Product-Review: Apertore by 3A Toys
This book in the stable of 3A Publishing is a rarity and perhaps an experiment in promotions, in that the book is "free" while folks needed to pay US$15 for the postage instead. This book was offered for pre-order in tandem with the celebrations of 3A Toys' third anniversary.
The book celebrates and prints the mood-fueled and evocative toy photography of "Expathos" (@sneakofalways) into a large scaled format publication sized 12-inches by 12-inches featuring over 20 pages of photos, excluding both front and back covers. Make no mistake, this is a swish thick-carded print from 3A Publishing, and to offer this "free" to anyone who could afford the postage, is quite a 'bold' move - especially in a era where making money seems the primary goal of any production company.
And while I do not pretend to know about the inner workings of 3A (and neither do I need to know as I am not working for the company), the general public only see what they see, while the dedicated fans revere the brand and artist involved. I simply think this is a slice of brill in marketing and an exceptional way to showcase the works and efforts of a fan. What a swell way to evoke "aspiration" too!
Would we get to see more publications featuring the toy photography of other fans? Perhaps so. Will I continue to purchase more "free" publications such as these? Not necessarily, but 3A does not need me to purchase a free copy in any case, does it? Kudos for 3A for getting this done tho - giving "power" to the fans, instead of celebrating ONLY the "artists", as all other endeavors across the culture does.
Known as "Lord Korvo" on my WWR-flickr groups, check out more of his images here on Flickr, and enjoy the book if you have it. I did.
