What's a good subject or topic for a coffee table book?

Question

My friend and I are planning to come up with a coffee table book (maybe a hundred pages at most). She's a photographer and I am a writer. However, we're quite torn with regards to choosing the subject or topic we should focus on (something along the lines of nature or culture perhaps). What subject or topic would be interesting for you? Any recommendations?

Answer 1

A coffee table book about coffee tables!!

Seinfeld reference. :)

Shelter animals would be great. Especially if some of the profits went to help out the shelters.

Answer 2

Skippy is right. A good photographer and a good writer collaborate on a topic that they both feel passionate about . . . not just some idea they think they can market. Passion will make all the difference.

There are coffee table books and there are coffee table books. Rick Smolan, the creator of the Day In The Life series, has successfully done book after book. He is a top notch photographer who works with other top notch photographers from around the world. He is also connected to excellent writers. Rick's business is called Against All Odds Productions and he is located in California. You should google Rick's work and see the variety of stuff he's done over the last twenty or more years. It is high class and he always gets major corporate sponsors to underwrite his work. These books are not easy to market. You really need to know what you are doing, not just in making the books but in finding ways to get them into the marketplace.

Answer 3

Nature or culture? Yawn. It's been so overdone. What you are asking is for people to think for you. It will only result in a muddled pointless discussion.

Your friend the photographer should have a specialty. Any coffee table book that you produce should be about what you are most passionate about. Whether it's airplanes or sheep herding in the low valleys of the southwest, or whatever, it must be about what you are most interested in. If you are trying to double guess the market, you are chasing your tails. Determine her visual strengths, and focus on subjects you believe you can make interesting enough to make your readers want to turn the pages again and again. Check out the book "Choppers" by Tom Zimberoff, and it's sequel. A very successful franchise.
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Answer 4

Some topics I would like in coffee table book form:
Steam Locomotives
Horses
Birds
Flowers
A tour of Scotland or England, Great Britian in general

Answer 5

Cool idea you have! The topics would be as vast as one's imagination though! Here are a few, keeping my list short to save ideas from others!

Steeples
Small towns
Apple Trees
Route 66 Diners
Sunrises/Sunsets
Llamas
US Rivers
Lighthouses
History of Luggage
Merry-Go-Rounds
Tree Houses
Alarm Clocks
Handmade Willow Furniture
And on and on and on...

Answer 6

I don't know where you live, but regional photo/history books are great. T-Bone mentioned doing a book about where you live--- that's the best idea. Whether you live in a small town or a suburb or a big city, people love to look through photos of where they live and read about the history. Take a lot of "today" photos and combine them with a lot of "yesterday" photos that you can see at local historical societies, libraries, and university special collections.

Answer 7

What would guests sitting around waiting for the host to come back with munchies flick through and help create conversation if an ice breaker was needed?

Toilet Wall Graffitti (one came out in Australia in the 70's)
Airport fashion wear (I go there for inspiration of new characters to write about)
Thorough the eye of a mouse (Photos from corners of rooms / under houses / backyards / close ups of mousetraps or cats mouths ... all from ground level).

Answer 8

Our coffee table book is a collection of photographs and history on our city. It shows the historical buildings and the modern building and scenes from the streets throughout the decades. If your friend is a photographer, she could have so much fun roaming around the city and taking pictures and comparing them with old ones. Hope I helped and good luck.

Answer 9

dog breeds.I have a dog breed book on mine, and most people will check it out. It starts interesting discussions. Both kids and the elderly like it! I also have a Monet one, but it's not nearly as popular.

Answer 10

Go to the Pacific Northwest and visit several campgrounds. You can chronicle your adventures with pictures of your experiences and have a good time while you're at it.