The making of The Thread
The Thread comes out in one week! But it won’t be available on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble.
Here’s why.
When I independently published my first book On Earth As It Is, I simply uploaded a digital file that was sent to a robot in China to print each copy for cheap. This process automatically placed my title on Amazon, where anyone anywhere could pay Amazon money, which would then tell the robot in China to print and ship another copy. From a technological perspective, it truly is amazing what is possible. Right?
But when it comes to the economic impact on myself and on my local community, that experience forced me to reconsider how I wanted to approach my second book. I wanted to think about the destination of every dollar you will spend when you buy a copy of The Thread.
For this book, one of the first things I did was sit down at a coffee shop with my friend Lori Bennett Design. We talked about how I wanted this book to look and feel. The weight of it, the design, the size. Lori owns her own business, so part of the cost of my book supports a small business in my community.
We found a printer here in the Midwest that sent us proofs and galleys that we could hold and feel. We were able to get on the phone and communicate with real people who were also holding copies of the book to make sure they got it right. Part of the cost of my book supports a Midwest company that hires people to make books.
The next thing I did was set up pre-orders through my website. My pre-orders were not packaged and shipped by robots in China. They were packaged and shipped by me. Was it labor intensive? Yes. Did I appreciate the chance to place my hands on every single copy of my book purchased by someone who was supporting this book release through their choice to pre-order? Also yes. I feel as if a sliver of my gratitude slipped into each one of those envelopes.
Then I took a bundle to my local post office. Say what you want about the United States Postal Service. Sure, there are issues. But postal workers are paid a fair wage with good benefits for delivering our mail rain or shine. Part of the cost of my book goes to support fair wages for essential workers.
In one week, my book will be officially released. You can buy it directly from me, and I’d actually love the chance to be the person to hand it to you.
You will also be able to buy it from two other places in Kansas City: Wise Blood Booksellers and Oddly Correct Coffee. Both are small businesses located in my neighborhood. Both are owned by people in my community who are committed to supporting artists. Part of the cost of my book supports two independent businesses in my community and the people who work there.
This is the true cost of doing something on what I consider to be a more human scale. This book is an experiment in trying a different approach to publishing.
I hope you will buy a copy to read, and maybe buy an extra copy to give to a neighbor or a friend. And I hope that this one small book helps tilt the scales ever so slightly away from Jeff Bezos’ wallet and back toward people—artists, small-business owners, neighbors, readers, all of us. As always, thanks for reading.
Come celebrate the book release with me on Tuesday! RSVP HERE.
