Coffee Table Book Pricing

[dawnmichelle]

I hate doing coffee table books but I want to make my customer happy. My session albums are $600 but she is looking for a less expensive option. The session album is a beautiful, matted finao album.

Customer wants an 8x8 20 page album. I use whcc.

This is a repeat customer and the rest of the sale is going to be good.

One time I sold a small album for $100. Shot myself in the foot completely. After all, if a 5x5 print costs, say, $20, then your customer will jump all over the $100 album of 20 5x5 prints. So I learned my lesson and will not underprice this album.

But I don't know how to price the 8x8 coffee table book (which is way more work but my cost of the actual book is cheaper).

What is a number that is fair to me and will satisfy my customer? What do others charge for such a book?

[Debbi]

I just did a 24 page 8x8 layflat book with Millers and the price was $62.00 including boutique packaging. Their 24 page layflat album was $103. I charged $300 for the book and would have charged $400 for the album. Hope that helps. BTW, I ordered the book on Sunday and received Fedx on Tuesday, standard shipping for Millers.

[dawnmichelle]

Thank you, Debbi! That does help. One other problem is that I underpriced the last album I sold to her a couple of years ago. I could just kick myself for that!

[mmuhlenkamp]

I would figure in about how many hours it takes you to set up something like this and add your hourly rate on top of your base cost + what a comparable set of prints would cost and round up or down as you see fit.

[Kym Kilcrease]

I use Millers for my Books also... I love their Quality better than WHCC... I charge $175 for a book... I order the 8x8 layflat books with a leather cover! I sell them to all my SENIORS and i used the 5x5 for Christmas Special!

[photopam]

I'd charge 3.33% of your cost of goods sold (print costs, packaging materials, your time editing, preparing for printing, checking in, etc.) It would be like $1000+. Then offer a reduced price for every print she orders (say $940 with one print ordered) Until she gets to the final price of say $300 and she's ordering say 10-12 prints as well. Price your reduction on the cost of your 8x10 (make sure you're charging enough for your 8x10s!)

I'm working on setting my prices on the same thing as well. I have heard of this method working. Good luck!

[lyncca]

I just quoted a bride for her wedding and an album. She asked about a flush-mount and couldn't afford my rate, so I suggested a layflat for $600 and she didn't blink at that cost.

I'm still feeling my way around on books. They are so expensive and time consuming. It seems crazy to sell a (flush mount) book for $2000-$5000 but thats what it takes to make any profit on them.

[HotHolly]

Originally Posted by lyncca

They are so expensive and time consuming. It seems crazy to sell a (flush mount) book for $2000-$5000 but thats what it takes to make any profit on them.

bing bing bing!

albums ARE expensive. why? b/c they get tons of images and they dont have to buy anything else.

many people make the mistake of thinking they can mark up photography products the same way other retailers do with a 2x-4x mark up. you will never get anywhere in photography if you do that.

photography is service, not a product, and should be priced accordingly. its weird, b/c it has a product associated with it - but the primary thing you are selling is your ability to photography a client. without that there is no product, therefore product is secondary.

my 8x8 boudoir books start at $1299 (millers layflat). the price was established and has NOTHING to do with the cost of the product. there is so much more to pricing than doing a flat mark up. if you do that, you are selling yourself short.

One other problem is that I underpriced the last album I sold to her a couple of years ago. I could just kick myself for that!

it was a couple of years ago. price lists are subject to change <-- Thats why people write that on their price list. you are not obligated to honor prices that are several years old. dont feel bound to it. go shopping for a X and ask for the price you saw 2 years ago. price hikes are part of life.

[VisConPhoto]

check out the books that StudioLogic produces. an 8x8 basic black album cost $180.00