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current Monday
Report below!
This week's report by Bob Sheairs, www.njghost.com
Beware the Desert Moon: A Letter to
Independent Publishers and Zine Creators of America
[Note: Desert Moon distributes close to 700 small/independent magazines
and zines. States their webpage: “Our passion for independent press
together with our ability to meet the special needs of small publishers allow
us to distribute not only the magazines represented by other distributors
but, in addition, the smaller circulation magazines and zines that explore
the fringes of our culture in all its glorious diversity.” According to the
grapevine, Desert Moon currently owes over half a million dollars to
small/independent magazine and zine creators/publishers.]
Currently, there is a serious problem with the fair treatment of
Independent Publishers by the very same individuals who would profit
from the hard work and creativity of Independent Publishing. Specifically, I’
m speaking of Desert Moon Periodicals, but this situation could be applied
to any event where businesses do not honor their debts, and do not treat
their suppliers with the respect and honesty they deserve.
Desert Moon Periodicals is currently (as of March 2005) in the process of
legally dissolving as a business. The new controlling company, FESCO
LLc, headed by J.R. Fesperman, has acquired the publication distribution
business from the previous owner after he himself worked for Desert
Moon for some time. We know this because Fesperman was listed as an
account representative in various Desert Moon contact information. Under
this “new” management of Desert Moon, Fesperman has stated quite
clearly that he does not consider himself responsible for the previous
owner’s debts, since this is now a “new business” – yet this business is
still going to be operating in the same industry, servicing the same retail
outlets, and carrying (he hopes) many of the same publications.
I contend that this is not a new business, but more so a way for
Fesperman to attempt to unethically salvage Desert Moon on the backs of
its own Independent Publishers. This is wrong, and I have to send a signal
to the rest of the industry/community that we will not stand for it any
longer.
Do not think that this is a singular event, though. Desert Moon has for
years strung along hopeful Indy Publishers, gladly accepting new issues
of publications, but delaying payment for months on end… and in some
cases never paying at all. This practice drove many of our fellow
publishers out of business and stunted the growth of Indy Publishing as a
whole.
Again, I reiterate, Desert Moon must not be allowed to continue this way
and we must send a message to the rest of the industry that this type of
“business” will no longer be tolerated.
As Zine Creators and Indy Publishers, we are our own market. We buy
each other’s publications, and thus we fund future growth of new
publications. Desert Moon has enjoyed “middle man” status for too long,
and we call for the systematic boycott of their services. To do this, these
are the action steps we must take:
1) Do not do business with Desert Moon. Do not use them as a
distributor of your publications. Alternate distributors are available to
provide this type of service and will be made available.
2) Urge retail stores – through telephone, e-mail, letter, or face-to-face
with management – not to use Desert Moon (or future incarnations of
FESCO LLc) for their publications supplier. Alternate distributors are
available and waiting to service these retailers.
3) Urge fellow publishers not to do business with Desert Moon. The
more publications that “break ranks” and use Desert Moon as a distributor,
the longer the fight will be to shut down FESCO LLc.
In the future weeks, everyone should tout these three action points to
every publisher, media outlet, and independent-publication-friendly retail
outlet they encounter. A letter campaign to the retailers that Desert Moon
has currently done business with will begin very shortly, urging them to
consider other suppliers, to the benefit of the independent publishing
community.
A special web site has been set up to disseminate information as it
becomes available: www.njghost.com/dmboycott
With your help, we will bring fair, ethical practices back to Independent
Publishing and set the stage for unhindered growth for the industry as a
whole.
GO HERE TO ENTER THE MONDAY REPORT BOX.
