Well, here’s something disturbing.
RAN had 30 colored children’s books tested for fiber associated with deforestation in Indonesia and found that 18 of the 30 books (60 percent) contained controversial fiber. RAN’s tests point to a growing industry trend toward the overseas printing of children’s books, as well as other glossy paper books like coffee table books and textbooks, on fiber that is from controversial and endangered sources. Read more
I’m well aware of traditional print runs done by mainstream publishers as well as small presses who don’t utilize POD technology. The thought of so many copies printed and then destroyed if unsold always grates on my nerves, regardless of the source used for the paper. So much waste. It’s sickening, especially if you were to count endangered rainforests as making up a good part of the paper.
And what bugs me even more is when people look down on POD as though the technology is synonymous with nothing else but vanity presses or self-publishing. Trust me, I’ve seen editors, who should know better, sneer at POD presses (and some of those are editors or owners of small presses, mind!), lumping them all under one gigantic loathsome umbrella.
Well, at least publishers who use POD technology don’t have to worry about waste too much, and neither do they contribute to the excesses of traditional print runs. As far as endangered rainforests go, I hope that the printer used by my publishers aren’t adding to the stresses on these resources.
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