Apple wants my photos - what should I charge?

This is a new and different request for me - anyone have suggestions for fees? Has anyone worked with Apple before? Are you willing to share what you charged them for the use of a photo as a desktop or screen saver image?

From the email...

"...I am a Photo Producer for Apple's Graphic Design Dept. I am currently working on a project to refresh some of our desktop images and screen savers. We are interested in speaking with you about the potential to license your artwork...

The rights we would require are:
Non-exclusive, worldwide, used as a desktop or screensaver option. Image will be imbedded in our products and sold pre-installed in the software. Duration of license is 5 years..."

Suggestions would be enormously appreciated. Thanks everyone. :)

Can't help you with what to charge but congrats on getting such a serious inquiry!

Thank you, Luke. :) It was a nice email to wake up to this morning. ;) I find that larger companies are easier to work with in some ways and harder in others. Smaller companies tend to care much more about relationships with individual contributors - but larger companies are (in my experience) more likely to follow through and complete a project. Unfortunately, large companies sometimes take a very long time to make payments. SmaIl business don't expect you to trust them explicitly, so they are willing to work with your terms and even pay in advance at times, whereas large corporations will tell YOU what they want. And pay you when they feel like it. Times are changing with paypal and corporate credit cards in general use, but that's what I've seen. ;) I wonder if others have similar experience?

Hello Varina,
Fhotoquote would be my recommendation. Very comprehensive and highly regarded in the stock image market. http://www.cradocfotosoftware.com/
Neil

I'll second Neil's fotoquote recommendation. It's valuable for giving you a range of fair market prices for photos based on actual sales, but even more so for the background info to be used in negotiations with the client. That's invaluable, because there will be negotiations. Best investment you can possibly make if you're selling photos. Here is their site, and in includes a free download of a very limited version. It's not enough for you to use in this query, but it will give you a good look at the scope of the program. One word was on my lips the first time I opened it: Wow!!!

As for your experiences with clients, right on. The worst used to be the federal government with 5-7 months normal pay, and sometimes more than a year. Now departments and individuals are equipped with credit cards and payment is immediate.

Congratulations, too!

Congratulations on the contact, Varina. I've sold stuff to Apple for 20 years, although it has been software and not photos. They are pretty easy to deal with, in my experience. I'd use Fhotoquote or a similar service, and wouldn’t be shy about telling Apple that was what I had used. One area in which Apple is inflexible is that they are buying the right not to show your name. There's a high risk your stuff will be copied and used by Apple customers.

Congrats Varina!

Wow Varina, a great opportunity and honor. I just checked out your site and it's got amazing images . Congratulations though I couldn't help you with the pricing

Hi Varina,

This also may be of assistance to you. There's a photographer by the name of Barry Walthall who was in the same boat a few years ago. The only way that I know for you to try to contact him is:

http://photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=644961

I see his images on my computer all of the time and it makes me very jealous!!! ;)

Good luck,

Tim!

Hi Varina,

I just sent a message to Barry, via Photo.net, with your web address...

Tim!

Well earned recognition Varina. Congrats in business should be reserved until after deals are inked so I'll pass on honest best wishes for your negotiations. Good recommendations above. The "non-exclusive" rights will bring the fee down but believe in the value of your incredible images and don't sell yourself short on the haggling. Let's all just be thankful Apple didn't do what so many big corporations are doing these days when they want images and offer up an iPod in a photo contest where they retain all worldwide rights to all images entered. Good to see Jobs et al doing the right thing. Pete

Hi Varina,

I just sent a message to Barry, via Photo.net, with your web address...

Tim!

If you're in need of an upgrade to your computing hardware you might spec out the very best system you could wish to have and see if they will pay you in merchandise instead of cash? Unless, of course, you need the cash! Just a thought.

Congrats whether you get it or not. Your images will be shown on tens of thousands of computers or higher - worldwide...pre-loaded. That's got to worth a pretty penny. I would try to work out the details of what you hope to get in cash. THEN, see if they would give you the same value (at wholesale) in equipment and software. Suppose you settled for $10,000 (I have no idea). You might be able to swing $15,000 to $20,000 in equipment at retail cost. The idea being that it would cost Apple only $10,000 their cost to give you $15-$20k retail value. It's a thought! FotoQuote is a super idea even if a little hard to match your deal. It should give you an idea about worldwide rights cost, number of units (like a national or worldwide magazine distribution, etc.). Good luck!
Troup

Funny, that number also popped into my head ($20,000), being it's a widely used license for 5 years. I've never done a deal of that proportion, but this isn't going to be 7 or 8 hundred bucks.

Way to go Varina!! (If it pans out that is). BTW, can you ask for the market rate they expect to pay? Is that a bad move, leading to getting underpaid? Just brainstorming here...

I would ask for payment in stocks.......

Just saw this thread, Varina - big congrats on the opportunity! How did it play out?

- Jack