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I hope you all will put aside your quests
for "a good deal" when you are
considering the purchase of any of Barb's books ~ or any of
the books that she carries. Being a good steward with our money is an admirable thing but I also
believe in paying the laborer his due. Barb devotes many, many hours of her
time to a ministry that she feels called to ~ namely, helping us homeschoolers out of
the bondage of the "school" mentality.
Until I actually looked into publishing a book myself, I was blissfully
unaware of the cost of self-publishing. Are you aware that the cost of re-publishing Form+U+la was the equivalent of a down payment on a HOUSE?!
How many of you have that kind of money laying around? Not to mention the fact
that Barb's husband had to build a storage building just to house the
books. (I know
from conversations from Barb that they don't have that kind of
money either; it took months of their profit (wages) to pay for
it.)
The revenue generated by the sale of the books is a long way from covering
those expenses, by the way. When Barb allows another book company to sell her books,
she must cut her already low profit margin so that they (the store) can also
make a profit. So when you buy from someone else, Barb's profits are
significantly less.
I'm not telling you all this to make you feel bad for buying elsewhere.
(And Barb doesn't want you to either!) I just want to make you aware of this situation so you can decide for yourself
who should get the fruit of Barb's labors. This is true of all self-published authors,
by the way.
Ok, I'm getting off my soapbox for now! I hope this doesn't offend
anyone. I also hope you will consider what I've said about your
purchases this Christmas and through the year. This is one way that we
can show our support, our thanks, our love for Barb and all the
sacrifices she and her family make for us! Yes, it is a labor of
love but you can't live (or pay the bills) on love!
So
where does the buck
stop?
That's
actually
up to you!
Where
do you want it to stop?
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Response
to the Above
from
a Homeschool Mom
by
Leah
Several years ago, I read an article in the Elijah Co. catalog about
buying from authors and how it is detrimental to us all when companies
discount. I thought he was stretching the truth a little bit. After
all, hadn't the Lord provided these less expensive avenues just for me???
Well last year, I read the articles that Barb has at her site about this
very topic, and was convicted to the point that I now do my best to buy
things from the author whenever possible. We don't buy much, compared to
most people, but that "little bit" added to other people's "little bit"
may be the answer to an author's prayer!
Barb wrote about how we often SAY we don't have the money for something. If it is a need, the Lord will provide.
His reputation is at stake!!! Do His children REALLY go without what they need?
I should say not! Many times, our priorities are not as they should be. And maybe we
try to buy too much at one time. I've started saving my dimes and
nickels (literally) so that I can buy one of Marilyn Howshall's books
every few months. I mean, how much of Marilyn can I digest at one time,
anyway?
Well, following are the articles that are at Barb's site. If you've
never read them, please take a look. If you HAVE read them and think
they're stretching it a bit, just ask the Lord if they're right. You may be
surprised at the answer.
In His Love,
Leah
[From
Barb: The Elijah Co. article Leah's referring to is "Why
Don't You Discount?" and is listed below.] |
Here
are a few more articles on this topic:
Frugal vs. (Downright)
Cheap
About Homeschool Libraries, Vendors
and Curriculum Fairs
Why Don't You
Discount?
Buying Used Curriculum
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