Out of curiosity I picked up a few of the most recent children's books Jack has gotten. Every one of them that was Disney or Marvel or Minions or anything in the popular culture was printed in China. What pennies per unit did they save doing this? And why are we taking them seriously when they sell us that they are the pillars of our economy and true patriots? The opposite is true.
They literally have to go out of their way to NOT use American printers in order to save a few pennies.
I'm a publisher myself, so I get emails and calls from those same Chinese printers. And make no mistake, I'd like to save on my printing costs any way I can, but how is it worth it to save pennies?
I like working with a printer I can call if a crisis happens, or if I'm just feeling anxious about an impending project. Its nice to know your books were printed in Minnesota (Bookmobile), Ohio (Book Masters), or Michigan (Edwards Brothers Malloy). Maybe it adds fifty cents, maybe a buck to the cost of a book, but I have to believe all that comes around when we support each other at our trades.
I mention Edwards Brother Malloy because my latest book, Atrocious Poems A To Z is currently in the printing process. I'm in that delicate part of the process where I have surrendered all control over the project and must trust that they will make the book look exactly as I envisioned it when Jenny and I were working on it for these past eight years.
And you know what, I have absolute faith that they will.
Trusting in our neighbors to be skillful and committed to their work is the crux of what Buy American is all about. It's not a chore or a task, it's a privilege to enjoy the products that we make together in our own communities.
They literally have to go out of their way to NOT use American printers in order to save a few pennies.
I'm a publisher myself, so I get emails and calls from those same Chinese printers. And make no mistake, I'd like to save on my printing costs any way I can, but how is it worth it to save pennies?
I like working with a printer I can call if a crisis happens, or if I'm just feeling anxious about an impending project. Its nice to know your books were printed in Minnesota (Bookmobile), Ohio (Book Masters), or Michigan (Edwards Brothers Malloy). Maybe it adds fifty cents, maybe a buck to the cost of a book, but I have to believe all that comes around when we support each other at our trades.
I mention Edwards Brother Malloy because my latest book, Atrocious Poems A To Z is currently in the printing process. I'm in that delicate part of the process where I have surrendered all control over the project and must trust that they will make the book look exactly as I envisioned it when Jenny and I were working on it for these past eight years.
And you know what, I have absolute faith that they will.
Trusting in our neighbors to be skillful and committed to their work is the crux of what Buy American is all about. It's not a chore or a task, it's a privilege to enjoy the products that we make together in our own communities.
Atrocious Poems A To Z Illustration D
This is a goofy poem, I realize, and an example of the theme of Atrocious Poems A To Z, which is "Poems about all the things kids love to hate."
I'd love to have a promotions department and distribution pipeline to finish the process of selling and shipping the book now that I have spent eight years working on it, but every small business owner out there know that ain't the way things work.
We're literally competing with giants that use tax loopholes and Chinese labor to make it difficult to compete. We all do five or six jobs. Which is why is crucial to support each other. Buy local. Go to your local hardware store instead of Home Depot. Eat at a restaurant owned by a member of your community instead of a chain restaurant. Shop at the farmers market instead of Walmart.
Sure, it's more inconvenient, but you can see the results almost immediately.
Atrocious Poems A To Z is a book that takes the problems and challenges of childhood seriously. VERY seriously. Some might say too seriously. By taking a comic approach to everyday issues children face in lighthearted poems and whimsical drawings we hope to present a jumping off point where children and parents can discuss topics like bullying, sharing, dealing with siblings, anxiety etc. It was our goal to ease into these topics employing comedy, sensitivity, and an understanding that although children may see these "atrocities" as the end of the world, they are really things we have all gone through and just a natural part of growing up.
As you can see, I'm also the sales department. I don't like selling, but it's part of my responsibilities. I'm not asking for contributions, I'm asking you to consider buying a product made entirely here in the United States of America. I might even take your money and go give it to the authentic Mexican restaurant on the next block, or the local garden center, or Mead's Meats, or the Muslim immigrants trying to make a go of it with a convenience store in my neighborhood.
Pre-order Atrocious Poems A To Z to ship June 10th.
Zombie Logic Press
Zombie Logic Press
This post first appeared on Zombie Logic From Thomas L. Vaultonburg, Outsider, please read the originial post: here
