Nearest Truth Editions is a new publishing imprint that offers an alternative to the existing publishing houses. This is a new model which functions on transparency and cooperation, helping artists to make their photobooks and profit from the bookselling process. It is collaborative and looks to demystify the reality of publishing photobooks in the contemporary market. It is born from a dissatisfaction with artists paying publishers to make their books only to receive none of the profits. It is also born from working with artists through our Year-Long Photobook program.
Nearest Truth Editions acts as an agent for self-publishing your book and will collaborate with you at every stage whilst helping keep costs down. We do not pay to produce your books. We are not a publisher with a pay-to-play scheme. This is a new model based on collaboration focusing on putting transparent cost analysis and artist development to the forefront.
We work with people we trust who are in the business of excellent photobook production. Through our alliances with designers, print houses and pr outlets we will help guide you towards those who we believe will best serve your needs. We help find the best quote for each aspect of the project and work with you to publish your work. When the book is finished, it will bear the Nearest Truth logo, a sign of the integrity of the book, the artist, and the imprint.
When your book is produced, we ask for 10% of the copies for our service. The other 90% of the books will be yours to sell, and we will advocate, promote and help you sell them through our network. You will take your own payments for orders, and you will fulfil the orders. We will not touch your money.
Nearest Truth Editions will focus on small editions of 500 copies and under. We think ethically and ecologically, printing no more than we feel necessary to fulfil market demands. We would prefer to help the artist sell 150-300 copies of a book rather than see their efforts stacked up in unopened boxes. We are also interested in artist editions and books published in micro-editions of 20 or fewer.
We have a board of professionals who help us make decisions twice a year on projects we will help publish. Our submission process has one important caveat: it is only open to people who have taken part in the Nearest Truth Year-Long Photobook course (at the mentorship or physical workshop level). We want to work with the artist for a period of time sufficient to develop their vision, which our program offers. Photobooks should not be rushed.
The board will not accept every project. We offer this service to those who trust us to lead them through our course and whose vision matches our output. Though broad, our publications have a specific vision, and we want to encourage artists to take chances. If your book does not fit the overall vision of the imprint, we will do our best to provide other options to get your book made.
We believe the photobook is a beautiful medium of expression, but we know that getting your work published is not easy. To our knowledge, this model of publishing is new. We are excited to help artists get their books out into the world. Our ambition is to fill the gap between an artist’s ambition and the reality of publishing.
You can find more information about our Year-Long Photobook program at nearesttruthworkshops.com
Nearest Truth Editions Publishing Prize
One project from the Physical Workshop and Mentorship Tiers of the Year Long Photobook Workshop will be chosen for a limited-edition book to be produced at the end of 2024 and published through Nearest Truth Publishing.
For participants on the course, there is also open submission possibilities for those who want to self-publish their books with some help from Nearest Truth.