Much like the changes to the book trade that took place with the advent of online bookselling; the photobook world has exploded with the introduction of POD technology. In both cases technology has greatly reduced the barriers to entry and opened up the floodgates, which in turn has redefined the trade.
Desiree Edkins (American, born 1974). Offset lithography; 16.9 x 17.1 cm (closed), 2009. Courtesy of the artist
Nedejda, from Grodekovo series, 2009 (featured in Why Was I Born in Russia). Yury Toroptsov (Russian, b. 1974). Digital offset printing; 19.69 x 24.77 cm. Courtesy of the artist. Copyright © 2010–2011
From what was a photobook industry that produced hundreds of titles a year from a small pod of publishers to a vibrant trade producing hundreds of thousands of titles a year from all corners of the universe.
The first museum exhibition to focus on this blossoming phenomenon, DIY: Photographers and Books, is about to wrap-up The Cleveland Museum of ART. Over 150 books by 130 artists where set out on a long table for visitors to interact with. The exhibit includes work ranging from known artists like Stephen Shore, Daido Moriyama, and Martin Parr, to undergraduate students at three Cleveland photography programs.
Un, Montréal-Paris, 2011. Pascal Amoyel (French, b. 1977) and Thomas Bouquin (French, b. 1980). Digital print; 13.97 x 21.59 cm. Courtesy of the artistsOn how it may all turn out Barbara Tannenbaum, the show’s curator, offers some caution for she “doesn’t know how it will fare against time because so much depends on the commercial market.” but she is clear that “The book does not just come at the end of an exhibition…It is a worthwhile end in and of itself.”
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Print-On-Demand and the Golden Age of the Photobook | Techonomy