You are absolutely correct, Lara, that photographers should be paid for the use of their work in railroad books, and not just be given a free copy of the book in "payment" for their talent and effort. Without the photos, there would be no railroad books at all. Most railroad book publishers pay a pittance like $10 or $20 apiece, which is an insult. I realize that the publishers are attempting to keep costs down to keep the price of the books competitive, but they have to pay full price for the separations, plates, paper, printing, binding and shipping, so why should we photographers work for nothing, or close to nothing?
Purchasing one-time reproduction rights to a photo is just another cost of doing business, and the publishers should respect that. The biggest problem is the proliferation of low quality railroad books on the market today. It seems that anyone with a story to tell or who owns a camera gets into book publishing and writes or edits a book on railroading, too often with poor results. These "editors" and "publishers" are not discriminating in their choice of photos or words (and neither are the purchasers of these books), and some really poor results emerge from good intentions. A lot of folks will allow their images to be printed for free just for the "honor" of having one of their photos published in a book. I am a professional, a mercenary if you wish, and I expect to be paid for the work that I perform. If you do not want to pay a fair price for the one-time use of my photos, then my slides will be staying at home and you can use someone else's photos in your book or magazine. John B. Corns --> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects
