2026 04 03

Chicago from above. April, 2023. © Clayton Hauck

This was originally posted on my Substack, earlier today.

Making a Photozine

In classic universe-talking-to-me fashion, I sat down to write this post and checked my email one last time (procrastination!). By sheer chance, there was a Substack post hot off the digital press from a recent favorite of mine: Cate Hall.

I think people are so hyped up about agency because they are looking for an answer to the loss of control they feel spreading across their lives — economic, political, technological, professional. People are trying to get a handle on how to adapt to a rapidly changing world, how to respond to metastatic uncertainty about the future, and they think that agency holds the key.

While the topic of agency in the above quote from her post is a bit off-topic here, the post was actually a worthwhile breakdown of her current process of writing a book about the subject (agency does play a factor for me but not one we’ll focus on here). I wanted to attempt to vocalize some of my own thoughts about the process of making a much-lower-stakes photobook. Why I’ve chosen to focus on it and some of the steps involved in the process as I prepare to release my second zine Daily Bread. My aim is to make it helpful to others also considering a project like mine. I know there are a lot of you out there because I hear from you often at our Realm Books popups!

The Most Important Thing

Let’s start by alienating most of my readers: you will not make money doing this and most people don’t want your book!

While I am not yet an expert in the filed of photobooks, having only been deeply involved for a year now, I know enough and have talked to enough experts to know for a fact that making money simply cannot be your motivation. It won’t work and it won’t happen. Just last night, I attended a webinar with Sasha Wolf and she said essentially the same thing. If you can’t trust me on this matter, you should trust her.

So why do it? There are many reasons, I think!

• For the love of the game

• To give yourself focus and drive

• Exposure

• Credibility

• Fun object to give to people!

• A healthy distraction from *gestures broadly*

• It leads to other things

How to Make a Photozine?

So, you’ve decided you’re going to do it — great! There are plentiful tools these days that will allow you to have a printed project in your hand for minimal expense, relatively quickly. Of course, just because it’s easy doesn’t mean you should do it — in fact, I’d argue the opposite is true. Smart Press and Mixam are great resources, along with your home printer and some DIY determination. (I won’t get into anything technical or design-related here. For that, turn to youtube!)

What does this all cost, you’re probably asking. The long answer is that it very mech depends on what all you’re planning to print. The size, make, details, and quantity are all factors that will determine your end cost. Once you have that, if you are charging for your project, I think a sale price of at least twice your cost to produce is a good starting place, though realistically this can and should vary depending on your goals.

For my own zine projects, I’m using Mixam and have had good results with them. They are fast, responsive, and while not perfect in execution, the price of goods makes up for the consumer-grade experience (you’re not going on press here!). I’ve also heard many stories of people asking for re-prints when they do inevitably mess up and they have honored it in every instance I’ve heard. My zines are 8x10”, perfect bound, non-fancy paper, and each are 96 pages in length. The price to produce is roughly $10 per book, which I then sell for $20 (the new one I’m charging $22.22 because it’s the second book (get it!?), but also because I’m doing custom stickers and wanted to factor in all my additional time it will take to execute… I’m also working with a designer on this release, and while he’s working for trade this time, on future projects I will be paying others to help me execute, which is a cost that needs to be factored).

Economic Breakdown

Producing 100 books at a cost of $10 per book (not factoring additional costs: shipping ~$5/book media mail, packaging ~$1/book, bonus gifts [prints] for pre-order buyers ~$4/book, ISBN registration [optional] ~$30, misc) and selling for $20 per book:

• Sell 0 books: -$1,000 (and a big chunk of ego!)

• Sell 15 books: -$700

• Sell 26 books (# of pre-orders I currently have for the new zine): -$480

• Sell 50 books: Breakeven 🥳

• Sell 75 books: +$500

• Sell all 100 at full retail price books: +$1,000

While this is a super basic cost visualization, I think it’s helpful to see just how difficult it is to not lose money on these endeavors. My first zine Pointing at Stuff 001 has currently sold 62 copies, and while I’m trying my hardest not to give them away, I’ve also come to the realization that it’s just not possible — I have to give some to family, friends, and the people who are in the book! Secondarily, I don’t want to sell all 100 available copies right now, so am keeping twenty for myself or for selling at a later time when I have more projects in the world and can bundle (who doesn’t love a bundle?!). That’s another factor to consider when deciding how many to print, and likely why I’ll go with 123 (fun number!) editions on this next run for Daily Bread.

Because this is only my second project on “the market,” I don’t have a great sense of how often my friends will show up to support me on these things, but my hunch is there will be a steep drop-off as additional titles hit the shop. Much like your pal who joined a band and then invites you to every subsequent show, the first show you’re essentially required to attend but after that all bets are off. My hope is that as my friends start to buy less of my art, I’ll begin to grow a “fan” base that will fill the gap. This is, of course, far easier said than done.

Sales aside, a quick story and perhaps the most reassuring moment I’ve had thus far: we did a Realm popup on my birthday at Enid, which is a vintage shop here in Chicago. I sold more of my zines that day than any other day, which is cool, but it was the conversations I had with strangers who flipped thru it that is really the whole reason I’m even attempting this madness. Just simple eye-to-eye conversations with other young weirdo artists reassured me to keep at it and gave me the confidence I was on the right path. The grind and hustle it takes to get there will turn most people off, but if you have the staying power, I think it’s a worthy challenge!

Why Make a Photozine?!

Phew — this is getting long! I’ll try to keep it brief, however, I must say that for me, the biggest reason I’m challenging myself to make at least five of these things is to learn and grow as an artist. I wish I’d printed my work like this a long time ago, but I didn’t and that’s not an excuse not to do it now. In the time since I began the first project to now, prior to releasing my second book, I’ve learned so many things that are obvious in hindsight (and even things I already knew) but only fully understood once I went through the process. I imagine once I have a few more releases under my belt, I’ll look back at this post and laugh. Two big learnings thus far: killing your babies and sequencing.

Editing comes in many forms, but for me a major weakness has always been discarding my images… killing my babies. One thing I like about editing for a book project is that the best photo doesn’t always win — the images that make the strongest project as a whole are the ones that make the cut. This fact has given me a bit of a new perspective when it comes to ditching some of my images in an edit: it’s not because I don’t love them that they aren’t included, it’s because they don’t aren’t needed here and now. They don’t make the strongest whole.

My brain needs stimulation. While a movie is usually a nice passive way to engage with art, I love photobooks because it forces the viewer to form meaning and fill in the gaps with their own imagination. To be an active participant. I get that most people might view this completely opposite of how I do, but I also think it’s why the photobook is in many ways the perfect form of capital-A Art. My favorite films are the ones that challenge me and make me think, and this is what you get with every photobook. Sequencing the book, much like editing the film, is probably the most important step in the process. And learning to do this better has caused me to approach my shooting differently, as well.

Lastly, the reason to do any of this shouldn’t be economic. I’m learning more about myself and my inner-artist. It’s these things deep inside me, first given space to grow and then an external voice, that are what bring joy and meaning to others. That’s art.

While a business person might look at all of this at tell me I’m insane, I look at it from the perspective of a photographer working a dying job (commercial photography) and think of it as a structure that helps me stay motivated to make photos. It gives me an outlet to stay engaged in photography (a wildly underrated art form, imo!). I’m more actively involved in photo making now than I have been in my entire two-decade career, and that’s saying something, I think.

Next time: more images, less words! Thanks for hanging. Send me your zine or book projects, if you have one!

-Clayton