How to get published?
The Holy Bible of the fashion industry:
Making it to the cover of The Vogue’s September issue is the pinnacle of success that a model can dream of. Featuring on the Holy Bible of the fashion industry! It is more than just surreal. Once upon a dream, you saw your face swarming the newsstands of the streets of New York. To know the fact that people have been eagerly waiting to get their hands on the new edition and you are on it. The colossal readership that you are getting the privilege of getting exposed to, and the immediate recognition worldwide. And that being just one of the humble perks of publishing with such a titan of a brand.
For a model getting published in a magazine is one of those “de rigueur”. It is obligatory to be published adding on to your book and your experience. It is one of those stepping stones that open up a plethora of opportunities and streamlines your career in the right direction.
Misconceptions:
A general misconception is that young models make a lot of bucks from a magazine. But the truth is that unless you are a well known celebrity or a supermodel, there is hardly any cash flowing in from the editorials you do. Of course, Gigi might be making millions for getting featured on the cover of Vogue, given how often she adorns the exemplar publication.35 times in
the past three years! Starting off your career, aspiring models rarely get paid for being published. It is more of a thing that has to be done because it is a great way to get visibility and gives a boost to your resume. It is something you do for your book.
The importance of publishing:
Often times, modelling agencies stress budding models to get published because that reflects how determined you are and that you are not just there trying out a possible career option but are serious to pursue it. The motivation for getting the cover page might be different for different models. Maybe be for vanity, for publicity or for credibility but the essence remains the same.
The importance of getting the cover page to publish especially for aspiring models cannot be stressed upon enough. The things you do need to sort out before heading straight to publication houses is to categorize the types of magazines you are targeting. Although your primary aim might be to make an addition to your book but it can also open up the opportunities for other types of modelling such as catalog and commercial modelling. Where agencies and ad companies hire models to showcase their new line of products in catalogs and print or digital media. Different magazines have different set of requirements which you need to absolutely adhere to when planning for photo shoots for the same.
Things to look out for:
Go through the themes they have specified and try to understand what they are expecting out of it and whether you are able to deliver the idea through your perspective.
Once you are thorough with the details and requirements, look for a photographer who can transform those ideas and bring it out on camera. Research the magazine and preferably try to book photographers who have already worked with the publication house so they would know what they exactly expect out of the incoming set of pictures. Even if you decide to work with different photographers, make sure you have a one-on-one conversation and explain in detail the requirement specifics. A lot of magazines keep posting ads when they need new faces, but even if they don’t, look for the contacts of fashion editors of the magazines you want to get published in.
Make your picture stand out:
Send a professional mail with say 5-6 pictures of yours and a polite request to consider you for print. There are high chances that they might not even reply because there are probably thousands of emails of the like. Every model wants their set printed, hence it is your responsibility to make sure your pictures stand out and you are as creative as you can be without going absolutely off track of the theme.
The pictures need to be of high resolution and the standard size 300dpi or as mentioned in the requirements. It is you who wants the pictures printed, the company might straight away reject you because of bad picture quality. There are very high chances you might not get published. However, if you do and are not paid for it, it is nothing to be disheartened about. The goal is for bigger brands to take notice of you and open up more avenues such as a catalog or commercial modeling. To pave a path for greater success. To add to your work experience.
Source: Pixabay
No to overshare:
The obligatory precautions you need to take after the shoot has been completed are that the magazines weigh a lot on the exclusivity of your content. They have to be the first one who publish those images, you cannot share the images or release them anywhere. If you wish to give a sneak peek for your gram, you need to be careful not to overshare the content or post the entire photograph. Posting a picture up on social media, the whole point of the shoot is no more.
Online magazines:
The set you ultimately decide on sending should not be a hoard of images, restrict it from 5 to maximum 12 images and try to be as diverse as the theme allows you to be. With the advent of a new age digital media and online magazines out there where getting published is comparatively easier. It is not equivalent to getting published in print. There are myriad online magazines out there on the internet which do not even have the general outreach that you would expect. In fact a few online magazines charge you for submissions. Beware of those.
Beware:
Do not let any agency, print or digital exploit you. Send sample pictures and get feedbacks so you can work on the rest of the images instead of repeating the entire process. You need to make sure that your investment and your efforts are not going in vain. There are publications just expecting way too much out of aspirants with no serious plans of booking them. You cannot be just a means to an end. Providing them images for free, at some point of time you need to get a clear picture as to what course they are following.
Feather in your cap:
Once you do get commissioned, all the clauses you are agreeing upon need to be clarified from the very start. A printed hardcopy of your work is one great thing to brag about. A feather in your cap. Create your own big break you had been waiting for.
