The France Report - Paris and Arles
Hello all,
Over the last two weeks I’ve had two events.
First, I launched Tace Steven’s We Were Just Little Boys in Paris with the World Monument Fund. Second, I attended the Arles Book Fair.
The Paris event was really lovely and fun - we got a chance to talk about the world, to share, and sold 6 books. Not a great sales event, but a really good practice and very important connecting with those who funded the project. I was hoping to maybe sell 10-15 books - but that’s ok.
Arles, on the other hand, was a much bigger deal. I’m aware that the audience of this newsletter is split between friends/family and peers. Peers perhaps know loads about Arles and will be bored by any context, whereas friends/family could use some explanation - so bear with me here.
Arles is a big photography festival that happens each year. In many ways there’s an argument that it’s the most significant photography festival in the world. I don’t know that I’d make that argument, but Arles is certainly in contention. What the event looks like is that, for a few months, the town of Arles is covered in photography exhibitions and the opening week (last week) sees something like 150+ exhibitions, talks, events, launches, awards, etc.
In a lot of ways, what makes Arles special is that it’s a festival of networking. I’m not quite sure why or how, but people from all around the world who run museums, galleries, magazines, publishing companies, non-profits, etc, etc, congregate in this small town in Southern France. So a photographer can, feasibly, meet a dozen heavy hitters from all over the world. Photographers really take over the town.
I was there because there was a large exhibition of Australian photography and Tace was exhibiting there, so we wanted to launch the book here. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to organise a launch event. I emailed, asked for support, asked for advice, etc, etc, and the only option I had wasn’t something our partners wanted to support. Having visited once now I can see why I was barking up the wrong trees, but I find it hard to know the way forward if I’ve not visited before.
That being said - the fair was a success. Overall I think I sold 64 books - 55 to customers and 9 to a store. The store is the Museum of European Photography, which is really great, and I found the fair incredibly affirming. Of the 8 titles I brought, 4 of titles sold out. And I think I paid for my flights with sales which, given the costs, is not bad. Not as profitable as LA but not too bad.
So why was it affirming?
After my last trip to Europe, I returned to Australia thinking ‘I can’t just turn up to these European fairs, I have to bring something special’. And here I am, 7-8 months later, just turning up. No big event, no special products. And yet, we sold relatively well. I found the audience at Arles very engaged and very happy to purchase. Additionally, I spent more time thinking about how I want to connect with Europe as a market.
My intention is to not visit Europe until October/November 2026 and, when that happens, to have perhaps 4 books made specifically to draw European audiences, stores and customers to what we’re doing. At the next European fair I feel more and more confident that I can do something other than just turn up and, in doing so, may be able to really see a big step up in terms of sales.
At times I’ve been wondering when we’ll crack 100 sales at an event. It might be this year, it certainly will be next year.
I think had I gone to Arles on my own I would have felt quite lonely and isolated. There’s something about the hive of meetings that I find hard to connect with and easy to feel on the outside of. Yet, when I have a table, a little home base, I feel a lot happier.
The next few months are going to be quite different, and maybe a return to this newsletter’s more whimsical and open-minded side. In July, August and September I’m basically working full time. I am doing Monday-to-Friday work at a school every single day - it’s all confirmed and locked in. I have two weeks in August where I’ll go to Perth, which initially I thought would be a good break, but I’m now teaching 3-4 workshops at High School, 3-4 workshops at a gallery and having a ton of meetings. That’s all good stuff, but it’ll be a different form of work. I also have plenty of weekend work to do over the next few months as well. So it’s a nose-to-the-grindstone time. In a way I’ll going to limp into October fairly worn out, but that’s ok. But I wanted to do more teaching work and this is a really nice chunk of earning - so I feel great I could lock that in.
The last reason I’m feeling quite happy is that the next few months have lots of fun publishing and workshop things coming up.
On August 30th there will be a Melbourne launch of We Were Just Little Boys. I’ll share more details soon.
August 9-17th I’m working in Perth - teaching a range of workshops, having some 1-on-1s, having a popup TPP shop and seeing some good mates.
In September I’m working with a local institution to have a really fun one day zine workshop
I’ve also got one more road trip for the Dingo work - not sure where I’ll go yet (have some options) but it needs a little something more - perhaps September or October before it’s super hot
The final piece of excellent news is that Tall Poppy Press was accepted to exhibit at New York Art Book Fair and Tokyo Art Book Fair. These are both some of the largest fairs in the world and huge opportunities. When I look back at 2024 there were still lots of fairs and events I applied for and wasn’t accepted to. This year has been so much better in that regard. By the end of the year, Tall Poppy Press will have been at Tokyo, New York, LA, Arles - four of the big deal events in the global calendar - none of which we were at last year, or the year before.
For the NYABF I will not visit New York. I’m lucky enough to have two friends who I’ve published who are willing to work the booth and, my goodness, not having to travel will be lovely.
What does this mean? It means that I’m getting there. Honestly, looking back and looking forward, the struggles of making a living aside, I wanted to really step up what Tall Poppy Press was and part of how I know we’re achieving that is where we’re accepted, invited or promoted, and those places are getting more and more prestigious.
Live laugh love