International Solo Photography Book Month

Paul Butzi has come up with a really interesting idea over on his Musings on Photography blog. It is early days yet, but the concept of shooting and putting together a book in one month is fascinating. There are plenty of print on demand companies such as Blurb or Lulu that could be an ideal outlet for this kind of project.

In particular, what I like about this challenge is that the time frame is constrained enough that you have a chance of finishing it. Getting to the point of having a published, finished book, with the breathing space of it not having to be 'perfect' means that you might be able to break through the creative block of procrastination and perfectionism that kills ideas. Starting writing a book is a daunting task that can stretch out into the future, so far that it can stop you even before you start. Books are hard. They can consume your life, never quite being good enough or needing tweaked a bit more. The last time I tried this, it took me 10 years to get to 'the end'. So this idea of capping it at a month seems a great introduction to the fun of creating books. There is achievement in the completion, along with all the things you can learn along the way, that you don't ever find out until you actually say 'done'.

From what I've seen, blurb looks like it might be a good place to host or sponsor a project like this - they have the concept of a bookstore that the books could be sold together, perhaps even with them promoting the final results. The goal really isn't to sell a bundle of books, but to commit to actually finishing the project and then achieving that first completed draft, either as a PDF, website or physical book. I'm already brainstorming ideas for mine!