Thoughts on the new Microcosm Publishing statement?

[Derek Neuland]

http://microcosmpublishing.com/blogifesto/2011/06/a-statement-from-...

 

Personally, I think it's too little too late. Most of the comments are right on and bring up some really good points. 

 

Thoughts?

[NicoleIntrovert]

I just put it out to the people who think it's all "relationship drama" to continue to support Microcosm if they also support things such as stealing artwork, copying zines then selling them without permission, withholding payments, etc. 

 

That has also been part of the problem with Microcosm.  Not just "relationship drama."

[Derek Neuland]

Not to mention claiming they are a non-profit and collectively run when they're not.

[James N. Dawson]

This is the second or third time I've seen bobby madness is the last replier and when I click on it, he doesn't show up.  One time he didn't show up several times and then later did.  Is bobby posting and then deleting?  Is somebody deleting him?  Or is there some technicality I'm not understanding.  No biggie, just sort of curious.  (And bobby's outbursts are sort of entertaining when you're really bored.)

[Krissy PonyBoy Press]

I'm not deleting him, so it has to be him.

[Dan 10things]

I think issues of withholding payment and reprinting and selling zines without compensation are totally relevant to the larger zine community, that's the stuff that people want to hear about with any distros. Honestly, I've never heard those allegations before about Microcosm, maybe they've been overshadowed by the whole drama of discussing two people's relationship from years ago?

 

For me, Microcosm is the quickest and most reliable distro to order from, and working in libraries, it's one of the only safe distros you can order from. They were very quick in helping me get a bunch zines for a library display and supplying me with a bunch of promotional materials to hand out about zines, I don't think any other distro could have turned around an order for a huge boxful of stuff so quick and effeciently. As I'm sure you are aware, many zine distros are run less like a business and more like a hobby, so an order can take weeks or months to come, or not come at all. They are subject to the whims, vacations, and schedule of the sole owner-- who is usually holding down a job, going to school, trying to have relationships and a social life, and publishing their own zine along with doing a distro. I ran a zine distro for a decade, I know I had a few times where life just interfered and I got 6 weeks behind in filling orders, I was guilty of that stuff too. We've all seen the emails or forum posts from people apologizing profusely for not sending out orders for weeks or months because their lives got in the way. And we've all written or emailed distros multiple times asking where our orders are after they happily took our cash, but didn't send the zines. So, really, I don't think it matters if it's Microcosm or some other distro that's willing to step up to their level of professionalism and reliability, but the zine community needs at least one big, reliable distro to thrive.

[NicoleIntrovert]

Dan - What current zine distros have you ordered from to be able to compare the quick turn around time? 

[Dan 10things]

None, I stopped ordering from smaller distros 4 or 5 years ago after a couple of bad orders. I've only ordered directly from zinesters, Microcosm or bought zines locally. Which I guess is my point. If people boycott Microcosm, who's ready to step in at the same level?  Is there a next Microcosm out there?

[NicoleIntrovert]

You cannot make those judgements then if you have not ordered from any of the current distros.   You do not know how fast people are getting their packages from Click Clack, Things You Say, Stranger Danger, False Start, Parcell Press, Fight Boredom, Marching Stars, etc....

 

I really don't appreciate you making the assumption that we are all slow to pack orders or have crap customer service either.

 

For the record, I had TWO packages "lost" from Microcosm in just a year that I ordered from them.  (This was probably 10ish years ago.)

[Dan 10things]

I'm confused, I clearly stated I hadn't ordered from smaller distros in a few years and asked you who was next in line on the level of Microcosm and you chose to lecture me instead. Your condescending tone wasn't warranted when I clearly was asking for advice. I said nothing negative about the distros you listed and made no judgments or assumptions about any of them, that's a ridiculous conclusion for you to draw. I've only stated my past experiences with other smaller distros and why I stopped ordering from them. I just don't get the hostility, I think having and asking about a substitute big zine distro is a very relevant issue. This discussion has come up on the the zine librarians list because large library systems that order zines need a reliable vendor, and right now many are using Microcosm. So I'll ask again, if people boycott Microcosm and they fail, is there another distro, like some of the ones you've listed, ready to step up to the plate on a similar level of volume and turn around time? It would be awesome if there was.

NicoleIntrovert said:

You cannot make those judgements then if you have not ordered from any of the current distros.   You do not know how fast people are getting their packages from Click Clack, Things You Say, Stranger Danger, False Start, Parcell Press, Fight Boredom, Marching Stars, etc....

 

I really don't appreciate you making the assumption that we are all slow to pack orders or have crap customer service either.

 

For the record, I had TWO packages "lost" from Microcosm in just a year that I ordered from them.  (This was probably 10ish years ago.)

[NicoleIntrovert]

Why don't you do it? 

[Dan 10things]

I ran a zine distro for almost 10 years, I have no desire to do that again. It's a pretty thankless job/hobby.

[Erin H]

I think Nicole was basically replying about this comment: "For me, Microcosm is the quickest and most reliable distro to order from, and working in libraries, it's one of the only safe distros you can order from."

 

How do you know it's the quickest and most reliable, and also one of the only safe distros, if you haven't ordered from any other distros in a long time? I'm just pointing out what I think she was referring to in your post.