SIDEBAR
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Finding Crucial Information
One of the most common questions asked by newcomers to editorial stock photography is, "how can I be sure that the publisher/agency I will be sending my original images to isn't going to go bankrupt or get swallowed in a merger and my pictures get scattered to the four winds?"
There are, in fact, several ways that you can check on the stability and business history of a potential market. It takes doing some homework, but it's worth it, to avoid any grief.
Check past editions of reference books or directories such as Photographer's Market and Writer's Market. If a publisher/agency has been listed for at least three years, that’s a good indicator they're worth a closer look.
Check out what they publish. With a publisher, look at the kind of publications they're putting out and look at things like quality, number of publications, frequency and so on. With an agency, ask for samples of their printed promo pieces and catalogs. This will show you whether the agency puts a priority on promoting the photographers they represent.
Ask for references and check those references. Any publisher/agency who will not give you at least a couple of references should get crossed off your Market List.
If you've found a publisher/agency who passes your initial research above, but they're not a well-known outfit and you feel you need still more information, you can order a thorough background search. There are several companies which specialize in this. I spoke with Michael Jay, CEO of one such company, America Find, Inc., in Houston, Texas.
According to Michael Jay, it's important that your background search covers the owner of the business as well as the business itself.
"A corporation is a legal entity, separate from its owner(s), and getting information only on the business isn't enough," says Jay. "Theoretically a person with multiple bankruptcies and numerous judgements against him/her can still be the owner of a corporation, and unless you ask about the owner, you'll never be aware of it. And likewise by running reports on a corporation as well as the owner, you'll get the information you need to be able to understand the entire picture instead of fragments of it."
Jay says, "We can provide information like how long a company has been in business, if it is being sued, if it has any judgements against it, who the owner is and business information about that person. We can find out if the owner has other companies, how those companies are doing, and what their history has been."
The only thing America Find doesn't provide is opinions about the companies and individuals they find information on.
"We'll provide facts that can help you make your mind up," says Jay. "If there are things we think would be especially important for you, we will put those in a special section of the report so that you'll find them first. The final opinions, we leave up to you."
America Find charges $99 for a full corporate and individual background report. http://www.americafind.com ; e-mail: afci@wt.net ; toll free: 800 272-7219.
Mikael Karlsson is a freelance photojournalist based in Wilber, Nebraska. He is administrator of the Kracker Barrel and Midwest editor for PhotoSource International.
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