… is Just World Books’s new webstore, which gives us global reach for distributing books from, as of now, three different print/distribute hubs…
I am really excited about this development. I’ve been trying for a while to figure out a way to escape Amazon’s large and greedy clutch, and I think this is it.
For now, some of JWB’s books are still being distributed via Amazon, and some via our friends at OR Books. It will take us a bit more time to get all versions, including e-versions, of all of our books over to our own webstore; but the process is already underway… Here’s a shoutout to JWB’s great graphics guru, Lewis Rector, who has been with the company since the very beginning (he proposed the origami bird for us; I put the guitar pick around it; and the rest is history…) Lewis is currently wrestling with all the fiddly aspects of getting our book files ready for uploading into the new print-distribute system– while Jane Sickon, our book-interior guru, is preparing the book interior for Jon Randal’s soon-to-appear Tragedy of Lebanon. Jane also has a fab eye for design. (She designed the cover for Rami Zurayk’s War Diary:Lebanon 2006.) Right now, she is also working on the layout templates for Laila and Maggie’s fab Gaza Kitchen cookbook which, yes, will certainly be ready to print and distribute in early fall!
… But later in the current month, just as soon as we have the final text of Miko Peled’s much-acclaimed General’s Son, all hands in the company will be turned to getting that text excellently and beautifully transformed into the book we have all been waiting for!
I hope all JWN readers have seen the excerpts from the Foreword that Alice Walker has contributed to Miko’s book, that we published over at the JWB website last week?
Anyway, I’m really happy that I can take copies of our great existing titles up to the PennBDS conference in Philly this weekend.
I really appreciate everything my readers here can do to help get the word out about Just World Books… and to encourage your friends, students, and colleagues to buy our books! I realize the process of browsing and buying the books will still be a little chaotic, until we have finished the process of consolidating all our products over at our own webstore. But you just need to remember two things:
- 1. The best way to find out how to buy the version you want, of the book you want, if you’re not sure, is to click on the yellow “Buy” button on the book’s page on JWB’s home website. That will tell you what your options, and give you click-through access to the relevant sales page(s); and
2. If you’re still confused, or if you want to place a bulk order or a complicated order, or have other questions, know that our customer-service operation is now working pretty well. We have a toll-free number, posted on the website– though honestly, you’ll do better if you send us an email to “sales-at-justworldbooks.com”.
Anyway, all this activity at Just World Books is what’s been keeping me away from blogging over the past month. I’m sorry about that There is a huge amount to blog about… Not least, Syria…