David Gray talks to photographers about publishing- Coventry 2010

Self-publishing.

Who is David Gray? To be honest, the first words that came to my head were “If you want it, come and get it, crying out loud, Babylon!”

No, it’s not the musician, but someone even more multi-talented.

David Gray is primarily a photographer and publisher, who also happens to have great graphic design skills. His business model involves successfully self-publishing his own books. This gives him the freedom to commission himself and provides a means to self-fund future projects. Like Simon Roberts, the lack of artistic freedom in contemporary editorial commissioning provoked the change in methodology. He is meticulous in selecting the materials for his books, from paper to selecting type, sleeve laminations etc. The production of such bespoke products allows his work to have the edge over mass-produced book from companies such as Magcloud & Blurb.

After the talk David kindly gave up some of his private time to give ‘off-the-record’ dialogue. His way of working certainly appeals to my sense of freedom. The main point that came across is to produce work you want to make and do what you love. For the future it means I have made a industry contact who has experience in book production too. It’s not been easy, ten years in the business this year he’s had shows in London & New York; to be succeeding in a saturated market is testament to David’s attention to detail and determination to provide quality over quantity and to keep on going…

As they say, “you’ve got to be in it, to win it.”

See the work, purchase prints/book from his site 76 Degrees & Clear here.