Check your split

The most important thing to look at before submitting pictures to a stock agency is the revenue split. Stock libraries take a commission on sales. You can increase the percentage you receive if you sign an exclusivity agreement with an agency, but that will prevent you from licensing the same image through another agency.

In addition to uploading pictures to libraries, update your Flickr and 500px feeds – or create them if you haven’t already. Photo-sharing sites can be useful marketing tools, and offer the prospect of generating direct and indirect sales. For instance, 500px enables you to sell your shared images as prints or license them on a royalty-free basis through its ‘Prime’ service.

If you want a break from all the keywording and other housekeeping essentials to staying on top of stock, why not approach local businesses and offer your services? Using the business cards you created earlier, you can introduce yourself to hairdressers, cafés, restaurants and other independently-run businesses and offer to shoot pictures that they can use for brochures, in-store displays, advertising or marketing across social networks and Google Maps. Be prepared to show previous examples of your work.