I’m posting this here so it can be accessed by people on my GIMME SHELTER newsletter list. I don’t think it’s of much interest to general readers of this blog, other than people in the publishing trade.
I started doing these newsletters about 20 years ago, inspired by Carl Lennertz’ newsletter to Random House reps, and George Young’s weekly newsletter, “Verbal Abuse,” to Ten Speed reps. There are about 600 people on this mailing list, but this one is being sent just to reps and PGW sales people.
To tell the truth, I wish we could just stay out here in our ivory-tower-in-the-garden, turn out one book after the other, and they’d sell crazily—but it just doesn’t work that way. Sales of our books have dropped off, and it’s prompted us to review recent publicity, the phenomenal feedback of late on our building books, and current sales and marketing of Shelter books.
I’m sorry this is so long (but I “…didn’t have the time to make it shorter.”
Feedback
“WOW! Ya know when I think about it, your original Shelter book has had more of an effect on my life than just about anything other than Scouting. I’ll send you some pics of my handmade home.”
“Happy Birthday to Shelter. As relevant today (if not more so) than it was then.”
“You changed my life, I can never thank You enough.”
“Happy Anniversary! 40 years of inspiring others to build their own shelters and improve their own lives…much to celebrate. Be proud, woohooooo!”
A lot of the millennials are discovering Shelter books. They get it, more so than previous generations. “Hey, we like the Shelter lifestyle…”
Rate of Returns Shelter Sales: 8.67%
This means we should be able to get more books (the above five and Stretching) out there. If we can get someone to pick up one of these books, were halfway to a sale.
Blogs
Social Media
In addition to its blog, Shelter is working on a program to publicize its books on Facebook, Twitter, Tumbl’r, Instagram, and Pinterest. We are just now coordinating these outlets. (We have a ton of content.) We are also redesigning our out-of-date-looking website.
Shelter has signed a contract with a producer, who is seeking a network for this project (we have a conference call with a studio later this week) based on Tiny Homes on the Move. It’s a long shot, I know.
Publicity
Book Trailer Videos
Online Videos
Deek Diedrickson’s video of Lloyd about Tiny Homes on the Move, March 4, 2014 (8 minutes) — 204,000 views as of July 24, 2015:
Jason Sussberg’s 2-min film of Lloyd talking about how TINY HOMES was made, 115,000 views:
Fair Companies video of Lloyd and Lesley, “Lloyd Kahn on his NorCal Self-reliant Homestead,” May 11, 2015 (25 minutes) — 150,000 views as of July 24, 2015:
About 20 YouTube videos of Lloyd on different subjects:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lloyd+kahn
Magazine Articles
3. Lucky Peach magazine article, Winter, 2013, titled “Seeking Shelter,” with 33 photos from Shelter’s archives.
Exhibits
1. Lloyd has been invited to help curate a Scottish exhibition at the Kirkcaldy Galleries in Fife, in March/April 2016, based the theme of Shelter to run in line with their “Year of Innovation, Architecture & Design 2016.” Idea based on “The Family of Man” book, exhibited at museums in the ’60s-70s
2. Shelter is proposing an exhibition of enlarged photos from Builders of the Pacific Coast at the Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, Calif.
3. Shelter is working on a museum exhibit titled “Tiny Homes.” (We have to sell the idea to a museum.)
I’ve done layout on about 30 pages so far. It really is lookin good! Material coming in daily.
We’re going to start posting photos from the book as we lay it out. Going live with book production…
Music del dia: Tony White, “The Shine.”
Over and out,
Lloyd
Hope you'll pitch the tiny homes exhibit to the National Building Museum in DC (http://www.nbm.org/). They're a good fit mission-wise, there is local experimentation going on, they have space in their titanic main hall to put some tiny homes on display, and DC's berserk housing market, growing population, and dwindling space for development will likely help generate interest.
I really wish you would make your books available in a Kindle format. Physical issues make it hard for me to read print books. I wish and beg really, really hard for your to do this. I've been unable to purchase any of your books. Also ebook format takes no space and no weight in a small living space. I would love to be able to purchase your books.
It sounds like you want to sell more books, correct?
It's a fickle market out there Lloyd. As you know there are peaks and troughs. You've been through them before. Nobody really knows what causes them and we shouldn't worry about them. Please just keep doing what you're doing and what you've been doing for many years. You know what you're doing is right and so do the folk who've followed you. There are many more who don't know you yet just waiting for the inspirational material you publish…
Randy,
Yep.
Jen G,
Our building books won't work on a Kindle. Tiny Homes and Tiny Homes on the Move are both available on iBooks, for iPad and other Apple devices (including iPhones).
Well, I've gotten that age (60) where I wish I had approached people who have made lasting and positive impacts on my life and say 'thank you,' so, Thank you!
There are so many over-hyped utterly useless books out there. Your company and it's output are inspiring and humbling. And each one tells you what you yourself can do if you only try: here are the folks doing it!
Keep up the good and useful work, my friend.
Lloyd, not only do you inspire people to build their own version of a shelter (in all it's forms), you also inspire those of us that know that's what we want to do, but are not yet at the intersection of dreams/plans/goals and life circumstances. Your life's work is inspiring. THANK YOU!
Cheers, Jason (Western Australia)