Publishing

The traditional purpose of the catalogue is to list and describe all works included in an exhibition. The extent to which this basic function is extended and elaborated will depend on the overall aims of the exhibition and the expected size and commitment of the exhibition’s visitors. For a major scholarly exhibition, the catalogue has always been regarded as of first importance, providing a detailed commentary on all the exhibits and an illustrated record which will be of interest even to those who have not visited the exhibition. Contributing to the research on individual objects in this way can often be an important factor in a lender’s decision to make exhibits available, and will be emphasised in the request for the loan.

However, the chief purpose of the publication has increasingly become to continue or extend the discussion of the subject of the exhibition, as the “book of the exhibition” rather than a simple catalogue of exhibits. For many exhibitions, a short introduction with selected illustrations is all that is required to supplement the simple list of works. For exhibitions of this kind, the catalogue and poster have very occasionally been combined to provide an attractive broadsheet. Any further expenditure will not be justified, unless costs can be shared and sales guaranteed by a number of venues.

When budgeting for a catalogue, the following possible costs should be considered:

• Repro and printing
• Design and/or typesetting
• Author/editor
• Copy-editor/proof-reader
• New photography
• Reproduction and copyright
• Expenses

When considering copyright fees, it is important to note that according to current UK copyright law, copyright in a work is held by the artist or author, the artist’s or author’s estate, or the agency appointed by the artist or author (e.g. DACS, a gallery, literary agent, etc.). The owner of the actual physical object is quite often contacted out of courtesy, but cannot usually grant permission to reproduce the work itself. The ‘right to reproduce’ granted by a gallery or picture archive usually relates to the use and hire of a colour transparency or print, or to the right of access to the work.

If the production of a catalogue is problematic or commercially unjustifiable, there is a temptation to support the exhibition with a selection of two-dimensional merchandise such as posters or postcards. Such a temptation is entirely understandable given the relative ease and cheapness of production of these items and the high profit margins that can be achieved through sales. In any case, a card will often be necessary for invitations to the private view. However, this too can be dangerous. The minimum quantity for economically-viable postcard production is 2,000 units. A selection of just six images will therefore leave the gallery with 12,000 units for sale which in themselves will not constitute a sufficiently impressive use of the exhibition’s content to engage a buying public.

Production of large-volume items such as postcards should therefore be considered with co-publication or a potential distributor in mind. There are many specialist postcard publishers and distributors who, having looked at the potential of the exhibition images available, will publish or buy at trade price a quantity of the print-run for sale to other shops. If the images are not interesting enough for a publisher to print or a distributor to purchase, it is unlikely that they will engage a museum or gallery’s public sufficiently to justify the level of purchaser volume required by the postcard’s print-run for the duration of the exhibition.

If the image reproduced remains in copyright, then royalty arrangements have to be made and included in the costs. Permissions and approvals must also be obtained for use of the image in the proposed selling format. Some artists, for example, do not take kindly to the idea of their work being used in a merchandising context. Since it is not cost-effective to regularly audit individual postcard sales, royalties are in this case generally paid in advance on an agreed print-run. Although permission and royalty rates differ and are all negotiable, the benchmark figure is generally 7.5% of the maximum possible gross income from the print-run. So, for 2,000 units of a postcard selling at 40p, the copyright holder will receive £60 in advance of production and a further amount on any reprint.

Books, posters and postcards are the normal acceptable minimum for supporting an exhibition, and they will suffice for the commercial potential of most exhibitions. See Retail Chapter for further suggestions.

A poster should obviously contain an immediately arresting image to draw the public’s attention. For publicity purposes, it will be produced relatively cheaply on minimum grade paper. However, it is easy to run-on on high-grade art paper as many or as few copies of the poster as are required for re-sale during the exhibition. If the strength of the poster in sales terms lies in the image it shows rather than the information it imparts, it is also a simple process to remove at the run-on stage the printer’s plate containing the extraneous wording. In this way, support material can be produced at low unit cost in quantities satisfactory to the sales potential of the exhibition.

To move from two-dimensional to three-dimensional material is more problematic in view of the different production strictures involved, but the same contingencies apply as in the production of a single postcard. Can the necessary investment be recouped sufficiently quickly either through sales at the exhibition venue or through other outlets, to justify production? In producing unusual but sympathetically appropriate items to support an exhibition – clothing, masks, furniture or whatever – one is limited only by one’s imagination and by the parameters of the commercial potential of the exhibition.

Authors: Donna Loveday (2005), updated by Charlotte Dew (2015)