So, to start with… You aren’t going to get it published by a publishing house. You just aren’t. In this era, they contact you not the other way around. You aren’t going to get published.
You can however self publish!
And while you have multiple options to create photography books these days and can even do it straight from your phone, a company specializing in photography books is better. And that’s Blurb. Blurb is a company / website that prints photo books, trade books, magazines, and even wall art now. And if all you want is a handful of copies at a time then Blurb is not only your best bet, it’s your easiest bet.
Now I’ve made multiple quality photography books with them. They certainly are expensive and the discounts for ordering multiple copies are not huge… however they often have 30% off coupons. So if you wait for the coupon you can often shave a good chunk off your total cost. Ultimately you are paying for what you get.
But Blurb makes things easy and has its own software for making books called BookWright, an Adobe InDesign Plugin, Adobe Lightroom software, PDF to Book software, and Blurb for iPhone / iPad. I’ve used BookWright and while it is a little clunky it does get the job done. You’ll have a book ready in no time once you get the hang of it.
And you can sell your books directly off of the Blurb website. Blurb can also get your book included on Amazon. You will not get many or even a single sale without significant marketing. You really need to see publishing a photography book as a personal thing. It’s not something you’ll get rich off of but can be a matter of professional pride.
When making your book instead of expecting online sales through Amazon or Blurb you might be better off thinking of “in real life” sales methods. You can do things like offer your books for sale, directly from you and signed, on your portfolio website. Or even offer them for sale at a fair / market alongside your framed photography… a book offers a cheaper option to would be customers to get into your photography.
And an FYI, if you really want to make your photography pop pay up for the large square book, re-edit your images into a square format, and get the Mohawk Superfine Eggshell or Mohawk ProPhoto Pearl paper… you’ll thank me later. Seriously, large format photos on superior paper is the way to go. You’re already paying dearly for your book, why not take it to the next level for a little bit more?
Anyway, if you self publish, and you most likely are, Blurb is the way to go for smaller orders. You get the tools to make your book and the high quality printing in one package. Ultimately as a photographer bringing your photos into the real world is important, Blurb helps you do that.
I have no connection with Blurb other than being a customer. I don’t get compensated for anything.