cost of mamphiles

I am finally making copies of mamphiles and trying to sell them to my contacts, but I am wondering why we chose $4 as the price. It cost over $5, just to copy, not to mention the shipping cost (almost $2) and that all the places I sell them to take a 60/40 cut. I'm not trying to make money, obviously zines never do, but it would be nice to come close to breaking even. Also, it hit a nerve for me, a nerve that mamas and writers never place a value on their time and often donate their time and energy and .... Well, I could go off on that, but won't. Obviously if someone didn't have the funds, i would give her a mamaphile, but for the general public cruising a bookstore, i think $6 or $8 is still a hell of a deal. Come on, 80 pages of beauty and brilliance! I could see them being offered for cheaper on the site, maybe $6 b/c there's no store to deal with and then maybe for $8 at retail stores? What say you?

By realitymom at 01/03/2008 - 5:07pm | Zine Scene | login or register to post comments | previous forum topic | next forum topic

printers

One thing I noticed is the website changed and 500 copies isn't the smallest order anymore.

do you think we can hack 500 copies? Or should I look into the price on 250 copies?

I think typicaly we distribute like 200 copies of each issue over 2 years?

Will we step it up with distroing?

I AM going to write a letter and email every mama about this, when I get it broken down, what it takes, and in that I am going to ask, remind people about checking bookstores in their part of the world and resources we coudl distro or review. maybe it would stir up excitement. to have this many copies, to figure how to get them out.

Still I wonder, would 250 be more reasonable? or should we go for 500?

when I get final math prices ect. and put them up.

You can email Jenna and ask her about the website, it can be hard to get changes put up sometimes if she is immersed in life stuff.

By China at Thu, 01/17/2008 - 10:51pm | login or register to post comments

I am going to call again on

I am going to call again on Monday. I didn't follow up when she didn't email me the quote.

sorry, there is alot of stuff going on. but I am still pursuing this...

By China at Sat, 02/09/2008 - 7:19pm | login or register to post comments

OK!

THIS IS THE DEAL!

1984 printers is all backed up until the anarchist bookfair (late march) - and I am going to wait until after that, to have her do mamaphiles.

I could look around for local printers, but its scary, as I am going from zero experience and to deal with printers who haven't done zines before, ect. ect. Talking to Amy and Cindy (of Doris zine) I feel confident at least this could work well for us and that it is a very good printers with good ethics to use, and that is cool.

so I am sorry this will be so slow, as I am busy too now, but at the end of march I will get it all worked out, breakdown prices, email everyone. unless someone else wants to do something differently. my internet access is harder now so I will be here less frequently, but checking in of course!

I am still siked about the break-down, I know its slow, but I think it will work and be a good precident for us, as a group, to promote ourselves and gain independence and grow, to print 500 copies, ect.etc. be self-substainable.

By China at Tue, 02/19/2008 - 1:30am | login or register to post comments

Sounds good to me. Thank

Sounds good to me. Thank you, China!

By Lone Star Ma at Sun, 02/24/2008 - 7:04pm | login or register to post comments

book, yes sliding scale?

Hey all. I love the idea of a book and actually thought of pitching the idea to my agent, then got distracted with revising my own book for a Penguin editor and never posted the idea here. I imagined Soft Skull publishing it and think it's a great idea. I'd be happy to help with the propossal or anyhting else if we get there.
AS for the cost of mamaphiles, what if we offered it as a sliding fee? basically, I've sold all my copies here in seattle for $8 and am honest with the people that the website says $4, so what if it was a sliding fee (which it already is I suppose) I need more copies either way and have a guy at Powells waiting to sell them for us once I let him know what the price is
thanks. I'm so excited that this dialogue opened up to more than China and I

By realitymom at Tue, 01/15/2008 - 11:37pm | login or register to post comments

Soooooo

I think the solution is, for now, for Reality Mom - that Mamaphiles are selling for sliding scale - 4 - 8 dollars.

Ok?

I am going to call printers, have emailed twice, am still very interested in finding a printers. starting our own publishing.

others interested in pitching book.

Alls good with the world. Pretty rainbow stationary comes in the mail asking for a copy of mamaphiles.( I love mamaphile mama mail, they are usually so sweet and pretty!) Connies package of 30 copies arrived today! So I have back up for filling orders. YAY connie.

boo V. the one responsible for this lack this time around ...HA ....OR the one responsible for Mamaphiles #1 and #2 getting produced in the first place.

I think its natural growing pains we need to find a solution for. I think zines ARE good and maybe by issue 4 in two years, then we will be ready for a book compilation. cuz aint nothing wrong with a zine, it can go further and warmer and stronger than anything, and I would like to realize more - what this zine collective could be - if we did it ourselves, for ourselves.

By China at Thu, 01/17/2008 - 5:15pm | login or register to post comments

thanks China

I'm excited about the printer, let us know (duh?) what happens and I'd be happy to chip in. I'll copy a few more here, but not too many and then I can help put with the big order. Can the website state the sliding scale so i feel legit with all of my buyers here when they check it out? Thanks all, I'm excited to see all that will become of mamphiles

By realitymom at Thu, 01/17/2008 - 9:41pm | login or register to post comments

YAYYYY! I called Amy and

YAYYYY!

I called Amy and talked to her on the phone. She was just really backed up - its a small bussiness and she does it all mostly - and then they had bad weather and stuff like that.

She says she will get a quote for me back this weekend. break it all down, about how much to scan it or if I should do that here, ect. ect.

I am excited. I really am. I mean If you have seen Doris with the panda bear on the cover, her work that clued me in, its super nice and clean and a great printing job. They do spot color and stuff like that but I didn't even go there.

I just think this will be affordable and I would like to handle it, break it down, email everyone, collect money.

I mean contributors could get their own copies back, to distribute, if they would like. I think this is going to be so feasable. I really do.

the bussiness is sweet, the quality is good, they are zine people. now no one can scam copies, the zines are all coming to her

Anyway, it was great talking with her. I think this will work. I really do.

By China at Thu, 01/17/2008 - 6:24pm | login or register to post comments

quick note

from the mama who made mamaphiles financially impossible this time around:

Soft Skull got bought by some other publisher. Not sure what the deal with new proposals is. The book idea is worth exploring, esp. if we can show numbers of how many we've sold (and how many Microcosm has sold, if they keep those kinds of figures).

Sometimes paper is the only thing that will listen to you.

By PhoenixRising at Wed, 01/16/2008 - 3:52am | login or register to post comments

i dunno, a book doesn't

i dunno, a book doesn't interest me yet, cuz its not like books are magic to me.* I have a book - its a 1000 copies.

if we do mamaphiles, at 500 copies - that DOES interest me. Its so doable, its so terribly interesting ...people could get back copies for money they pitched in and make money, possibly.

and starting our own press. we could get a IBSMN number or whatever. starting our own press interests me. And if someone *wanted* to pitch a book, I would not be against it.

but at this point, I think we need to just get ...enough copies of #3 made! they aren't emailing me back. I will call them.

*i just realized that this could sound totally arogant! let me explain. books *were* magic to me but now that I have one I see how they can be something small too, and hard to promote too, and that - well, its good to build your base and take it at the right time. I don't trust anyone to do the work so much, i think we need to do it ourselves. now this is just my 2 cents! I would be totally willing to go with a book proposal if thats what people want and I do see it growing into a bigger thing too ..but at this moment, I do not have energy for that, its too big a step, but I can see, growing via printers. again just my 2 cents - will go with whatever people want

By China at Fri, 01/11/2008 - 5:22pm | login or register to post comments

I think Reality Mom has a

I think Reality Mom has a good point--that our time should be worth something (at least not negative), and that people trying to get the zines out there shouldn't do it at a huge loss. Also that getting it done at a printer just makes a huge difference in quality. It's clearly too late to raise the price this issue, since it's already been advertised at $4, but next time around, there should be some research into how much it costs to print/mail the zine (or add a shipping fee to online orders) and add a little extra for what a retail store might take off the top. I think $8 is not at all unreasoanble, even if the first issue was a lot less--everything is more expensive now, because the price of energy (and wood, i.e. paper) has gone up a lot in the last few years.
GEMINI Mama

By Gemini at Thu, 01/10/2008 - 10:20pm | login or register to post comments

a little off-topic/long-term

a little off-topic/long-term here but...

now that we have three issues - i always had it in my mind somewhere that once we got such a large block of text that we should shop this around as a book.

then someone else could deal with all the logistics crapola! :)

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tenderfoot zine * mamaphiles!

By tenderfoot at Thu, 01/10/2008 - 3:49am | login or register to post comments

book

I think the book idea is a great one.
Regina
"Karma is a boomerang"

By Recoveringme at Thu, 01/10/2008 - 7:59pm | login or register to post comments

here! here!

"a nerve that mamas and writers never place a value on their time and often donate their time and energy and ...."

NO KIDDING!

that's a contributing factor to why i am stopping fertile ground. i have a hard time collecting even half of what i spend!

on a side note, there's an independent bookstore in town and the owner (a MAN) puts out a lot of chapbooks, which look like a zine, but are just his poetry. anyway they are usually like 24 pages and only have a photo on front. he sells them for $6 at his store!! AND PEOPLE BUY THEM. hell, i bought a few.

www.fertilegroundzine.com

By staleyg at Mon, 01/07/2008 - 4:47pm | login or register to post comments

math

OR $32 dollars per contributor - with contributors who can not afford that, that is ok, others who can could pay their portion. give as you can.

Thats pretty affordable, I believe, if everyone pitched in 32 dollars and we got 500 copies made.

I am still waiting to hear back from my email enquiry, but I think this printer thing is the way to go.

By China at Sun, 01/06/2008 - 4:24pm | login or register to post comments

let us know, scraping

let us know, scraping together that money might really be worth it to not have to worry about it for a while at least.

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tenderfoot zine * mamaphiles!

By tenderfoot at Thu, 01/10/2008 - 3:50am | login or register to post comments

Maybe a solution!

check it out!!!

http://www.1984printing.com/wst_page4.html

75 $ for 500 copies. Am I doing the math right?

still looking into options. Don't dispair! :)

- - - -

we have 80 pages, total, with cover, including unnumbered pages. so 80 x $10 = 800 dollars, making each copy come out to be $1.60

now thats what I'm talking about!

I could pitch in 200 dollars, I think, with hopes to get the money back but fuck it if I don't (I never get the right money back) so I need to look into if my math is right, email with them, and then see if we want to raise funds for this.

I think we should always consider this project non-profit - with the goal of breaking even.If, for lord bless us, some reason, we ever made profit, we should create a zine fund for mamas - wouldn't that be great? to have this grant to help out mothers low on funds to make zines or to pay for babysitters so they could write?

i am wondering, if I can get a lower price...

By China at Sat, 01/05/2008 - 4:03pm | login or register to post comments

i like the idea of

getting it professionally copied and not trying to do it through friends anymore, makes it more real, more legit, plus the paper is of higher quality. I used a thicker paper for my copies so the photos don't show through and it makes a world of difference. I hope this works out, sometimes there are set up fees and mailing fees, but they'll let you know. Also, sometimes they need the file as a PDF. I'll chip in money when we figure it out.

By realitymom at Sat, 01/05/2008 - 7:30pm | login or register to post comments

I don't think other markets

I don't think other markets will support a price raise, even though your markets will - and we got the price 4 dollars going on in some places now, in action, already.

we've put off figuring this part off - mamaphiles has always been due to v.'s free zeroxing of it - we knew we could never afford to do it ...

and I think we need a creative solution - a subsidy - a way to make alot of them for less ...and I am going to try to put my brain to this.

By China at Fri, 01/04/2008 - 11:02pm | login or register to post comments

BUT

no doubt, we have a problem here.

anyone have any ideas?

By China at Thu, 01/03/2008 - 9:43pm | login or register to post comments

confusing

I could just stop and refer everyone to the site, but I know if I have the copies in my hand, I could easily sell 50 more just to a few bookstores around here and even more if I am willing to mail them to places. I alreasy sold 20 and have an order for more but the guy said "Why would I pay you $8 when the website says 4" and I said, you're right why would you do that. Copies in Seattle run 8-9 cents, and then the hardstock I used for the cover is more, if I sell them for $8 I make about $4.80 (60%) which almost covers my expenses and I am happy with that. I think $4 is absurdly low for an 80 page zine, when most 20page zines for for 2-3 bucks. I also think if we change the price to $6 on the site that is still completely affordable and we can say on the site that people can pay less if they need, but that way people who don't have access to copiers (like me) can keep selling it and be almost breaking even. I ma getting alot of interest in this and want to move ahead but want it to make sense too

By realitymom at Fri, 01/04/2008 - 9:34pm | login or register to post comments

8-9 cents a side? surely

8-9 cents a side? surely there's *somewhere* that will give you a better price than that...

don't most places give a discount if you copy a large quantity? i forget exactly how many i usually buy at a local UPS store but i think it gets down to about 4 cents a side if you pay for 1000 copies at a time. that's a chain, maybe there's a similar deal somewhere near you.

i think that since we charged $5 for the first, massive mamaphiles - we really can't at this point raise the cover price of a much shorter zine.

for sure, it sucks, and don't do anything *you* aren't comfortable with - since it's your money - but i think breaking even is the name of the game here.

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tenderfoot zine * mamaphiles!

By tenderfoot at Thu, 01/10/2008 - 3:45am | login or register to post comments

well - GREAT you are selling

well - GREAT you are selling them.

I think they cost about 4 dollars to make, not over that. Its just a going price, what people will pay ...

and this project IS economically unfeasable to zerox. We have gotten free zerox in the past that made it possible. To make this possible we need free zeroxing or to take it to a printers and do a larger run.

We want to keep the price as low as it can be so people can afford to buy it.

maybe find a cheaper zeroxer? Like staples. It shouldn't cost over 5. It is expensive as hell - I KNOW, I freaking put some money into a first small run.

I would sell it to the bookstore at cost - but if they pay you 5 dollars then they are going to mark it for ten dollars - so I am confused.

Basically we need a hook up.

I just put 10 at Atomic Books yesterday and need to send to Microcosm - cuz they will zerox them for us, which is excellent, they have cheaper ways to do it.

I don't know. You have come to the wrong person to understand money - zines started by ripping off zeroxing (I always had friends in copy shops), I am not used to paying full price for zeroxing and am talking to others around town to find someone to form a co-op for printing the way they do in portland. I always wonder about finding a cheap place to print and going there and making alot!

... if you have to pay full price for zeroxing, its not worth it, and i think the ultimate solution is to take this to a printers and do a large run (more expensive, but cheaper in the long run, much less each copy) - but the mamaphile collective does not seem up for expansion right now.

you totally can do whatever you see is fit, in your dealings, but I don't think the cover price should change at this point.

By China at Thu, 01/03/2008 - 9:06pm | login or register to post comments

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