The purpose of our publishing house is to spread MLM literature to as many people who want and need it as possible. And we are able to exist as a press only through the true spirit of internationalism. It’s how we get permission to reprint texts, how we secure translations and publish New Roads authors who graciously take their royalties in the form of books. We keep our prices to a minimum and do not extract any profit for personal use. The true story is that FLP’s founder wanted to sell MLM books to spread revolutionary theory for the cost of a pint of beer (in the Netherlands).
We have been excited and energized by the recent rapid growth of Foreign Languages Press. Evolving from painstakingly saving every spare dollar to print the next book—often a process that would take months—today our living space has been transformed into a holding bay for boxes of new books and packages awaiting the post. While we have always done this work without compensation, the amount of work involved has increased exponentially. We could use and would greatly appreciate any financial support you could give if you are in the position to give it.
The Cost of Printing Books
When you buy one of our books, included in the price is the cost to print, the fees that Storenvy and PayPal add on, and the shipping cost. To produce our books, we have to give cash to the printer, and that cash comes almost exclusively from the sale of those physical books. Without selling the second printing of 100 copies of the “MLM-Basic Course” (the first edition was just ten copies, mostly given to close comrades), we wouldn’t have been able to print the next 100. Without selling those next 100 copies, we never would have been able to print the first 100 copies of “Philosophical Trends in Feminism.” From the sale of those books and a small timely donation, we printed “Five Golden Rays.” And so on.
Why Free Pdfs?
Out of political principle we made the decision to put up our pdfs for free download, because although most activists in imperialist countries can afford to buy a pint of beer, many activists in semi-feudal, semi-colonial countries, cannot.
Why Free e-Books?
As our press continues to grow and expand into different languages and spheres, so too, we believe, should our formats. Many comrades, mostly from imperialist countries, have inquired about the availability of our collections in .epub or .mobi format for their electronic readers. While most still prefer study from a paper book, we felt there was enough demand to enlist the help of a comrade to make our books available as e-books. And since we do not pay anyone to publish the books this way, we don’t feel it correct to charge a fee for download.
We love our work. We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful if small way to building revolutionary practices by disseminating the work of MLM revolutionaries, historians, activists and authors. In the spirit of international solidarity, we welcome your ideas, feedback and criticisms.
Foreign Languages Press / Redspark Collective
[email protected]
