1' I I ! Subsidy houses perform a useful function. But they publish only books. And most of an author's hefty deposit goes for typesetting, printing and binding, rather than for advertising and distribution. The result may look nice. But only rarely does an author so much as break even. Up until now, small journals, newsletters and pamphlets have partly filled th-e specialized-media void. But, lacking the magazinerack space available to the mass-appeal publications, most small presses depend entirely on the mails for solicitation and distribution. And more and more are being squeezed out by skyrocketing postage rates. Mailing costs would affect OPs too, by.t not so severely because far fewer pages need be mailed. , In a sense an OP would be a journal individually customized for each reader. A sales pitch might go: "Pay for and get only what you want; nothing else." How much specialization would be advisable? Should one OP solicit everything from art reviews to zoo-~anagement treatises? Or should it concentrate on one field? An OP might be fairly b_road at first to gain maxil!lum distribution of its catalog; then split into specialty divisions as it grows, before its catalog swells to the size (and cost) of Montgomery Wards'. • Who could launch an OP? People who especially come to mind are: (1) A photocopy parlor---;-an OP would keep their machines humming profitably during slack periods. (2) A mail order speci,dty book/pamphlet distributor, who could start an OP as an extension of her present business. (3) A writers' magazine or newsletter-it's already in contact with sources. (4) A conventional trade/tech/ hobby magazine; an OP offers a place for articles which don't get into the magazine, providing an extra'attraction to writers-and readers. An OP would help decentralize information access and distribution, making hard-to-locate resources available to all. A May 1980 RAIN Page 9 Alternativ_es in Print: Catalog of Social Change Publications (1977-78), by Social Responsibilities Round Table Task ··.Force on Alternatives iri Print, from: 1 Glide Publications • 330 Ellis Street San Francisco, CA 94102 "We vigilantly. support the movement's attempt to increase its control ove.r the pub~ lishing/ distributing system vital to political and economic democracy. To counteract the built-in censorship of the publishing • establishment's distribution system is to move towards intellectual freedom." Alternative Prf!SS Index:An Index to Alternative and Radical Publications, April-June 1977, Volume 9, Nuinber 25, $}5 individuals, $25 for high schoQls and movement groups, $60 for libraries, from: Alternative Press Center P.O. Box 7229 Baltimore, MD 21218 . Alternative Press Index is a guide to articles that.have appeared in alternative periodi- . cals_. A tremendous help for .radical research, although they have fallen rather far behind in their indexing. RAIN readers who can volunteer time or resources to this valuable project should contact the center, New England Free Press 60 Union Square Somerville, MA 02143 New England Free Press carries a very impressive list of publications on .feminism, labor, imperialism, revolution, marxism, lesbian and gay rights, third world rights and non-violence. directories created to guide readerno publications did not even list them. We attributed this reluctance to the fact that n:i,6st movement publications are not produced for profit and, more important, that their messages are inimical to the self-interest of the powerful members of the publishing movement." . Come! Unity Press 13 E. 17th Street New York, NY 10003 Come·! Unity Press works with many movement groups including anti-nuke, lesbian, prison, feminist and third world organizations. Frog in the Well 667 Lytton St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 Frog in the Well is a collective which publishes and distributes short, inexpensive pamphlets on non-violence, social organization, land use ownership and anarchism. Write for their catalog. KNOW,Inc. P.O. Box 86031 Pittsburg, PA 15221 KNOW began in 1969 as one of the first feminist press collectives. They now publish over two hundred articles and several books. Their topics include work, sexu~lity, lesbianism; women's studies, child care, and law. There is great power in the written word. Most of us can recall the excitement of reading something that helped us realize that we're no.t alone, that there are many others ½;'ith common goals and shared visions. The alternative press movement has been facilitating these connections for many years. -KS Literature being reeled off-'=-:_- and sold in chunk
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