Sockxpert.com - Stock Images. Yours?

[RTK]

Instead of blindly signing up with this one simply because the link is here. Do a search on Google for "microstock" "micro stock" "microstock site" and "micro stock site" "microstock photography" etc. Research it.

There are many of them, and many pay out better than the one mentioned - some even allow you to price your own work !

Even the big two (Getty and Corbis) have their own micro stock sites:

http://www.snapvillage.com (Corbis)

http://www.istockphoto.com (Getty)

As we often see here at TG (not saying that it's necessarily the case with this particular site), if you are in a busy and thriving business, you rarely have time to post or spam on graphics forums, blogs etc. You are actually working on improving your product.

However, for the ones looking in to microsites like this in general: if links are spammed on forums - be sceptical. You don't want to end up wasting your time with a kid sitting in his mom's basement after school. (Again, not necessarily the case with this particular site).

Risto

[gwpriester]

Chris Dickman was not able to log onto TG and asked me to post these comment for him.

But before I do, the reason I posted this in the Xara Gallery Forum was for the benefit of the Xara users. Whether or not this is a good way to earn income from your images is for the reader to determine.

Chris Dickman writes:

Risto, I was quite taken aback by the tone of your posts in this thread.
It's clear you're not a fan of the microstock model, but the fact remains
that it's one of the major models now in place for selling creative content.
I asked Gary if he thought it worthwhile bringing this possibility to the
attention of Xara users and he accordingly began this thread. I suggested to
Steve that he make himself available to respond to any questions, which he
kindly did. It's not that common for representatives of major stock content
firms to drop by to offer to respond to questions--by shutting him down, you
deprived forum members the opportunity to learn more about the possibilities
of microstock for their work, which is a shame.

While you might be sceptical of the earning possibilities of microstock in
general, and Stockxpert.com in particular, I'm told that some contributors
to the site generate sales in the thousands each month, with sales in the
hundreds being more typical. It should be kept in mind that for most
contributors, this represents an additional revenue stream. Also worth
keeping in mind is that contributors retain all rights to their images and
site visitors can buy exclusive rights. An illustration was recently
purchased this way for thousands of dollars, after being purchased for
modest amounts over 200 times. Finally, illustrators who post quality,
saleable work generate fresh offers for new work from their exposure on the
site--being visible is critical.

In any case, from my perspective, all venues for getting Xara-created work
in the hands of buyers is worth exploring, an objective I had not
anticipated you would disagree with. I'm on your side!

Regards

Chris Dickman
Graphics.com