CHAPTER 2 How to Make Dollars from Cents

The unique selling point of the microstocks is their low pricing. This, in turn, means that the commission payable to the photographer can be as low as $0.25 per image sale, although, in practice, this figure is at the bottom end of a range that can go a lot higher. With such low commissions it might seem that it will be impossible to earn “real” money. That is a view shared by many traditional stock photographers. In fact, discussions on the subject can become quite heated!

Yet, despite this, I have now reached sales from a portfolio of five microstock sites of around $750 per month in around 2 years from a standing start. That’s useful money in anyone’s language, particularly as I am not shooting stock ...

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