To Whom It May Concern

 

The two most annoying things about publishing a zine in the same letter!

First the note. It doesn't say what they are asking to subscribe to nor does it include an address. Secondly, and this is a more personal beef, it doesn't say WHY they are interested in whatever they are sending for nor where they heard of whatever they are sending for. The absolute MINIMUM effort was expended.

Second, the check. So, this let me know what they are sending for: Node Pajomo. You may be surprised to learn that I do not have a business account under the name of my zine, so there is no way for me to cash this check. The check is for $1. It costs $2.31 to ship the zine to anywhere in the US and I think the final issue cost just under $2.50 to print. The fine folks at Slingshot have reviewed the zine several times and listed the price as a dollar for reasons that I cannot fathom, other than the fact that there isn't a price on the cover. 

Let me clarify that publishing the zine was NEVER about making money, hence the lack of a price on the cover. I never wanted to treat it as a commodity. It was always available for trade or exchange, but if one didn't have anything to trade or exchange I generally requested $5 if someone asked. That covered my expenses. I was VERY fortunate to have some financial backers (Hi Jack!) that kept me from going broke, but I never made money. I may have pulled even once or twice, though. 

Lastly, I have learned through my dealings with the prison industrial complex (this request was from a prisoner) that the person who sent the check cannot receive the check if I return it! Every prison does it differently, but generally it must be deposited into the prisoners account, but it is written to "Node Pajomo", so...

Enough of my complaining... for now!