I’ve been a bit quiet for the past month. I trusted you not to notice because it was the holidays and everyone was busy, but that wasn’t my reason. I was occupied by bad news, and only like to post about positive things. Fortunately, it looks like things are looking up, so I will fill you in.
“Annetarsia Knits” has been distributed by Unicorn Books and Crafts, a family business that has supported fiber arts publications for many years. They have been great to work with. A few weeks ago, a letter from a law firm arrived (never a good sign) with the news that Unicorn was liquidating, and an auction scheduled for Dec. 8. A phone call to the attorney determined that my books weren’t part of the auction, as they belonged to me, so there was hope of recovering them. Over the next few weeks I tried to contact the company, but e-mails were unanswered, phone calls went to voicemail, and I anxiously worried about whether the books would ever come back to me.
This week, I heard that the books were OK, and shipping could be arranged, and Unicorn recommended a shipping service. E-mails ensued, and 7000 lbs of books are scheduled to arrive at my house via UPS next Friday. We have a “difficult” driveway, so some friends are going to come over with dollies and a handcart to help stack 192 cartons of books in our garage. Hoo boy!
Throughout this anxious period, Bill has been a rock, and gave me confidence that we would not lose the books. He loves books as much as I do, and we are both very proud of “Annetarsia Knits”. He doesn’t mind storing them, and keeps telling me to relax and not feel pressured to sell them quickly. Bill knows that marketing isn’t my favorite thing, I’d rather be teaching or knitting. But I have renewed interest in selling books, as I would like to get the garage back (!) and the real uncertainty that any books would be left has made me aware of how much I believe in them, and want them to be in knitters’ libraries. So, I’ll be working with my fabulous team to increase marketing efforts and raise awareness that the books are available from me. Once the books are here I can stop worrying about them and get back to the stuff that I can control, like Annetarsia!!!
Annie Miles, Anne Berk
Stay tuned! Next up, finding room for all of the cartons…..