NUJ Rate for the Job: Photography / books

Rates archived as at 2025-07-09

These rates have been reported by members of the National Union of Journalists and others, and printed in the Freelance, newsletter of London Freelance Branch. They are sorted by publisher/publication, then by date (most recent first). TIP: Use the "Find in page" command under your browser's "Edit" or "Search" menu to be sure of finding all occurrences of a publication/publisher. AND do note the year in which the rate was reported! See also the Freelance Fees Guide, which gives general recommendations. And read the disclaimer and the key to exactly what the entries mean.

Photography / books Photography, whether paid by the day, the hour or per picture, whose primary purpose was to put pix in a book. These are archived rates. The current rates are here.
Tell us what you've been paid for Photography / books		Freelance Fees Guide
Publication / Programme - details & terms	Group	Year		Total paid	GR	XXXX
100 years of the NUJ (Profile books) 1 stock pic profile		2007		60.00
Mountain Bike Skills Manual supplying all photography for the book, £500 for travel (author and photographer), world rights	other	2010		2000.00
Mountain Bike Skills Manual supplying all photography for the book world wide licence		2010		2000.00		X
Rough Guides 8 photos (5 repeats) each	_Pearson	2003		50.00
Sustrans Regional Cycling Guide two photos, all uses for 10 years		2010		60.00		XX
Bloomsbury Photo per pic FBS cover image no expense		2002		350.00
Book on Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin half page b/w in book for 2 years	_HMiff	2014		130.00	HA
Book: Walks Through Britain's History half-page photo worldwide sales in all languages for use in print and digital media (in book form only) of a run of up to 200,000 the cost, including rights to publish in further editions.		2011		265.00
City of London archive stock photo Cat. 3: Book jackets and CD/video covers, BW	_HMG	2013		121.36
City of London archive stock photo Cat. 1: Books / journals / part works, BW	_HMG	2013		47.47
City of London archive stock photo Cat. 1: Books / journals / part works, colour	_HMG	2013		94.93
City of London archive stock photo Cat. 3: Book jackets and CD/video covers, colour	_HMG	2013		234.90
Dorling Kindersley day with assistant	_DK	1994		320.00
Dorling Kindersley day without assistant	_DK	1994		250.00
Educational book single use 1/4 page b+w photo , talked up from £50 on offer using RftJ site	_OUP	2008		60.00		X
Euromoney books book package	_Assoc	1997		2500.00
Garden book all photos for book (25 locations across the UK) licence for this title only, additional payment for coeditions, photographer retains all rights to images, 5% royalty, no expenses paid		2011		4500.00
Greyhound racing book six stock pics supplied @ £15 each (their terms)		2010		90.00		X
Julian clary how to be a real man 1992/3 photography of whole book all rights assigned to client	_Virgin	2007		5000.00		?
Macmillian Publishers single photo for cover image Book Right, Britain	_Holtzb	2002		930.00		O
Maths textbook (Pearson) 1/8 page photo (sourced via Flickr) Australian edition	_Pearson	2012		190.00
Note book cover UK and USA usage		2006		390.00
Open University use of 1 photo in academic book	_HMG	2002		75.00
Oxford University Press one pic in book plus 50% extra for "web and software packages to be downloaded on interactive whiteboards"	_OUP	2008		90.00		????
Rough Guides 10 stock photos, each 1/4 page non-exclusive rights, single use, english, world rights	_Pearson	2005		720.00
Sports and Leisure books day all rights to Dorling Kindersley	_DK	2008		500.00	GR
Textbook stock photo , terms WAL, one edition, incl' N.America, incl' electronic	_CBC	2013		125.00
Textbook (Nelson Thornes) stock photo , terms WEL, one editions, incl' N.America		2013		70.00
Textbook (Nelson Thornes) stock photo , terms WEL, one editions, incl' N.America, incl' electronic		2013		125.00
Textbook stock photo , terms WAL, all editions, incl N America	_OUP	2013		130.00	GR
Textbook stock photo , terms WEL, one editions, incl' N.America	_Pearson	2013		100.00	GR	X
Textbook stock photo , terms WEL, one edition, incl' N.America, incl' electronic	_Hach	2013		75.00		X
Key to the rates, by column:
1 Publication / Programme, any details of work and licence
2 Owner at the time the rate was reported, where known	Group
3 The year in which the rate was reported		Year
4 Currency: either or or (US)
5 Amount paid (total of basic licence and extra licences for web use, database resale...)				Amount
7 "Going Rate" according to experienced NUJ members - do try to better it:					GR
or Minimum rate set out in NUJ House Agreement:					HA
8 Underpaid, in the fallible opinion of the Freelance editor:				50.00		X
or Just sometimes we're pleasantly surprised:				1500.00		O

Other rates:

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