I had hoped that this blog would have an announcement regarding the publication of our children's books in hardback. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we're going to be moving forward with hardbacks at this time.
Although we did get responses from several authors and/or artists, there simply wasn't enough interest to make the printer's minimum requirements.
For many of us, myself included, this is an incredible let down. For a number of years, I had been getting requests for hardbacks from many authors and artists, but when it came right down to the number crunching, the majority opted for paperback copies rather than hardback ones.
I find myself, daily, in a position of having to pick and choose what are the items I'm going to spend my money on. Many times it's not a question of what, but if. I believe that the media and the government are downplaying the "recession" and that most of us are still really struggling to make ends meet. In time, I think we'll look back on this as a depression as devastating economically as the one following the 1929 Wall Street crash. Then, as now, some people will not be affected at all. A friend of mine that I've known for more than 30 years has felt nary a ripple in terms of her income, but most of us have not been so lucky. So while I was disappointed in the end result, I understand that investing in hardbacks for a lot of people was simply beyond their means at this point in time.
My hope is that we will be able to revisit this option again in the future, but for now, we will continue to offer paperbacks of all our children's books in the 8 x 8 size.
If any of you would like to share marketing strategies, please email me and I will compile suggestions and post them here. I think that despite the economy, people need and want to read to their children and they want timeless stories for those special moments. We have an incredible selection of books; I'm incredibly proud of each one and I have never given up on any of them--nor should you. Believe in the product we have right now and I'll keep working on opening our options for the future.
Cris
