Phonebook Cover

Hi folks!

Every year our local phone book company contacts me and says they have a great deal for me. They will put one of my photos on the cover of the local phone book and include my name and url on page 3. I've always said no. Who uses phone books these days and if I go around giving away my images that is certainly not going to help my business. Has anyone successfully negotiated something worthwhile with a phone book company? Does anyone have any ideas on how I could make this a win / win situation for both my gallery and the phone book company?

Thanks!

There are lots of companies doing phone books and yellow pages these days, and approaches differ. We've actually got 3 companies doing it in this area. It probably varies a lot with location, but we get a lot of business from the good old yellow pages. If one of them approached me with a cover proposal, I'd sit down at the negotiating table with a request for a full-page display ad in the YP's along with their online YP service if they're involved, expecting to end up with a half page or worst, case a quarter page. That would result in a lot of business for us, but I can't estimate how it would affect you in your location, Erik. Judgment call time!

Erik - I had a similar situation when I was in Oregon. One of the little, local phone books of our 5-town Mt. Hood mountain community saw one of my Mt. Hood photos at a local gallery and contacted me, wanting to use a similar image for it's cover for free.

I said "fine" as a community service, and asked only that the inside of the front cover have a large copy of my business card with all contact info.

I was amazed at the business it gave me! I has like 50 calls the first day the phone book came out - fewer SALES, of course..

I gave them a shot for the cover 4 years in a row, till I moved back to CA klast year.

I didn't even think of what Hank suggested above - but do that too!!

So I'd suggest you not hesitate to do it -

Sandy

Erik: Somewhat different yet kind of the same - I provide photos to the publisher of the Moab Guest Guide every year in exchange for an ad (this year I negotiated a full page ad, which usually costs $3,000). The Guest Guide is a phone book of sorts for tourists looking for information on the area and activities to pursue. I estimate that 50% of my guiding business comes from tourists who see the ad while they're here, call me up and book a day. My advice to you is in line w/ Sandy and Hank: if you can get a nice ad inside the phone book in exchange for your photo on the cover, I'd do it.

Thanks folks for the very helpful information!! I think I'll try negotiating for a full page ad and see if they bite.

I have done 3 phone book covers in Canada and received $400 per image. Credit and photo title given on the inside cover.