Saturday, June 15, 2013

Of Dust Settling



I think producing a book is a lot like giving birth.  Given enough months (years) and the labour pains subside and you are willing to do it again.  (Well, some are - I never went there in the first place, so it's only hearsay!)

At any rate, now that the dust has settled from getting A Good Yarn:  Linen and Hemp done (everything that is except the marketing and selling/shipping) I find myself drained of the enthusiasm to do another.  While I had planned on a fourth in the series, on Silk, my schedule is so full I could not possibly even begin to think about it until December.  Perhaps by then I will be ready to take another run at doing it all over again.

Part of the lack of enthusiasm is the cost involved, not just our labour, the yarn, the actual hard copy, but the shipping.  It seems as though it is getting harder and harder for small businesses to do mail order and it is impossible for me to cross the border in person to sell stuff at conferences in the US.

So, what to do?

Which is why I have been looking a lot more closely at on-line options, for all the negatives involved in digital produced publications, they do have their attractions.

I guess what I'm saying is that if you are interested in seeing more actual hard copy books in print, spread the word.  Not just about my publications, but all weaving (and spinning/felting) publications.  Don't assume that everyone knows about these things.  People like myself do not have the advertising/marketing budgets to make sure the entire fibre arts community knows.  And if publishers, whatever size they may be, can't sell their print runs, there will be fewer and fewer of them around.

Word of mouth means not just my mouth, but everyone's mouth.....

4 comments:

spinne said...

Would you also ship this book to Europe?

Laura Fry said...

Yes. Shipping to Europe is an additional $25 for shipping.

Cheers
Laura

spinne said...

So how could I order this book? I did not find it in the store of your homepage.
Thank you,
Margreth from Austria

Laura Fry said...

Email me Laura at Laurafry dot com for details
Cheers
Laura