com/)
Jones Book - http://www.jonesbook.com/index.php
Vision Art - http://www.visionartbook.com/
The Together Book - http://www.thepbook.com/
Bound to Last - http://www.boundtolast.co.nz/index.html

Asuka - http://asukabook.com/index.html
Cypress - http://www.cypressalbums.com/html/welcome.html

Low Priced Alternatives: (last resort?)

Snapfsh - http://www.snapfish.com/
Rag and Bone - http://www.ragandbonebindery.com/
My Publisher - http://www.mypublisher.com/
Shared Ink - http://www.sharedink.com/
Blurb - http://www.blurb.com/
Shutterfly - http://www.shutterfly.com/
Lulu - http://www.lulu.com/

As for designing, you could also look at outsourcing it to a designer like Modern Album Design or Radishes

[PhotosGuy]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=562789

[patterson.photo]

Thanks everyone for such through posts. I certainly have a lot of research to do and with the help you all have provided I am well on my way.