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Table of Contents
Fall
Leadership Conference 2002
District
President’s Column
Qiyamah’s
Corner
Ministerial
Matters
October is
Clergy Appreciation Month
Lifespan REmarks
Field Staff
Calendar
Greetings from
TJD RE Committee
Your Wild(e)
Trustees Report
District
YouthCON
TJD Welcomes
New Comp. Cons.
TJD Fair Share
Support Beacon
Press
UUs Reflect on
Ann. of Sept. 11
Healthy Cong.
Cons. Team
In Memoriam
Large
Church Conference Info
District
AntiRacism Trans. Team
News From the
Greenville UU Fellowship
TJ UUs to Visit
Transylvania
Learning Center
for Leadership Report
Open Positions
District
Calendar |
Support Beacon Press
Why are we talking so much about Beacon Press? Because our
press is running out of working capital and, in order to stay viable, the Association must divert annual operating monies to it. The UUA Board of Trustees has devoted a considerable time this year to discussing the Press and its role in the mission of the Association and its financial status. The Board felt that this conversation needed to be expanded to the people in our congregations.
What's the history of the Press?
Book publishing has long been a part of the core of Unitarian and Universalist work. The Unitarians, particularly, have a committed history of publishing. We date the beginning of Beacon to 1854 when the American Unitarian Association raised $50,000. for the Book Fund Project and "issued an urgent call for liberal works that would meet the spiritual needs of the age." Beacon has been best know in the last few decades for its books on race, women's studies, gay and lesbian studies, religion and democracy. It is highly regarded in the publishing world. Beacon Press is a department of the Association, in the same legal relationship to the UUA as, say, the department of ministry or religious education.
Why are finances for Beacon Press so unpredictable?
Unpredictability is the nature of book publishing, particularly in small to medium sized presses. While editors hope to acquire bestsellers every year, that cannot be counted on. Further, book publishing itself is changing rapidly and radically. The development of chain bookstores and consolidation within publishing itself has resulted in problems throughout the publishing world.
What is the three-year plan that the UUA Board has agreed to?
The plan calls for Beacon to make a number of strategic changes and tighten its finances over the next three years. The metrics that the Board have set limit losses to an average of $200,000. per year, no more than $300,000. in any one year, and no more than $600,000. over the three years of the plan. This results in the UUA supporting Beacon out of its annual operating funds for the first time in a number of years.
What can delegates do to help Beacon Press?
Educate yourselves. Talk to your UUA Trustee about your opinions. Buy Beacon books.
For more information, go to http://www.uua.org to read about the enduring value of Beacon Press |