Jim, I've been emailing you for a while, asking about this, and the publication date, and have received nothing back. The Building letters site said that issue 2 was coming soon a very long time ago (like newlyn.com:-)and I gave up checking.
I've seen nothing about issue 2 on any design portal etc.
I think it really needs a HEAVY promotional push, lots of press releases to all the design websites and magazines. I've put a link to the site on newlyn.com.

Miles

My emails keep bouncing back from you email address, I'll try from my work email on Monday.

Jim
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double post� sorry! please read the one below

Jim, I'm afraid that I have to agree with Miles. The only place that I've ever heard about Building Letters from was in an e-mail conversation with you. You need a mass marketing push, with repeat buzzes on every design site (and for type, that means not just Typophile, but Typographica, the ATypI website, Typo-L, even the big type foundry websites� MyFonts, FontShop, and Linotype send out monthly e-mails, probably to millions of customers when added all together).

Yes, I also agree and I am trying to email a load of people now to whip up that frenzy.

The BL site is getting a large number of hits, but very few people are purchasing, so I was also wondering if you think the price �25 is to high (especially with the poor US exchange rate).

Jim
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Good idea Jim. The price is a little high, but worth it I think. I would love to buy one, but am too poor at the moment, because of funny German laws. If you come to TypoTechnica and sell them there (please do think about coming to TypoTechnica and selling them there), I promise that I will buy one. I'll have more money then.

Jim, I think it's a wonderful project. As a "mid-career professional" living in the U.S., the price is reasonable, but out of my "impulse buy" zone, which maxes out at about $20. My plan is to purchase a copy next week when I get my year-end bonus, or have my wife buy it for me for Xmas.

(BTW, "achieved" is misspelled twice on the site's home page: in the nav bar and in the left column at the bottom of the page.)

Jim,
My issue arrived promptly and made for a good read, articles/interviews and photo essays, loved the illustrations. Plus fonts and Indic border.
What is more it's for a very worthwhile charity.
I don't believe the price is too high.
The best of luck with this endeavour,
Tim

One thing that would stop me from ordering is that you don't have a easy and complete ecommerce system. The simple form you have on the site doesn't seem secure. Just a thought, you may want to upgrade.

Matt

I hate to sound like a hard ••• here, but it is difficult to sell any magazine issues at all in our industry. I don't think that the excellently produced Spatium sells all that well, either. Jim, have you tried selling through bookstores? Nijhoff & Lee in Amsterdam carries Spatium, for instance. And maybe the new House 33 store from House Industries in London would sell your magazine� I would hope, at least.

Hi Matt

Though the form which you enter your deliver address in to isn't secure, but the page which you enter your credit card details is (it's actually off our website, on the servers of a big e-commerce firm called Protx).

But, I'll ask the web designer about making the customer address form secure too.

Thanks

Jim

OK, so over the last 24 hours I have :

Requested help from foundries I know to get the word out via mailing lists.

Sent press releases to ever design magazine and design site I could find on the web

Asked design bookstores to stock Building Letters

Put Building Letters on ebay : http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6937835657

Posted on design forums

Hopefully we'll see some improvement in the next week. I'll also get the promotional postcards I had printed off my desk and in to the post.

Any other promotional suggestions or posts on forums in other languages would be welcome.

Thanks!

Jim

I finally got around to purchasing building letters #2 myself. I was happy to be part of #1. I think the price is very reasonable for what you get, but you should consider that your small sacrifice will go a long way toward improving the quality of life of people who can't post regularly on typophile. Not to get too "We are the world" on you, but to say anyone who reads or posts on this site is "too poor at the moment" to do a bit of good and at the same time feed your insatiable "typophilia" ...is a rather lame.
There are 4738 registered users on Typophile and probably a "few" lurkers.
Do I have to kick some ••• here? Jim has done a lot of work...go support this project now!

http://www.buildingletters.org/


RK

>to say anyone who reads or posts on this site is "too poor at the moment" to do a bit of good and at the same time feed your insatiable "typophilia" ...is a rather lame.

Well, excuse me for being a little lame, but since I am the one one who wrote that I was "too poor at the moment," I feel a need to defend myself�

I only have about 20 Euros in my bank account, no overdraft protection, and no real credit card.* Sadly, my current balance is less than the 36 Euros that Building Letters #2 costs. Although I am a student, I am entirely self-supporting. My ability to support myself financially is limited by visa regulations, and current student visa only allows me to work 10 hours/week�at the moment�and this covers my monthly rent, health insurance, and nothing else. In two weeks, my newly-renewed visa will kick in, allowing me to work half-time again, and to earn more money. So please excuse my cheap-skatedness.

*I actually do have a credit card, at home in the US. I try never, ever to use its number, because to pay off its balance if I use it, I have to make an international bank transfer, which costs between 30�40 Euro in fees.

Don't take my devil's advocacy too personally Dan. I'm just saying, look at the big picture. This is a good cause. We are all fortunate enough to have the luxury of nitpicking over serifs and boumas. Most people in the world don't have the terrible burden of the quest for the typographic grail of letterform perfection. If you are going to TypoTechnica, you are not likely to starve to death anytime soon. For those on this site with the means to help out, I think Jim's project is a worthy cause.

Fortunately, I'll be sent to TypoTechnica, otherwise I wouldn't be able to go. And as I said, I've love to buy the magazine then.

"Though the form which you enter your deliver address in to isn't secure, but the page which you enter your credit card details is (it's actually off our website, on the servers of a big e-commerce firm called Protx)."

I never even got past the address page. I didn't know there was another form after that one. Maybe adding something like Step 1: Address, Step 2: Enter creditcard info, would help.

Dan, in the context of the world, you're filthy rich.

hhp

Indeed: http://www.globalrichlist.com/

Matt - I've made that a bit clearer, as suggested.

All typophiles - If you order a copy of Building Letters and put typophile after your name (so I know your a typophile), I will throw in a copy of the Building Letters one magazine (sorry all the font disks have gone). Only about 300 were sold, so this is very rare and features some great stories about African type and African print shops.

http://www.buildingletters.org

You got me also! I'm looking forward to receiving the mag.

thanks guys,

Thats 12 copies sold on Sunday, and some great offers of help too. I can write a cheque to one of the charities today for a first donation!

Jim
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I saw it mentioned in this month's Computer Arts, hopefully you'll get more takers from there as well.
Tim

Yep, though they put the wrong url. They are giving it a full page in the next issue.

Jim

Loved the first one Jim, and I just bought the second - can't wait to get it. I actually wasn't aware that it was finished and ready for sale until I saw this post.

Jim, I have to admit that after the first issue, it kind of fell off my radar.

I think interesting fonts for a low price will pull in designers. You might want to think about the 'what you get' more than the 'what it does'. Good or bad, I think the fonts and posters are the draw, and the charity is the bonus when it comes to designers. We tend to be a socially conscious (if not socially active) bunch, so that works in your favor.

Well, regardless, you got me too! The magazine looks fascinating, and the fonts look great. I just ordered a copy a few minutes ago. (However, I didn't see your little Typophile treat until after. Shucks.) I'll keep an eye out for issue #3. Keep up the inspiring work.

I just heard back from Nijhof & Lee and a bookstore in Scotland called Analogue, both will stock the magazine. If you guys have any suggestion of other designer focused bookstores to try, I'd be grateful.

Thanks

Jim

There is a book distributor in Frankfurt called zweitausendeins (http://www.zweitausendeins.de/). They have a dreadfully ugly website, but carry a lot of design books. My professor recommends them. Then there is Vera Kopp (http://www.koppmedien.de/), another big distributer of design books in Germany. They are Emigre's official distributor, I think.

Jim, you might try Prairie Avenue Books in Chicago. Their focus is on architecture, but they're one of the better stores for contemporary design books in the city.