As you know, there's a right way and a wrong way to do pretty much everything, and this, of course, also holds true when it comes to receiving your images from photographers. If they do it right, they might win a client that'll stay with them for 20 years. If they do it wrong, they might miss out on sales that could result in thousands of dollars lost over a period of several years.

Here at PhotoSource International, we always stress to photographers -- sometimes to the point of harping -- that the cosmetics are very important when it comes to putting together a photo submission. After all, this is a visual industry, and that makes "looks" even more important.

We ask our photographers: "Does your package submission arrive clean, crisp, inviting and interesting? If it doesn't, chances are it'll end up in the 'to-do-pile' for whenever, or ignored completely."

We advise them: "The outer packaging (a stiff, substantial cardboard mailer) should be white and it should be clean. Use a professionally printed label with return address and a space to enter the photobuyer's name and address. A good place to find high quality mailers is < www.mailersco.com >."

Why not a manila or brown envelope? Most materials sent in that color of envelope tend to be regarded as "parcel post," or "third rate." White envelopes project more class..

We ask photographers to do their homework before mailing. Find the name of a specific photobuyer at their target publishing company and send their package to that person's attention. Double check with the receptionist at the publishing house for the correct spelling of the contact's name and title.

If their submission covers more than one photo need, we tell them to make sure they enclose a letter describing which of their images are for which photo needs stated by the buyer. Also, when submitting digital on CD, to burn one CD per group of images for each of the individual photo needs. We tell them, sure, it's more work and it takes a little bit more time, but the photobuyer will be very grateful that you went through the extra work for their sake. He/she will remember this the next time they're looking for images.

Of course, photobuyers these days vary in the method they want to receive an initial submission of images, ranging from single attachments, or lightboxes, to CD delivery, or direct digital download, or receiving the original slide(s).

In any case, we emphasize that promptness is a virtue and professionality a plus.

Photojournalist Mikael Karlsson is a marketing director at PhotoSource International. He has 16 years' experience of working for magazines and newspapers in more than 30 countries. He moved to the United States in 1998 from his native Sweden. He lives in Nebraska and is currently US correspondent for 11 Swedish magazines and a regular contributor to a wide variety of U.S. publications. Reach him at mike@photosource.com.

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