The blog of Eric Lee - web design and internet consulting for the trade union movement.
Educate, Agitate, Organize, Sell Books Online
If you ever want to be a best-selling author, take my advice: don't write books about and for trade unionists. Our movement with its millions of members does many things very well but one thing we do not do well is buy and read books that are written for us.
A couple of years ago, I was having a discussion with what might be called a "labor intellectual" at a conference in Chicago. He was bemoaning the fact that even the most intelligent and best-informed trade union leaders he knew simply did not read the books that they should be reading, if they read books at all.
The best-seller lists reflect this. Even though there are millions of union members, the books aimed at trade unionists are never listed there. If you're a gardener, or a cook, or a movie-goer, the books targetted at you may sell in the tens of thousands. History books are sometimes big best sellers -- but not books about labor history.
I was thinking about this as I recently searched through online bookstores looking for candidates for the Labor Book of the Day, which is currently being promoted on LabourStart. There are so many books out there dealing with the issues of union-busting, organizing, globalization, labor history -- and yet these books are not reaching nearly enough trade union activists. I'll bet every one of you has heard of "The Da Vinci Code" but how many of you have seen "Reorganizing the Rust Belt", "Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Wal-Mart" or "Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America". And we're not just talking about serious books for adult activists; online bookstores are full of children's books which teach the next generation about why we need unions. In fact, the best selling titles in LabourStart's online bookstore have been "Click, Clack, Moo - Cows That Type" and "Kids on Strike!".
It's not for lack of trying. There are companies like Union Communication Services which sell a whole range of union books. The IWW always devotes considerable space in its newspaper, Industrial Worker, to promoting labor books, and sells these online as well. There are groups like Labor Notes, whose latest book, "A Troublemaker's Handbook 2", is one of those essential titles which should be in hands of every union activist. And LabourStart has long been partnered with unionized Portland, Oregon bookshop Powells.com and more recently with UCS in efforts to promote the sale of books aimed at trade unionists.
The good news is that the Internet offers us a real chance to finally get labor books into the hands of labor activists. Amazon has shown the way, doing what many pundits thought impossible: they have helped stimulate sales of books during an era when many were predicting a decline in book sales. Thanks to the tremendous choice now available online -- many times more than you'd find in a local bookshop -- people are tempted more than ever to buy books.
I can almost guarantee that your local bookshop will not be carrying very many books like "A Troublemaker's Handbook 2". And this is a problem not only for small, local shops. I had the experience not so long ago of wandering through one of the best and largest bookshops in Toronto, trying in vain to find any books at all about Canadian unions. Such books exist, but you won't find them will browsing in bookshops.
If union activists were to read more books about labor history and strategy, they would do their jobs better. They would know what works and what doesn't. They'd learn from the experience of others. They'd expand their horizons and understand better our globalized world and how we fit in. I think it's obvious that we in the labor movement should be doing all we can to promote the sales of such titles to our members.
This is what we've done on LabourStart: We've partnered with unionized bookshops. We've identified titles that trade unionists should own. We've asked our readers to recommend and review books. And we've selected and promoted a new title every day of the week. All this is just a beginning. We could do much more, but we're just one website.
Unions could do even more. They already sell all kinds of goods and services to their members. The Teamsters, for example, sell a whole range of products through their online store including watches, clocks, jewelry, clothing, t-shirts, sport shirts, outerwear, leather goods, glassware, hats -- but not books. Not a single book. The American Federation of Teachers has got the right idea -- the front page of their website does promote online book sales through Powells.com, but the union doesn't make even a single recommendation of a book one might want to buy there. It's all well and good for the union to earn its share of sales of the latest Harry Potter book, but if you've already got the members doing their book buying online, why not also point them to books they might find useful and interesting as trade unionists?
Imagine what would happen if the Teamsters, with their 1.4 million members, were to aggressively promote the sales of a book like "Teamster Rebellion," the great history of the 1934 Minneapolis strike. Don't such books deserve to enjoy the same kinds of sales as, say, books about the Scott Peterson case? (This week, 3 of the top 15 nonfiction bestsellers are about that trial.)
Wouldn't it be great to one day look at the New York Times Best-Seller list and see it topped by Paul Buhle and Nicole Schulman's new book, Wobblies!: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World?
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Comments
The unionized workers at Powell's Books negotiated the right to market Powells books on line. DO NOT go straight to the company website. Go to http://www.powellsunion.com/ and ILWU Local 5 gets 10% of the sale. (What a great idea!)
Please spread the word,
Matt Bates
Secretary-Treasurer
AFL-CIO Union Label & Service Trades Dept.
Posted by: Matt Bates | March 30, 2005 04:33 AM
Matt's right -- don't buy your books by going to http://www.powells.com Make sure you go through a unionized affiliate. The ILWU is an affiliate. So is the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). And so are other unions and campaigning organizations, including LabourStart. If you want to buy from a unionized bookshop like Powells and you want to support a project like LabourStart, use this link to buy from Powells.com -- http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/partner?partner_id=23921
Posted by: Eric Lee | March 31, 2005 06:16 PM
On the Union Songs website I have over the years listed a number of "union books", mainly song books but often dealing with union history.
Visit http://unionsong.com/muse/unionsong/books.html for the list.
I have also started a new list of "union films" and would be grateful for any suggestions
Posted by: Mark Gregory | March 31, 2005 11:46 PM
A while back I recommended that workers read the Teamster Series by Farrell Dobbs, who was an organiser for the Teamsters Union during the 1930s. I now recommend that workers check out the Pathfinder Press website
http://www.pathfinderpress.com
They carry books on the labour movement, the women's movement and the modern working class movement since the 1850s.
Lucien Lenoire, retired IBEW member
Posted by: Lucien Lenoire | April 1, 2005 08:26 PM
I think the answer to why union books aren't best sellers is in the 2nd paragraph of this article. "...if they read at all". I would venture to guess that most folks who are attracted to business oriented books are avid readers and they are eager to educate themselves by trying to emulate the successes that are written about by successful authors. Most of my fellow unionists are content to have their weekly paycheck and pension fund doing well. There is no motivation to do anything more than that. Even recreational reading is out of the question (even tho' reading just about any John Steinbeck novel would shatter some complacency). Just look at the typical union newsletters and magazines and they are selling all of the junk that you describe. Unions officials are largely to blame. Most unions are quite content to have an ignorant rank and file that does their bidding. There is a huge disconnect between your average union worker (in the US anyway) and any connection to historical unionism, the current global labor scene, and union activism or even mere participation. May Day is coming up in a month and I would bet a paycheck that 90% of my fellow unionists don't have the slightest clue as to the significance of this day as it relates to being a unionist. If an average union member were to sign up for a college level course that delt with labor issues, the subject would be completely foreign to them. They would think that there was some sort of communist conspiracy afloat. Most are politically to the right of the spectrum and thru shear ignorance actually support the folks who are writing those bestselling business books even tho' many of those authors are in complete opposition to the average working stiffs interests.
Dean Heard
Road Sprinklerfitters Local 669
Posted by: Dean Heard | April 2, 2005 04:58 PM
Dear Eric,
I read your column ‘Educate, Agitate, Organise, Sell books on line’ with interest. You point out that US unions such as the Teamsters sell all kinds of goods and services (all of which fail to build any kind of activism or organisation) but don’t promote even a single book! As a full time union organiser in the UK I can confirm that this is not just a problem with the US unions but is also the case here.
I would like to bring to people’s attention an excellent book I have recently read ‘In the Cause of Labour – History of British Trade Unionism’ by Rob Sewell (can be bought from Wellred Books at www.wellredusa.com). One of my friends enjoyed this book so much he persuaded his union to buy a copy for all their lay convenors in his region (over 40 books).
If we are going to change society for the better it is essential that trade unionists learn from history. We must study our successes and honestly analyse our defeats. The powers of our ideas are immense.
Finally, thank you for mentioning ‘The Teamsters Rebellion’ by Farrell Dobbs, it’s reminded me to root out my old copy and restudy this!
Yours in unity,
Mike Jones
Union Organiser for Community – trade union (formerly ISTC/KFAT) UK.
Posted by: Mike Jones | April 4, 2005 11:15 AM
Dear Eric,
I read your column ‘Educate, Agitate, Organise, Sell books on line’ with interest. You point out that US unions such as the Teamsters sell all kinds of goods and services (all of which fail to build any kind of activism or organisation) but don’t promote even a single book! As a full time union organiser in the UK I can confirm that this is not just a problem with the US unions but is also the case here.
I would like to bring to people’s attention an excellent book I have recently read ‘In the Cause of Labour – History of British Trade Unionism’ by Rob Sewell (can be bought from Wellred Books at www.wellredusa.com). One of my friends enjoyed this book so much he persuaded his union to buy a copy for all their lay convenors in his region (over 40 books).
If we are going to change society for the better it is essential that trade unionists learn from history. We must study our successes and honestly analyse our defeats. The powers of our ideas are immense.
Finally, thank you for mentioning ‘The Teamsters Rebellion’ by Farrell Dobbs, it’s reminded me to root out my old copy and restudy this!
Yours in unity,
Mike Jones
Union Organiser for Community – trade union (formerly ISTC/KFAT) UK.
Posted by: Mike Jones | April 4, 2005 11:16 AM
I would like to showcase the efforts of Eric Lee on October 9, 2005 - during Global Learn Day, now in it's ninth year.
What we do is open this highly unusual, highly interactive 24 hour non stop event in the South Pacific....and then go west, "the long way around". At each of two dozen "stops", in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, we feature those doing exceptional work to "change the world"...mostly those doing highly innovative work in the communications, education and internet technlogy arena. We use everything but "two tin cans tied to a string" - including ham radio, conventional radio, Internet radio, telephone, blog, wiki, email, voice over IP to connect speakers with the audience and audience with the speakers.
I hope Eric will keynote for us, probably at our South Asia (New Delhi) "stop" where some Indians are using wireless and radio to do truly groundbreaking, pathfinding stuff.
John Hibbs
http://www.bfranklin.edu/gld
http://www.bfranklin.edu/johnhibbs
hibbs@bfranklin.edu
Posted by: John Hibbs | April 16, 2005 06:18 PM