Should I Publish an Art Book?

By Scott McNeff

Since childhood I’ve been highly motivated to create visual art. The vast majority of paintings and drawings I produce each year are inspired by the natural world. I believe that being surrounded by art is an important part of our lives, even if we aren’t consciously aware of the impact it has upon us, and I harbor the same belief regarding Mother Nature. I’m a naturalist at heart and a biologist by training, so a common theme across all my work is the beauty of flora and fauna. I work in a multitude of media from pen and ink to watercolors, acrylics, oils, pastels, and gouache. I tend to let the subject matter determine which medium to use.

Back in 2019, I decided to take my artistic journey much more seriously and determined that I would create a coffee table book to showcase my drawings and paintings. Since I believe that art is important, I view my book as a way to contribute to the communities I care about. These include my hometown (Kennebunk), the town I grew up in (Wells), as well as the larger, worldwide community of falconers I’ve been a part of for the last 30 years. Creating enough paintings to thoroughly depict a single town seemed feasible.

A few years prior, I’d created an illustrated alphabet in book form, and because it was done with a falconry and birds of prey theme, I was lucky to see the first printing sell out prior to publication. My connection to that community was the reason for the success. Because I’d been raised in Wells and currently own a business there, I determined that my first coffee table book would highlight the town, and I hoped there would be enough interest to justify the expense of self-publishing. There are lots of considerations when planning such a project and I’d always been told that art books don’t make any money for the artist, and when lucky, they simply “break even”.

Please join us on March 18^th for the Rye Art Study meeting where I’ll discuss a multitude of considerations regarding publication options and pricing, marketing, expectations, and more. I’ll share all the details, right down to the dollars and cents that ultimately made my book for the town of Wells a success. I hope that you will be emboldened and leave the talk with the intention of creating an art book for a community that is important to you. The world needs more art.