Laidig - Vintage Image Secrets

Introduction

Over the past few years, I have spent hundreds and thousands of hours researching, testing and writing about all the amazing ways we can use the proven content of the Public Domain to create all types of information productsfrom printed books and e-books to audios, videos, calendars and so much more. With my background in graphic design, one of my favorite areas of product development using Public Domain content has been in the vast arena of using images.

My initial explorations ultimately led me to the creation of my first e-book on working with images, the Easy Money Picture Project , where I shared my best research and product development case studies for making money with Public Domain images! Since writing Easy Money Picture Project , Ive continued to research, experiment and test even more ways to create profitable products with Public Domain images. The results have been pretty amazing. With all the new image sites, software options, product ideas and selling strategies, it made sense to publish a brand-new, up-to-date book on the topic.

The purpose of this new book is two-fold: First, to explore and reveal ways to connect with the creative passions and art of those from the past; and second, to use those proven works as the foundation of a new fusion of art-based products that will create new streams of income, both for you personally, and for your business. Of course, Ill also be sharing research methods for finding these treasures, product creation styles and strategies, marketing techniques for image-based products and much more!

I felt that it was necessary to address this arena of the Public Domain because it has been completely overlooked by most Infopreneurs. Most marketers are quick to jump on the information bandwagon, but lag way behind when it comes to working with images. Honestly, there are some amazing opportunities that exist with using Public Domain images in product creation, and its my intention to explore many of those opportunities with you throughout this book in great detail.

Before we begin our discussion on image-based product creation ideas, however, lets take a look at exactly what I mean when I say images. The word image is explanatory enough, but for my purposes includes the following:

• Photographs
• Illustrations
• Fine Art
• Comics and Cartoons
• Artwork
• Logos
• Clip Art
• Etchings
• Engravings
• And More

These images can be presented in (and found in) an extremely diverse group of resources, including:

• Books
• Calendars
• Magazines
• Photographic Prints
• Copper, Wood, and Steel Etchings
• Playing Cards
• Trading and Greeting Cards
• Wallpaper
• Textiles

• Postcards
• Packaging
• Broadsides and Flyers
• Posters
• Print Publications
• Originals
• Toys
• And So Much More!

While some estimates offer statistics of 85 million books in the Public Domain, I would venture to guess that there are likely billions, if not tens of billions of IMAGES in the Public Domain. To me, that presents an incredibly HUGE and nearly inexhaustible opportunity for creating products in nearly any type of niche. Perhaps the most shocking revelation about this opportunity of money-making product creation is the simple fact that almost NO ONE is teaching it or taking advantage of those opportunities!

As a Note: The examples and strategies that follow in the coming chapters vary in degree of difficulty, from extremely simple to a bit challengingbut, with that said, ALL are strategies that anyone can use, including you, to create successful products from Public Domain images! Before we jump into the product creation methods though, lets take a brief look at what the Public Domain is (and isnt).

What is the Public Domain and Why Should I care?

The Public Domain refers to that collection of published or unpublished work that is not protected by the US copyright law (or the copyright laws in other countries). This includes works published before 1923, works published between 1923 and 1964 but not renewed in the 28 th year from publication and works created by government employees during the course of their job.

The public domain inherently encompasses all creative works and other mediums of information that are not protected by copyright law. What that means (and what most people dont realize) is that when the copyright expires on any type of creative work (book, magazine, photograph, painting, film, audio, etc.), you can do whatever you want with it because it is no longer protected by copyright law. This key point is actually the whole reason that copyright law was set up the way it wasto encourage future generations to create hybrid products based on the classics from the past, thus keeping them alive and passing them on.

What that means for you as a product creator, artist, craftsman, etc. is that you have access to a nearly limitless supply of original artwork of all types and on nearly any topic known to man. Can you fathom the scope of what Im saying? The Public Domain is an artwork goldmine containing tens of millions of artworks created by the best artists who have ever livedand YOU, my friend, can use that artwork to create as many new products to sell as you see fit!

Now many people think that if you can find an image online, its in the Public Domainlike finding a photo of a baseball using Googles Image Search. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth! ANY image created since 1964, with the exception of most US Government images and those dedicated to the Public Domain by their creator, is NOT in the Public Domain. This is a KEY point. Just because you found it online doesnt make it Public Domain. For a more detailed description of the laws governing what is and isnt in the Public Domain, and how you can check the copyright status of any work, please refer to Appendix One.

Why Images?

We are visual people and images play a large part in our lives. I cant tell you the number of internet marketers who tell me that images dont mattereven coversthat people are only interested in the information. Bologna. If people were only interested in the basic information, there wouldnt be so much time and investment put into cover design, into product placement in stores, in packaging design for the grocery store, and on and on and on. The truth of the matter is that images play a major role in why we purchase what we purchase.

With my background, Im well aware of the tactics and strategies used by the big manufactures to get me to buy. It works! It works on me knowing full well why they are doing what they are doing, it still makes a difference. The way a product is presented, its appearance, its level of professionalism, etc. You do the same thing. Think about the last time you were in a t-shirt shop, what was it about the t-shirts that you bought that created the purchase? What drew your attention versus what didnt? It plays a big role in the fact that we are so attracted to color, layout and those types of elements. Often, we dont know why. We dont know why we are even affected by red versus blue, or gold versus purple. We dont know what green means to us. There are actually psychological and physiological triggers that can fire based even on colors we see. All of that comes from images.