National Geographic Launches Photography Imprint
By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 8/1/2008 1:07:00 PM
National Geographic is attempting to break into the high-end photography market with a new imprint, Focal Point, dedicated to showcasing images from its photographic archive. The first four books will pub this fall and range from a photojournalist’s collection of images depicting the Muslim culture to a retrospective on the work of Iranian photographer Reza.
“We really want to maintain and have a greater leadership position in photography,” said Nina Hoffman, president of National Geographic Books. Leah Bendavid-Val, director of photography publishing for National Geographic Books, said the books in the Focal Point series “will appeal to connoisseurs, professionals, collectors, serious students of photojournalism and all lovers of photography.”
As such, the books are moderately high-priced; the fall list includes three $40 hardcovers—Windows of the Soul: My Journeys in the Muslim World by Alexandra Avakian, The Life of a Photograph by Sam Abell and Odysseys and Photographs by Maynard Owen Williams, Volkmar Wentzel, Luis Marden and Thomas Abercrombie—as well as a $75 tome: Reza War + Peace by Reza. Hoffman said that while the fine art photography market is small, “it is at the heart of National Geographic. We want to stake a claim, and we do in the magazine world. We want the same recognition in books.”
The house plans first printings “in the neighborhood of 10 to 15,000,” said Hoffman, and National Geographic will support the books with lectures, exhibits and outreach programs.
