Strong Market for Generic Pictures

After a few years of pullback, publishers are investing in bringing more calendars and cards to the market. Kathy Scott Licensing will be working with a number of those companies as they expand their lines. Scott, whose

April 6, 2018

Scott, whose U.S. clients include Leanin Tree, Leap Year Publishing and Hotline Products, specializes in selecting puppy, kitten, horse, scenic, car and bikini images for many calendar, puzzle and greeting card companies.

With 15 years of experience heading the licensing department for a major calendar company, Scott considers herself a photo editor who understands what clients want.

"Every company needs mainstream flat-fee-per-image photography," she said. "This business isn't always about advance royalty fees for licensed characters. There's still a big market out there for quality generic images, and it's nice to know you can still get great images without a royalty fee."

Scott believes the market is growing. "Leap Year Publishing has moved into supermarkets and is expanding [into] drug

stores and mass merchants in addition to craft stores," she said. She's also joined forces with Leap Year Publishing for their Inspirational Scenic Images 2011 Chicken Soup for the Soul Calendars available in many formats. E-cards have also been a growing business for Scott.

She predicts that key photo trends for 2012 are zen landscapes, puppies and kittens, super sports cars and beefcake/cheesecake shots. Cute puppies and kittens are a perennial favorite—last year Scott helped produce 15 calendars that featured the cuddly animals. "Expect to see black-and-white photography of kittens and puppies with maybe one element of single color," she said. Bikini calendars should also be big in 2012. The difference this year is that the subjects don't have to be famous models.

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.

Join 62,000+ members. Yes, it’s completely free.