When people ask me, "Is Lantern a non-profit?" I always joke, "only to our accountant." It's true: we're not a non-profit organization, but publishing is one of those non-business businesses that are more cultural endeavor than money-making venture.
All this is by way of saying that, while we'd really like to get by on just publishing books and providing editorial services, we could make use of a donation or two to help us keep doing what we're doing. It's not tax deductible, but it would be much appreciated.
Or you could buy a book for your local library or send one to a prisoner you know, or give one to your local high school. There are all sorts of ways to support us, and we hope you will. To all of those who have already bought one or more of our books: thank you! We hope you've been enlightened, entertained, infuriated, and otherwise engaged with.
I can't promise that I love all the men listed in VegNews' "The Vegan Man Issue," but our own Martin Rowe appears in boldface!
Also, Lantern authors Steve Best, Nick Cooney, and Bart Potenza appear with lots of other men we DO love and respect. Congratulations to all these loved men on Valentine's Day.
Publisher certification awarded by Green Press Initiative, November 2011.
The results are in, and Lantern has been given a gold certification in the Green Press Initiative's new publisher certification program. This is great news (though it proves what we already know)!
Lantern was the first publisher to sign up with the Green Press Initiative in 1999, and we work hard every day to make responsible business choices, from our power sources to our computer disposal choices to our eating and travel methods. As a company that prints books, we've paid special attention to paper issues. The publisher certification program is rigorous, but as we told our GPI rep, we aren't interested in anything but the gold.
Here's what gold certification means:
The vast majority of our books are printed on post consumer recycled paper. That paper is also certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, meaning that the supply chain is documented.
We print our books in the U.S. to cut down on transportation costs and so that work conditions are regulated.
We run a green office, with clean sourced energy, the strictest reuse and recycling policies possible, and various other efforts like composting and the use of public transport.
We hope that you, the reader, will support Lantern and GPI in our endeavor to preserve the ancient forests and the natural systems on which all life depends. One way is to buy books that cost a little more but make a positive commitment to the environment no only in their words, but in the paper that they are printed on. For more information, visit www.greenpressinitiative.org.
Writer William Van Ornum discusses the changing landscape of publishing in his America article Bye Bye Borders. There he mentions Lantern and Gene Gollogly (our prez) as an example of small publishers who are adapting and thriving in the world of books.
Check out our ad in the latest issue of VegNews. Pick up your copy today and be sure to check out the latest titles from Lantern Books or visit our catalog. It's a great time to get started on your summer reading!
Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan of Our Hen House interviewed yours truly about Lantern, Sistah Vegan, and the future of books for their online podcast. You can listen to the whole show here.
You'll notice in the top-right hand corner of the home page, just below the listing of the recent blogs, that Lantern is now on Twitter. We hope you'll become a follower, so you'll be able to know when we've published our latest blog or book. You can also get our blogs and postings on an RSS feed and follow us and become a fan on Facebook. We often produce videos for our authors and other clients. So, check us out on YouTube.
Of course, we know it shouldn't be one-way traffic. If you make movies, we can share subscriptions; if you have a comment for one of our blogs, make it in the comments section of the post. If you want to tell us what's going on in your life, friend us on Facebook. Just visit the various sites, and, as they say in our neighborhood, let's tawk.
Here's the video of Lantern's Tenth Anniversary Party. Thanks to all who came, and who sent their regrets, and who offered us their best wishes. Here's to another decade of trying to walk the talk and publish books that can change the world!
So, we at Lantern finally got around to recognizing that we've been in existence for ten years and decided to tag on an admittedly very abstemious party on to a booksigning at Jivamukti Yoga School in Union Square, Manhattan, for Ruth Lauer-Manenti's An Offering of Leaves. The signing was a roaring success, and I think most Lanternites had a good time. There'll be video and photos soon of what happened. In the meantime, there follows the speech I gave to thank all the folks who've made Lantern possible.
Still kicking (from left: Gene, Kara, Laura, Evander, and Martin)
Ten years ago this month, Gene Gollogly and I finally finished getting Lantern's new offices at Union Square painted and wired up, acquired all the office furniture and supplies we needed (it helped that Staples was literally next door and that the previous tenant had left us a bunch of tables and chairs), and set about the business of making websites and producing books. We immediately hired an intern—the redoubtable Patrick Dwyer—and got down to programming and editing.
As Lantern enters its eleventh year, we’ve had cause to reflect with some satisfaction on our first decade of doing business. We’ve published over 150 titles, reprinted many of them several times, and handled several hundred more volumes from publishers we’ve distributed. We’ve saved thousands of trees through our work with the Green Press Initiative and by printing on recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. Meanwhile, through LanternMedia, we’ve also made, maintained, and hosted more than sixty websites. Along the way, we’ve made many friends and learned a whole lot; we hope you, our readers and customers, have done the same.
According to ConEdison Solutions—which just sent me a certificate to make its point—Lantern Books managed to purchase 760 kilowatt-hours of green energy in 2008. The certificate states that "In satisfaction of your 2008 purchase of wind power, this certificate verifies that clean, emission-free electricity in the amount shown above was produced and delivered to the electric grid." The sources? "The Fenner, Madison, Maple Ridge, Noble Bliss, Noble Clinton, Noble Ellenburg, Steel Winds, and Wethersfield Wind Farms, as well as other wind farms in the region."
How much is 760 kWh? About enough to run an energy-efficient fridge for one year. It's not much, but I guess it's a start.
"Nothing is as beautiful as spring," wrote the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. And we at the Lantern office are inclined to agree with him. These are some of the sights of spring in Lantern's garden, this year.
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