Submissions Page

Are you ready to submit to the Shape of the Sky Book Project? Below are the steps to take to have your photography considered for the book, due out in 2027. Thank you for your interest!

Know that this is a collaborative project, and we will be in contact more over the course of the year-long project to finalize details. Both you and I will need to sign a publishing contract, before I can print your work and sell it inside the pages of the forthcoming book.

For details about the project such as the vision for the book and timeline, visit the project page.

View Shape of the Sky Project Page

Jump To: MINIMUM SPECS | SUBMISSION DEADLINES | ENTRY FORM | STEPS 2-3

A sample from another author’s book shows contributors the potential of how large their photos could run in this full-color book.

Understandings

To participate, please make sure you’re on board with three key understandings of the project. For details on each key point, read the descriptions below or click the link for more.

The key points are:

a) The Author/Editor (Melissa) requests First Publication Rights, then ownership of your photo returns to you. After first publication, you own all rights to your photograph and all rights to sell it.

— You agree to grant First Publication Rights. In order to publish your work and make it available for sale, I will need your permission in writing. First, a short checkbox will be listed with the Entry Form, and second, contributors will be asked to sign a contract upon acceptance. I will ask for First Publication Rights, which means you give me your permission to publish your photo ONE TIME, then all rights revert back to you, including the rights to sell your photo. I will also try to cover my bases, in case your book page appears on social media, marketing, webpages or other digital uses, like holding up the book in a video. Click Here to Read About the Contract Coming May 20, 2026.

b) The Author/Editor reserves the right to own the book title. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity. The proceeds and royalties from book sales will go to the Author/Editor.

— Ownership of the Book Rights. After First Publication of Your Photos, you own your photos, however, Melissa F. Kaelin (Author/Editor) owns the book. The reason for this is to simplify contracts and copyrights. The project could cost $3,000 up-front, and there is a chance we could break even. There is also a chance it could be extremely profitable. The Author/Editor has ambitions plans to publish well over 100 photographers in the book, writing, designing and publishing a beautiful gift to the community using a professional printer. A book of this size and scope is expensive to print, however, so no free copies will be offered. Instead, contributors who are selected will receive a Contributor Discount. Click Here for More Context on Proceeds and Profits.

c) This is a project inspired by the Michigan Aurora Chasers community. All photos for this first photography collection should be taken in/of Michigan. The book will not be about the Michigan Aurora Chasers, but it will promote the Michigan Aurora Chasers. By participating, you agree you are comfortable with this detail.

— Affiliation and Michigan Connection. This is a project inspired by the Michigan Aurora Chasers community.All photos for this first photography collection should be taken in/of Michigan. The book will not be about the Michigan Aurora Chasers, but it will mention and promote the Michigan Aurora Chasers. By participating, you agree you are comfortable having work published in a book affiliated with Melissa F. Kaelin/KaelinArt, and by association, affiliated with MAC. Click Here to Go To the Michigan Aurora Chasers Website.

Minimum Specifications

To print well, each photo should at least meet the requirements below. More details below in Step 3.

Minimum Specs:
1200 x 1800 pixels
(for a photo that started in 4×6″ format)
300 dpi
CMYK for print**
High Quality JPG, PNG or TIFF
No Watermark

Optimized Specs (Optional):
To be considered for full-page photograph printing, please submit photos with specs of 2550 pixels height at 300dpi. The width may vary depending on the shape of your photo:

2550 x 6600 pixels Maximum (height x width)
300dpi
CMYK**
High Quality JPG, PNG or TIFF
No Watermark

**Photos out of the camera come in an RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color format; Melissa will gladly convert any photos for you if you are not able to convert them to a CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK) color format.

Submission Deadlines

Three Rolling Deadlines:

• April 15, 2026: Early Deadline | First Wave of Acceptance Letters in May

• June 15, 2026: Summer Deadline | Second Wave of Acceptance Letters in July

• August 15, 2026: Final Deadline to Submit | Final Wave of Acceptance Letters by September

Get Ready to Submit in Three Steps

This webpage will guide you through the three steps to submit your work to the book project:

1. Complete the Entry Form Below
2. Write Captions for Your Photo(s)
3. Submit 1-5 Photos to the Email Provided

1. Complete the Entry Form Below

Please complete the Entry Form embedded on this webpage below.

I certify the photography I am submitting is my own authentic work, and if requested, I can submit meta data to prove exactly when each photo was taken.(required)
What is your connection to the Michigan Aurora Chasers? Are you comfortable being featured alongside the group?(required)
Before the book prints, each photo will need to be converted to CMYK format, which may change how the colors display on paper. Please select an option.(required)
What type of camera were your photos taken on?(required)
In your opinion, would you like to see camera settings in the captions, particularly on your photo?
If selected, I’m interested in hearing about future opportunities to promote the book, such as exhibits and festivals, book signings or other events.(required)
After publication, which opportunities would you be interested in? Please check any that apply.

2. Write Captions for Your Photo(s)

All photos submitted must include the photographer name (the way you want it spelled in print), time, date and location of the photo. Write a caption including the time, date and location where the photo was taken, and any additional park names or details you would like add.

Limit 125 words.

3. Submit 1-5 Photos Using Via Email

Now, it’s time to choose your best work! Please submit 1-5 photos for consideration to the email below. If your work is selected for publication, only ONE photo will be published, with a possible exception for the cover artist(s). Our goal is to publish as many photos as we can, while featuring each photo in a large display inside the book.

Ask yourself if you would rather submit one photo, so that the one photo you prefer can get published.

MINIMUM Specifications

To print well, each photo should be at least:

1200 x 1800 pixels Minimum (height x width)
(for a photo that started in 4×6″ format)
300 dpi
CMYK for print**
High Quality JPG, PNG or TIFF
No Watermark

OPTIMIZED Specifications

To be considered for full-page photograph printing, please submit photos with specs of 2550 pixels height at 300dpi. The width may vary depending on the shape of your photo:

2550 x 6600 pixels Maximum (height x width)
300dpi
CMYK**
High Quality JPG, PNG or TIFF
No Watermark

**Photos out of the camera come in an RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color format; Melissa will gladly convert any photos for you if you are not able to convert them to a CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK) color format.

SENDING THE EMAIL:

  • Label each photo in the following format:
    LASTNAME-FIRSTNAME-DATE.jpg
  • Add the CAPTION for each submission to the email body
  • Title the email SUBJECT:
    “Book Entry from [Your Name]
  • Attach the photos to the email
  • Send the email to the email address Melissa uses for the Michigan Aurora community:
    MichiganAuroraChasers@gmail.com

Thank you for your submission!

Photo of silhouette under the Aurora

More Context about the Project Below

Proceeds & Profits

A portion of the proceeds will go to an Aurora-related charity. The remainder will go to myself as sole proprietor, Author Melissa F. Kaelin. Cover artists may be eligible to be paid for their work.

Independently publishing a large photo collection involves high costs, organization, long hours, attention to detail, and lots of outreach. For these reasons and more, I will publish the book in my portfolio for “Kaelin Art & Writing.

I could lose money, I could break even, or I could make a massive profit. It depends how many people want to buy the final product! For these reasons and more, I reserve the right to manage contracts and proceeds for the project. Unfortunately, we do not anticipate making enough money on the project to pay photographers, and managing financial transactions to over 100 photographers could become a job in itself. The book itself may cost $58-$120 for one hardcover copy, so we don’t anticipate being able to provide free copies to contributors. Photographers who participate in this project therefore volunteer to contribute one photo, to inspire the broader community, for the honor of being published, and to be part of a historical collection of photos from Solar Cycle 25.

I have been working together on new ideas, and we’d like to invite you to comment here if you would like to contribute your photograph to something special! Those on this thread could become part of the Michigan Aurora Chasers legacy, and there’s much to consider!

About the Publishing Contract

Upon Acceptance, you will be asked to sign a Publishing Contract with the Author/Editor, with both party’s signatures on the contract. The contract will cover these areas:

  • Agree to grant First Publication Rights to the Author/Editor, after which complete ownership of a photo returns to the photographer
  • Work submitted by you is authentically your own
  • Signing on to work with Melissa F. Kaelin as Author/Editor and Sole Proprietor of the project (This is not a project of the Michigan Aurora Chasers)
  • Consent to allow the likeness of the book and your photos to appear in social media and promotions
  • Proceeds and profits
  • Contributor Discount