the velvet cell

I had some time to kill yesterday on my way to the Photographers Gallery so I popped into Foyles Bookshop on Charing Cross Road. It has a great selection of photographic books, including some very small run publications. I came across a number of books by a publishing house called the velvet cell. I bought a couple of books for £10 each, both to have a closer look at a sample of the publishing and also because the particular books caught my eye. Both are of urban landscapes which is of course an area of interest of mine and is a theme which the publisher specialises in.

Here is a photograph of the two books:

The covers are soft but the folded back gives it extra strength. It feels quite sturdy. The cover card is slightly textured. The quality of the photographic reproduction is really excellent. The pages are stapled together.

Seeing these books gave me another idea to pursue for the presentation of my East End work. Perhaps and exhibition and an inexpensive book might be the way to go. It continues the theme of transience given that the book is not built to last for ever. It would also enable me to sell my work (for charity) much more readily. I think a book like this would be much more attractive than a poster.

I thought I would contact the velvet cell  to see if they take on printing for self publishers and if so how much it might cost. The company is based in Taiwan, which is why they can print high quality at low cost. Éanna de Freine who runs the company was most helpful and we discussed a possible layout and they will get back to me on pricing etc. I don’t know at the moment if it is viable but it has opened up my eyes to another possibility. Its well worth looking at their website here:

http://www.thevelvetcell.com