Pathfinder's lead title for Black History Month is From the Escambray to the Congo: In the Whirlwind of the Cuban Revolution, by Cuban leader Víctor Dreke (see excerpt and information on pages 8–9).

In early January, the Pathfinder volunteer sales people produced and faxed to a number of bookstores a two-page flyer and order form centered on Pathfinder's Black History titles.

It features collections of speeches by Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela and a section on "War and Racism" with, for example, To Speak the Truth by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, Capitalism's World Disorder by Jack Barnes, and Cointelpro: The FBI's Secret War on Political Freedom by Nelson Blackstock.

Two stores specializing in titles on Black rights and Afro-Caribbean history welcomed sales visits and placed substantial orders for books on these subjects and titles on Cuba as well. One buyer explained that whenever a picture of Argentine-born Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto Che Guevara is displayed in the window, it draws people into the store.

Another, at the suggestion of the Pathfinder representative who had noted the many new Latino stores in the neighborhood, took a copy of the Spanish-language version of How Far We Slaves Have Come! by Mandela and Castro, as well as two copies of the Communist Manifesto.

As the buyers have worked with Pathfinder sales representatives over the past 12 months, a mutual collaboration has grown up, permitting a back-and-forth of suggestions on what books will sell and what titles to try out.

When the sales volunteers followed up the fax with a phone call to other stores, many book buyers explained that Black History Month does not have much of an impact on their sales.

Many did not want to see a salesperson but, as a result of the fax and previous visits or phone calls over the past period, a good half dozen promised to make a modest order, including restocking from their previous orders. A second round of reminder phone calls has just been made to these buyers, many of whom appreciated the jog to their memory.

In these calls and during their visits, salespeople have been promoting From the Escambray to the Congo to buyers. Informal arrangements have been made with several to drop by to show it to them now that it is available.

One way Pathfinder supporters have increased sales over the past year is by organizing regular visits, phone calls, e-mails, delivery of catalogs, and other publicity material to a number of library systems and national bookstore chains. While the reaction was almost invariably very cordial, no orders were immediately forthcoming for these system-wide buyers. In all cases, buyers said that the books were worthwhile and would be ordered in due course.

Using Black History Month and the obvious authority of Pathfinder's titles to bolster their case and their confidence, reps recontacted a number of these buyers and succeeded in obtaining the first order: 51 copies each of four titles by or about Malcolm X, for a total of 204 books. This has reaffirmed that patient, consistent work breeds results, and that this work has a longer time frame than for individual bookstores.

Other orders included one from a general store serving Spanish-language customers in Vancouver for six or seven titles in Spanish. A course adoption for 70 copies of the French-language version of the pamphlet The Transformation of Learning by Jack Barnes was also recently rushed to a Quebec university. A Toronto rep has arranged a visit to a local community center, too. Broadening the scope of sales efforts beyond bookstores has proven important to sustaining sales.

In this light, Toronto volunteers are excited to have discovered that local high school librarians each have purchasing discretion over their stock--and the prominent part played by Black History Month in many classrooms may ease the way for Pathfinder titles.

Katy LeRougetel is a member of the Graphic Communications International Union.  
 
 
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