The Tribune

Publishing a book is always a gratifying accomplishment. But never forget the importance of photos and pictures. Pictures mean business, and even the most compelling stories can be boring if readers are confronted with black type on white paper.

Just like paintings on the wall of a room or cave, photos, graphs, charts and illustrations will liven up a book. They also help to explain things. Technology has made it much simpler, and less expensive, to include photos in books. At one time, photographs were printed on special paper in the centre sections of books. Today, photos can be printed on any page.

Photographs and images can help tell a story, and add interest and clarity. Since photos and other artwork can be used for both explanation and decoration, there is no rule about how many to include or how frequently they should be used. Even in a book of fiction or poems, where no illustration is necessary for explanation or edification, it is nice to break up the type.

Readers enjoy pictures, and even a few illustrations can liven up an all-text book. When you reduce a photograph to a small size, it is a good idea to sharpen it a bit but not too much. Look at it closely. Be sure to save an unmodified original. Photo quality in a laser-printed book will not be as good as in a book that is offset printed on better paper due to print run.

A powerful image on the cover of your book can help sell it. However, there are laws and regulations for when you can and cannot use a photograph.

Permissions: As a rule, if you did not take the picture yourself, you have to have written permission from the copyright holder to use it in your book. The two exceptions to this are:

Public Domain: Under US copyright law, all images published before January 1, 1923, in the US are now in the public domain. Just because something is posted on the Internet does NOT mean it is under public domain. In fact, most Internet images are copyright protected and cannot be used without permission.

Fair use: Fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship or research is not an infringement of copyright. You can read more about Fair Use here at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use

Please keep in mind that if you intend to profit from the sale of your book, the images you use will probably NOT be covered by Fair Use. If you have a specific image that you wish to use, permission is needed. In some cases, the copyright owner of the image may allow you to use the image for free.

There are a number of stock photo sites that will sell you images and the right to use the image in your book for a nominal fee. My favourite image sites are:

• www.istockphoto.com

• www.Shutterstock.com

• www.Fotosearch.com

This is a FREE stock photo site with over 350,000 images:

• http://www.sxc.hu/

Wikepedia offers a list of image resources for public domain images:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.php?curid=63057

Wikepedia is a good spot to search for images, as the copyright restrictions are clearly labelled and many have been released into the public domain or are available for restricted use. Usually, using an image on the cover of your book would be considered an image for advertising purposes (since your cover is used to promote and sell your book). However, permission is still needed.

Logos and Brand Names

Be careful using logos, symbols, brand names, company names and trademarks in an image. Even using very old images of a brand name or trademark still in use can spell trouble. Until we meet again, fill your life with memories rather than regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.

NB: Columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com

ABOUT COLUMNIST: Deidre Marie Bastian is a professionally-trained graphic designer/marketing co-ordinator with qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, College of The Bahamas, Nova Southeastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas.