Gravity by Aapo Huhta. © Kult Books

Gravity by Aapo Huhta. © Kult Books

Kult Books is an art and photography book publisher based in Stockholm and run by Janne Riikonen. I had come across the small press by way of an interesting book they recently published, Gravity, by the Finnish artist, Aapo Huhta, an eerie but somewhat playful collection of black and white studio portraits of human figures and surreal shapes that contend with the transience of human identity. Beyond the complexities of the photography, the book itself is a beautifully designed and constructed container, striking that balance being both additive and non-intrusive. I wanted to know more about the small press behind its publication so I reached out to learn more.

The following is an interview with Janne Riikonen of Kult Books.

Kult Books is an art and photography book publisher based in Stockholm and run by Janne Riikonen. I had come across the small press by way of an interesting book they recently published, Gravity, by the Finnish artist, Aapo Huhta, an eerie but somewhat playful collection of black and white studio portraits of human figures and surreal shapes that contend with the transience of human identity. Beyond the complexities of the photography, the book itself is a beautifully designed and constructed container, striking that balance being both additive and non-intrusive. I wanted to know more about the small press behind its publication so I reached out to learn more.

The following is an interview with Janne Riikonen of Kult Books.

What was the first book you published, and what did you learn from that experience?        

The first book I ever published was called Roots by Latvian artist Eva Strazdiņa, formerly known as Saukane. Me and Eva did Masters at Mid Sweden University and graduated in 2016. During one of our field working periods she found a roll of film inside her grandfathers camera. The film had been forgotten for about 20 years, and during this period fungi had grown into the film, blending into and eating up the photographs on the film. So Eva returned to the Uni excited about this roll of film she had found, righteously so.

Eva made an excellent dummy and self published a small run of 40 or so copies. I was also working on a project that I wanted to turn inta a book, so there it hit me – what if I started publishing book myself, I could start with publishing Roots. So I did. Without any previous experience or knowledge of publishing, I went and did hard cover book of 800 copies.

So, needless to say, I learned a lot, yet only scratched the surface on everything related to bookmaking: Design, sales, printing, communication, promotion, etc.

Blueprint 2017–20 by Norman Behrendt. © Kult Books

What is your mission as a publisher?

I don’t have a defined mission. I like to work with passionate people, turning works that I find important and meaningful into books that are timeless, elegant, beautiful and intriguing.

 How big is your organization?

 Just me – a one man operation. But thanks to working with artists, designers, bookshops and time to time an intern, it does not get lonely.

A frame from the book Roots by Eva Saukane. © Kult Books

What are the difficulties that publishers face?

I can only speak for myself although I think the difficulties are quite universal. The main difficulties that I face are related to financing projects and time management. Unfortunately publishing photography books is not a great business model. Producing high quality publications in rather low quantities is very pricey. So finding funds, self-funding, artists raising funds – the solution gets tricky sometimes. Not only tricky, but economically unprofitable.

And of course managing time is a huge challenge. The to-do-lists at my desk are reminders of the never ending piles of tasks to do, crossing out one by one in the order of urgency while writing down more tasks.

Also, I find being based in Sweden quite challenging. Stockholm is rather far from central Europe so traveling to fairs and shipping books is expensive. Also living costs in Sweden are very high and to be able to live here with publishing high quality books while being fair to artists seems to be an impossible equation.

A spread from book Mère by Julie Scheurweghs. © Julie Scheurweghs / Kult Books

Are there any publishing projects that have been particularly meaningful to you?

I find it difficult to pick up any one in particular. I still learn so much from each and every book I make – whether it’s printing techniques, editing or exchanges with the artists, all of them have been very meaningful and helped me grow as a publisher.

What upcoming projects are you excited about?

I’m working on about 8 books at the moment, all of which I’m very excited about.

Test prints and dummies for book Transcendence by Mikko Kerttula. © Kult Books

How many books do you publish a year, and how do you choose which projects to publish? Do you have a specific focus?

The number of books I publish per year has naturally increased the past few years as the operation has grown. This year (2023) I will publish seven books in total which is manageable, considering that I also design most of the books, distribute, do marketing, besides many other things. The coming years I aim to publish between six and eight books per year.

I mainly publish conceptual and documentary photography. The works I select have to excite me and discuss themes that I find important and meaningful in a touching, personal way. I don’t aim to publish big international names. Working with debut artists is particularly interesting, there’s so much passion involved.

Sequence and material selection for book Il Malocchio by Andrea Simonato. © Kult Books

How can an artist get their work in front of you? Do you have any advice for photographers?

Most of the time I approach photographers whose work I adore, but I also do accept submissions. Many people I’m currently working with I have met at book fairs, where they have come to show their dummies to me. So my strongest advice would be to attend book fairs, try to meet publishers in person. It’s difficult to really stand out and impress via email. If you submit your work via email, put some effort in, make it personal and reason out why you are interested in working with the exact publisher.

From book Il Malocchio by Andrea Simonato. © Andrea Simonato

What is the typical timeline of a project, from the beginning to the finished product?

To make a book takes roughly a year. Some have taken two. Making a book needs to take its time. Sometimes, due to an exhibition for example, things have to be rushed, but generally it’s not ideal having to hurry. It’s also crucial to be able to leave work aside for a while and get back to it with a fresh mind.

Ankommen by Malte Uchtmann. © Kult Books

How collaborative is the design process with the artist?

I work in very tight collaboration with the artists throughout the whole bookmaking process. If I design the book, the editing, sequencing and material selections, everything is decided together. At times I have to take a bit bigger role but I never decide alone or rule over decisions. I try not to over design books, which I find to be quite unfortunate fashion. The focus needs to stay in the photographic work, the book being just medium to bring out the best of it. How I see it is that I’m making a book with an artist, for the artist. It’s important that the books are in line with each photographer’s artistry and look like their work.

Sequence process of book My Man Mitch by Ian Lewandowski. © Kult Books

How is the financial side of the project structured between publisher and artist? Does the artist contribute to production cost?

I’m still in quite early stages of my publishing career, and I don’t really have a fixed way of financing the books. In some cases the artist has received a grant before the collaboration even starts, in some cases I have fully paid the production costs from my own pocket. Throughout the years I have also received a few grants to help with production costs. Transparency and communication are the keys here so that no one feels being treated unfair.

Generally I think it’s healthy that the artist invests money in the project when working with small publishers. If not, there’s ‘nothing to lose’ for the artist, and putting money in increases the artist’s marketing efforts. Investing money should of course be compensated with royalties or a large number of books.

If I like a project and commit to it, I’ll find a way to make it happen.

Harri Pälviranta signing copies of his book Battered at Arles book fair 2023. © Kult Books

What support do you give artists in terms of marketing or distribution? Do you attend book fairs?

I do attend a few book fairs each year, which I find very crucial for the books as well as me as a publisher. Visibility in short is the key – Social media is important, as is getting reviews and having books in bookshops.

A spread from boo El Retrato de tu Ausencia by Alejandro “Luperca” Morales. © Kult Books

Publisher info:

Kult Books is an independent publishing project run by Janne Riikonen in Stockholm, Sweden. Kult Books publishes photography books and other lens based visual arts in monographs and artists’ books. Kult embraces personal artistic approach and visual language. The physical form of the books are of high importance to Kult and every project is designed in detail together with the artist to support the concept of the work.

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Contributing Editor:

Tracy L Chandler is a photographer based in Los Angeles, CA.

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The Special Edition of My Man Mitch by Ian Lewandowski. © Kult Books