Receipts for Fall ‘23
To begin, I want to acknowledge the obvious: It has been an awful two months. We have watched the genocide of the Palestinian people day in and day out. There is no ignoring this or sidelining it. The press has done what it could to raise money and voice solidarity, but it feels like very little. Regardless of how it may feel, though, the important thing is to keep paying attention. Simply to acknowledge that it is happening -- that Israel is committing genocide with the support of our own government and most of the Western world -- is an act of defiance against those who want to erode our memory and sense of reality. And so you have to keep saying it:
END THE GENOCIDE. END THE OCCUPATION. FREE PALESTINE.
As I've made clear, the press is committed to freedom in Palestine, and more specifically, it is in alignment with the aims of BDS and PACBI. I will be saying more about this soon in a separate post, specifically regarding my decision to leave Wix, an Israeli company, which I've been using for the press's website. Although BDS has not singled out Wix for boycott themselves, they have officially recognized and endorsed the organic boycott that has been raised against the company. My year long subscription with them runs out Dec. 19th, 2023, and I've cancelled the auto-renew on that. Meanwhile, I've been building a new one on Squarespace.
More on all of this soon. But the purpose of the rest of this post is simply to share the details of sales and donations, which I do after every sales period as part of the press's commitment to transparency. It's not particularly exciting stuff, but a couple big takeaways buried in the details include:
The press donated $702 this fall, with $535 going to Palestinian aid.
We also raised $163.50 for Philly's Community Action Relief Project (CARP).
After two years of operation, the press has given away a total of $2200.
My sincere thanks to all who have supported the press in any way. It means so much to me, and without others' interest and support, this project would be nothing.
Throughout the fall 2023 pre-order period, the press sold 53 booklets. This included a few older titles, but most were for Jon and Corey's books, who sold an average of 20 books each. There was a lot of enthusiasm for their poems, and in addition to what they sold through the press, they also both managed to sell out of the 20 complimentary copies from the press while doing readings in Philly (writers keep 100% on those sales). Also, there were multiple requests for PDF's, which the press provides for free to anyone who cannot afford a purchase.
The press donated quite a bit of money in this time. The pre-order period launched with a $200 donation to the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA). Unlike previous periods, the press waived all income from sales, meaning half of each $12 purchase went to the writer and the other half was split into two different donation pools. I donated $3 of each sale to Philly's Community Action Relief Project (CARP), with a total donation of $163.50. Additionally, I personally matched the other $3 on each sale for donations to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) for a total donation of $335. In sum, the press donated $702.50 in this period, with $535 going to Palestinian aid. Receipts for all of these donations can be found here:
Receipt for MECA:
Receipt for CARP: [Note: permission was granted for this screenshot]
Receipt for Medial Aid for Palestinians: [Given in two separate payments]
As stated, the press brought in no money at this time. Beginning with a surplus of $733.31 going into the fall period, we now have a surplus of $314. The majority of that difference, however, was spent on two purchases: new toner for the printer ($120) and a subscription to Squarespace to launch the press's new website ($192 for a year). The fact that we still have an excess of money above breaking even is a victory in my book, especially considering how much we've been able to give away. In total, since launching in spring of 2022, DMP has donated just over $2200 to a variety of organizations.
Thanks to all who supported, bought books, and helped raise money! And my gratitude to Jon and Corey for trusting me with their poems. I appreciate you all! <3
RM Haines
