Guest guest Posted February 13, 1999 Report Share Posted February 13, 1999 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BBT Online Newsletter No. 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ Contents ~~~~~~~~ 1. Editorial 2. North American Annual BBT Report 3. BTG Update 4. Preaching in New Zealand and Australia 5. Marathon News 7. Opportunities ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Editorial ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Maharajas and prabhus, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. By this time of year the sankirtan devotees have returned to their normal distribution routines after performing the yajna of the Christmas marathon. To honour their efforts, the The Online Newsletter no. 3 contains an extended section of sankirtan news where we have stories from as far apart as Bombay and Los Angeles. We also bring you news about developments for book production and distribution in the North American BBT division and we hear from Nagaraja Dasa, the BTG editor-in-chief, how the devotees produce the BTG. HH Bhaktisiddhanta Swami tells us about some interesting distribution trends in Australia and New Zealand. In conclusion I would like to thank all those devotees who wrote to us, and who offered their services. Jaya Hari Dasa of Johannesburg, South Africa wrote expressing his desire to translate Srila Prabhupada's books into Zulu. Happily we were able to put him in touch with devotees who can help.If you think you can serve Srila Prabhupada in this way please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you. Your humble servant, Anjana Dasi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. North American BBT Annual Report by Sura Dasa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In 1998, the sankirtan devotees distributed nearly 100,000 copies of the new hardbound books "Quest for Enlightenment" and "Dharma, the Way of Transcendence." The hardcover sales in 1998 came to a total of 270,000 books, a ten-percent increase over 1997. This increase is attributable to both the steady work of the established temples and the efforts of a few new sankirtana groups. The new traveling parties in Seattle and Portland, under the direction of Prthu Prabhu, made the biggest difference. The North American BBT printed 927,000 books in 1998, including 340,000 hardbound books. That's 30% more hardbound books than in 1997. These books were printed in Australia. Taking advantage of the strength of the American dollar relative to the Australian dollar, we stockpiled hardbound titles. Sales to commercial distributors (Borders, Barnes and Noble, Associated Publishers Group, and Bookworld) held steady at $3,000 to $5,000 per month. The main titles are Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, The Science of Self-Realization, and Krsna book. Bookworld's Spring 1999 Religious and Spiritual catalog prominently presents BBT books on its centerfold. This full-color spread is the catalog's whole Eastern Philosophy section, and it displays twelve BBT books and none from another publisher! The North American BBT homepage has become popular. Every day we get around 5,000 hits and 10 to 20 catalog requests. Our full-color online catalog now makes it easy to purchase Srila Prabhupada's books online. Jagadisananda Prabhu and his Internet crew not only constantly update and fine-tune the BBT homepage, but also they promote BBT titles on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and borders.com. Each of these giant online booksellers has all of Srila Prabhupada's books, complete with full-color scans and descriptions. Sales have been steadily increasing. The North American BBT now mounts a display promoting Srila Prabhupada's books at a few book shows and conventions a year. We attend the Book Expo America, The New Age Trade Show, the American Academy of Religion convention, and the American Library Association convention. Last year the follow-up program of our mail-order division linked dozens of people to temples, and many of these people became full-time devotees and book distributors. We will expand this program in 1999 to help more sincere souls take up full-time devotional service in North America and thus increase book distribution. The first quarter of 1999 has the editorial and production staff working on five projects. First, we are reviving and updating the pamphlet "On Chanting Hare Krishna," a classic that tells what ISKCON is and who Srila Prabhupada is. It also contains the essay, "The Peace Formula," and Srila Prabhupada's explanation of chanting Hare Krsna, from the Happening album. Second, is a new full-color update of the pamphlet, "Krishna Consciousness Is Authorized," which highlights the culture of Krsna consciousness. The third and fourth projects are an interactive multimedia CD-ROM and a book, entitled "Lets Ask Srila Prabhupada." The book and CD are for mass distribution and contain the best of the best of Srila Prabhupada's conversations on Western philosophers. Our fifth project is the annual Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja book. In addition, we will be continuing to reprint existing books when needed. We pray we can continue to serve the Vaisnava community by producing and promoting transcendental literature, in pursuance of the order of our Guru Maharaja. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. Back to Godhead Update by Nagaraja Dasa, Editor in Chief ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back to Godhead's editorial and production offices are located at the New Raman Reti farm in Alachua, Florida. A double-wide mobile home provides offices for me, Kalakantha Dasa (circulation director), and Mallika Dasi (receptionist/secretary), and serves as the residences and office space for Jayadvaita Swami, Yamaraja Dasa (designer), and Punya Kirti Dasa (treasurer). Recent gurukula graduate Krsna-priya Dasi works at BTG part time, learning production-related software. Tamraparni Dasa, our former circulation director, now works with the Bhaktivedanta Institute but is still involved in graphics and editorial planning, and his wife, Loka-saksini Dasi, works with The Hare Krishna Bazaar (formerly The Hare Krishna Catalog). The production schedule for each issue of BTG covers about six months, from planning to printing. Traditionally, BTG has relied heavily on unsolicited material, and this is still the case, although we have started to put more effort into planning articles. Any article we receive is uploaded to a COM conference for review by several devotees, especially editors listed on BTG's masthead who don't live in Alachua. I try to draw a consensus and then decide whether or not to publish the article. When planning an issue, we draw from the list of accepted articles. For illustrations, we tend to rely on whatever is already available, although we sometimes commission devotee artists to do new work. It is easiest for us to work with nearby artists, and we regularly use the art of Puskara Dasa, who lives in Alachua. Yamaraja Dasa, who has been with BTG since the 1970s, designs and lays out the magazine on a Macintosh system. We scan photos in-house, but send out slides and transparencies to be scanned. The magazine is sent on a Jaz disk to a company in California that produces the film. A printer in Tampa, Florida, prints the magazines. Most of the shipping is also done from Tampa, although we send out most of the orders for North American temples from our office in Alachua. Our current print run is around 17,500. We have around 3,500 rs; the rest of the magazines are sold to temples. Our biggest customers are South Africa (6,000) and the UK (3,200). BTG has hired the Bhaktivedanta Archives in North Carolina to handle subscription fulfillment. They take care of all subscription-related matters. We handle temple bulk orders from our Alachua office. We are now sending the magazine on CD to India, Italy, and Spain for printing editions of BTG in those countries. We are now sending the magazine on CD to India and Italy for printing editions of BTG in those countries. Since 1991, BTG has mainly targeted devotees and the ISKCON congregation. With our subscriptions hovering around 3,500 year after year and our sales to temples decreasing, we've decided to shift the editorial emphasis to targeting outsiders. We've hired a consultant, and later this year we'll be doing a direct-mail campaign aimed at getting new rs from the segment of society we call "spiritual seekers." We invite devotees to write articles for BTG or send us suggestions on improving the magazine, keeping in mind the broader audience we're trying to reach. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. Preaching in New Zealand and Australia by HH Bhaktisiddhanta Swami ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The mood that developed in New Zealand is now being transplanted to Australia. Our focus is a string of city centers networking with a professional class of individuals who would never visit our temples for an introduction to Krsna consciousness. These are people who, with a regulated program of long-term exposure, become a "tribe" that flowers in full appreciation of our traditional molds. We call these centers Lofts, and we offer Hatha Yoga, Ayurvedic Seminars, Bhagavad-gita nights, Krsna Book nights, Martial Arts classes, and UF0 talks (based on "Alien Identities"). We conclude each week with a Hare Krsna Sunday program. Each evening, we serve organic Western-style prasadam and offer dinner-table conversation and kirtan. People come in after work and relax in the environment of a nurturing spiritual culture. Living room accoutrements (sofas etc.) enhance the comfort zone. Book distribution is the backbone of our operations. It provides the spiritual backing and finances. In our dinner conversations, the Gita is introduced, and people get the opportunity to read the Gita with us throughout the week. This begins our approach for the purchase of full sets. Between 2 to 9 sets have been sold weekly. Our motto is "Do unto others as has been done unto you." These young devotees eventually get to distribute books in the same manner that brought them in. We also run home programs, which reach out to special friends and their local groups that miss our Loft set-ups. In New Zealand a transformation has taken place and now in Australia things are catching fire. Melbourne and Adelaide have started these programs. In Adelaide, we have been having Loft programs Monday through Wednesday in the back of the restaurant, with just a horseshoe of chairs in front of the speaker. The only Western comfort zone at this time is that people don't have to sit on the ground. A more homey setting will be the development of the 3rd floor over the restaurant in Melbourne. This approach is a needed change in how we interact with the public. As a result of it, our centers are shifting from the rut of maintenance realities to creating bases of spiritual revitalization. This fosters a healthy family that truly attracts others and keeps them around. Our format is group participation at all times, with the speaker weaving a theme through questions and answers that fuel the collective sharing. The Gita is used nightly, and the evening topic is clearly defined. If people are involved in an atmosphere of sharing, then the reading of the sastra is given full attention. The prasadam is served around 7:45, and the dinner table conversations are where the relationships solidify. Generally, people like to get their books at the end of the meal. They have found a space that is not intimidating and a family that can help them rewaken their spiritual side. They have an excuse to come back again and again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. Sankirtan News ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following selection of sankirtan reports demonstrates the positive mood in book distribution that was present during the marathon. Unfortunately it is not possible to mention everyone by name but without the co-operation of many devotees, these results could not have been achieved. Books in Mumbai by Nayana-ranjana Dasa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In one of the most successful December marathons in the history of ISKCON, the devotees of ISKCON Juhu sold 100,000 Gitas in the first 15 days. The target, 150,000 Gitas, began to look small (150,000 Gitas is anyway just 1% of the 15 million people in Mumbai). The BBT was having a tough time supplying the books as the orders poured in from all directions. The credit goes to the Juhu temple management, which planned and pushed the marathon since June. The devotees collecting for Vidya Dan also played an important role: the Gitas sold for Rs.30, Rs.10 below the BBT price. The book distributors were the most magnanimous, going out for nearly 14 hours daily. There were 14 groups of distributors. Four were traveling and ten sold books at tables in Mumbai. In Mumbai, 70,000 Gitas were distributed in the first two weeks, and 30,000 Gitas were sold during that time by the four traveling groups. Every day about 4000 Gitas were sold in Mumbai. Each party averaged 300 Gitas per day. Altogether in December ISKCON Juhu distributed 183,250 books in December. This included a new world record for the number of maha-big books distributed in one month. By the end of the month we had distributed 172,000 maha-big books for 261,000 book points. The total number of books printed by BBT Bombay during 1998 was approximately 1.5 million (14% increase over the previous year) Sankirtan in Siberia by Saranagati Dasa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The "Marathon '98" in Samara happened wonderfully. About 50 devotees took part. We distributed a lot of books door to door. Nrisimhapada Prabhu, the sankirtana leader, inspired all the devotees by his words, example, and organization. He made sure that all the temple and congregational devotees had opportunities to go on sankirtana in vans. Vrindavan Candra Prabhu actively devised new ideas to increase the distribution and engage more devotees. He organized a special program called "Prabhupada's Mercy" in which the congregation paid for 110 "Prabhupada" books that were distributed free. We made a plan to do 2000 points, which many devotees thought would be impossible. But by the mercy of guru and Krsna, the impossible became possible, and we did 3450 points. On December 31st, we held a Maha-marathon. All the devotees distributed from 10:00 A.M. till midnight. Then we had a feast at the temple. It ended about 4.00 A.M. On January 3rd we had a Sankirtana Festival, with congratulations for all the participants. Marathon Mercy in Los Angeles by Sura Dasa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Prabhupada Marathon was a grand success. More than 30,000 books were distributed in December, more than half of them hardcover. At least sixty devotees took part, some part-time. All of these devotees went out on World Enlightenment Day. On that day, 20,600 pieces of literature were distributed, including 8,000 hardbound books. Led by Carucandra Prabhu, 18 devotees went out fulltime all month. Distributing at the airport and some streets in Los Angeles, Carucandra distributed more than 1,900 hardcover books, and Candrasekhar and Brghupati were close behind. A tremendous spirit of preaching and team effort created a wonderful mood for all the devotees all month. Iberian Ecstasy by Ekesvara Dasa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Spain, two sankirtan parties were led by Avesa Rupa Dasa (in Burgos) and Bhakta Javier (for the Spanish Sankirtan Ministry). This year a transcendental competition was held between Spain and Portugal. This increased the sankirtan and gave the sankirtan devotees more association with each other. Totals: 726 Maha, 3424 big, 1,010 Medium hard, 4,914 Medium Soft, 6,243 Small. The marathon ended with a wonderful festival in New Vrajamandala (Spain). HH Param Gati Swami and Manidara Dasa were present. Around seventy devotees from Spain and Portugal took part in the sankirtan festival. We enjoyed work shop sessions, wild kirtans, good lectures, nice prasad, devotional rock and good asociation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Opportunities for Service ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The BBT depends on voluntary service by devotees around the world. However, fulltime support is available to devotees who are qualified translators. The BBT always needs more devotees to perform the valuable service of translating Srila Prabhupada's books into other languages. If you speak English fluently as a second language and would like to translate Srila Prabhupad's books into your language, then contact us. For young devotees, there are opportunities to be trained in editing and publishing. The BBT also needs artists, computer operators and programmers, writers and editors. If you would like to work for the BBT please contact us at: Anjana.ACBSP (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se (on com) bbtco (AT) netcomuk (DOT) co.uk (on the Net) COPYRIGHT ~~~~~~~~~ This is an internal newsletter for devotees and supporters of ISKCON. The copyright holder of this newsletter is the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Permission for reproduction is hereby given to all publications, e-mail lists and web-sites that have as their primary purpose the promotion of the ISKCON mission of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, under the direction of the ISKCON Governing Body Commission. Permission for reprodiction in all other circumstances should first be sought from the copyright holder. Enquiries may be directed to: bbtco (AT) netcomuk (DOT) co.uk or anjana.acbsp (AT) com (DOT) bbt.sev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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