Received a deseret book catalogue - it turns me off

[Rain]

5 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

I highly doubt anyone was getting rich at the temple in Jesus time either.  

I don't have a problem with art.  I'm a professional artist myself, of sorts, but my issue has always been around using the Word to get gain.  It convolutes the message for me personally.  I hold no grudge against those who choose to buy. My heart was affected by an uncle who retired recently from the church institute program who would share with us at dinner his stories of his "prideful colleagues" who pursued fame and fortune the biz.  He himself turned down multiple speaking gigs because he didn't want to mix money with the gospel.  I realize it's extreme but that's how my background formed me today.

FYI

I do think it could be hard to keep your humility sometimes in things like this.  I think one needs to recognize that in these kind of jobs (as well as in other jobs) and work closely with Heavenly Father to do it.  I trust though that if a prophet can do it then others can as well.  

[Scott Lloyd]

4 hours ago, Tacenda said:

That stands to reason that the church is making some good money then, since they own the publishing company. 

That’s a simplistic view. Deseret Book, like others of the Church’s commercial holdings, is a self-sustaining business with profits being plowed back into the business. 
 

Added later: Furthermore, my hunch is that the vast majority of titles published by Deseret Book are not huge money makers. They probably earn about enough to cover costs, if that. 
 

So it doesn’t “stand to reason” that the Church is making a killing off from Deseret Book. 

Edited April 14, 2021 by Scott Lloyd

[ttribe]

3 hours ago, Tacenda said:

That stands to reason that the church is making some good money then, since they own the publishing company. 

 

Just now, Scott Lloyd said:

That’s a simplistic view. Deseret Book, like others of the Church’s commercial holdings, is a self-sustaining business with profits being plowed back into the business. 

Neither one of those positions is knowable absent financial statements.  There are many possibilities which could confirm or contradict both of these statements (Tacenda's and Scott's).

[Damien the Leper]

A Christus statue paperweight, a replica of the seer stone or Liahona, missionary memorabilia, etc. are all just clutter and crap. I didn't like all the nonsense 15 years ago. Really...David Archuleta music? The spoof movies like The RM, Singles Ward, Sons of Provo, etc. were awful and made Mormons look even more weird than they naturally are. No...that's not an insult. Let's be real. Cultural oddities have been exaggerated and exploited. The HEA romantic conversion novels were in abundance. The Work and the Glory novels were great for very little historical accuracy and well performed emotion and nostalgia evoking writing (not a bad thing). Kofford is a great replacement for DB.

[HappyJackWagon]

2 minutes ago, Damien the Leper said:

A Christus statue paperweight, a replica of the seer stone or Liahona, missionary memorabilia, etc. are all just clutter and crap. I didn't like all the nonsense 15 years ago. Really...David Archuleta music? The spoof movies like The RM, Singles Ward, Sons of Provo, etc. were awful and made Mormons look even more weird than they naturally are. No...that's not an insult. Let's be real. Cultural oddities have been exaggerated and exploited. The HEA romantic conversion novels were in abundance. The Work and the Glory novels were great for very little historical accuracy and well performed emotion and nostalgia evoking writing (not a bad thing). Kofford is a great replacement for DB.

So...you're a DB fan?   

 

PS- you're right about Kofford Books

[JLHPROF]

6 hours ago, Damien the Leper said:

Kofford is a great replacement for DB.

Kofford is good.  So is Signature and Smith Pettit.

[Scott Lloyd]

Never mind. 

Edited April 16, 2021 by Scott Lloyd

[Damien the Leper]

18 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

Kofford is good.  So is Signature and Smith Pettit.

Love Signature.

[mrmarklin]

On 4/7/2021 at 1:46 PM, CV75 said:

How much is known about general authorities supplementing their Church-paid income with book sales / royalties?

It’s a small market. I doubt any of them are getting rich. 

[nuclearfuels]

On 4/7/2021 at 1:32 PM, MustardSeed said:

I'm annoyed

I used to flip thru the catalog but the prices are too high. I just toss it when I recieve it now.

Also, it's not the calling one has but how one magnifies it. Not where we serve but how. So why would I be interested in biographies of people in certain callings when it's not where we serve but how?

 

[Rain]

9 minutes ago, nuclearfuels said:

I used to flip thru the catalog but the prices are too high. I just toss it when I recieve it now.

Also, it's not the calling one has but how one magnifies it. Not where we serve but how. So why would I be interested in biographies of people in certain callings when it's not where we serve but how?

 

You aren't the first to say the prices are too high. I'm curious.  Do you feel the same about books on other markets such as those at Barnes and Noble?

[Calm]

1 hour ago, mrmarklin said:

It’s a small market. I doubt any of them are getting rich. 

But it could make for a very nice after Christmas bonus for a couple from what I have seen even if I wouldn’t trust it as a steady income.  (Popularity of books, especially nonfiction ones, drop pretty quickly in most cases I saw and heard about while working at bookstores over the years...my favorite and most common job, FYI).

[Scott Lloyd]

2 hours ago, nuclearfuels said:

I used to flip thru the catalog but the prices are too high. I just toss it when I recieve it now.

Also, it's not the calling one has but how one magnifies it. Not where we serve but how. So why would I be interested in biographies of people in certain callings when it's not where we serve but how?

 

That’s up to you, of course. 
 

But I am interested for the same reason I would be interested in the life of any great individual. It might be a source of inspiration and motivation in my own life. 
 

Furthermore, a biography of a senior Church leader might give insights into the history of the Church for the period when that leader lived and served. Knowing about Church history is useful to me as I contemplate the rise and progress of the latter-day kingdom of God on earth and my own role in it. 

[Scott Lloyd]

4 hours ago, Calm said:

But it could make for a very nice after Christmas bonus for a couple from what I have seen even if I wouldn’t trust it as a steady income.  (Popularity of books, especially nonfiction ones, drop pretty quickly in most cases I saw and heard about while working at bookstores over the years...my favorite and most common job, FYI).

We received multiple copies of Howard W. Hunter’s biography as wedding gifts. We couldn’t even return the extras to the store for a refund of the purchase price. It was some time after his death, and the demand just wasn’t there. I was saddened by that, not because I cared so much about recouping the monetary cost of the gifts, but that public affection for and interest in one of the latter-day prophets should so soon subside. 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Scott Lloyd

[CV75]

18 hours ago, mrmarklin said:

It’s a small market. I doubt any of them are getting rich. 

I agree, but someone always makes the suggestion as if they are well-informed, but I have yet to see them offer a sound, factual basis.

Edited April 18, 2021 by CV75

[Calm]

4 hours ago, CV75 said:

I agree, but someone always makes the suggestion as if they are well-informed, but I have yet to see them offer a sound, factual basis.

Back in the day I knew a few authors well enough to ask how much they made per book as well as info from publishers about their percentage and I did some calculations based on that, but there is no reason to assume church leaders get a standard contract with Deseret Book, imo. 

[mnn727]

Deseret Book allows those of us Outside of the Mountain West to get Church Books, there's nothing wrong with advertising the service!

[Display Name]

I like having stores that sell Church related items.  It could be that these stores are popular because it is a way for Church members to share their culture and ideas.  Yes, people are making money off of selling books, games, and some tacky items, but it is no different than any other bookstore you walk into.

[JustAnAustralian]

7 hours ago, mnn727 said:

Deseret Book allows those of us Outside of the Mountain West to get Church Books,

Shipping is what kills it for us across the ditch.  $19 + $3/item for standard shipping or $31 + $7/item for priority

So depending on what it it is, the shipping could be more than the cost of the product.  

Which for me even though I'd prefer the paper version, it means I'll end up getting expensive eBooks, not the more expensive paper books.

My most recent purchase was the Maxwell Institute Study edition of the Book of Mormon back in 2018, my prior order to that was in 2013.

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by JustAnAustralian

[mnn727]

On 4/23/2021 at 4:29 AM, JustAnAustralian said:

Shipping is what kills it for us across the ditch.  $19 + $3/item for standard shipping or $31 + $7/item for priority

So depending on what it it is, the shipping could be more than the cost of the product.  

Which for me even though I'd prefer the paper version, it means I'll end up getting expensive eBooks, not the more expensive paper books.

My most recent purchase was the Maxwell Institute Study edition of the Book of Mormon back in 2018, my prior order to that was in 2013.

 

Yeah, that would be bad - luckily I'm still in the continental U.S. so shipping is not a 'killer'