Out of more than 2,500 publishers that received our income tax guide, 17% got in touch with the Getty Images Photo Archive to find out more about photos for book publishing. Currently, photo sales for books have been on a steady rise: The sales figures now are twice as high as compared to the same time last year.

In the German book market, Getty Images is regarded as an inflexible and expensive photo agency that exclusively caters to the advertising and magazine industries. The agency’s task was to change this image and thereby increase the sales of photos for books in Germany.TARGET GROUP: Book publishing houses.

Every text deserves a picture. Simultaneous to when the German IRS sent out the original Income Tax Guide, a “publication” famous for never using pictures, book publishing houses received our adaptation of the 2009 Guide. We selected photos corresponding to the original text and gave them fitting captions. The outcome was an entertaining Income Tax Guide that, thanks to the photos, is actually read.

While publishing houses usually receive special offers online, most of their business takes place offline. By sending them a printed copy of Germany's most unpopular brochure, The Income Tax Guide, we showed how boring books can grab the attention of readers: Just add pictures.