for the next Editor

from 2020

Prep

First thing, sign up for a Gmail account. Either YEARswatchswap, or swatchswapYEAR, or whatever. We need a new one every year, so that we can keep separate all personal data and delete it later (addresses, phone numbers, database files). Anyway, the main "usable" data that can be shared is in the Book itself, so there :-)

It would be nice to use the same account year after year, as I haven't figured out how to keep some useful data, like suggestions sent to me in emails, and still erase personal information. I'll simply delete all at some point, sigh.

Expect to spend several hours getting the rest of the "prep" done.

Build the sign up form

After you secured this year's email account. Only one major thing to watch out for: when you do a Google Form, there is one option there in advanced settings for collect emails where you need to remove a check mark, otherwise people are forced to have a Gmail account, which many find to be a nuisance, that had received complaints in the past. Otherwise, it is not too complicated, if you know how to set up Google forms...

Be aware about the extra options you have available, some of which I did not know about when I did it in 2019, like limiting length of responses, or adding a descriptive text to the question label, quite useful.

I wish I could offer to help you, I might, but who knows how many years from now you'll be reading this...

Shipping

Media mail vs. "flats" vs. other options

Shipping is the largest "hard" expense.
USPS rules keep changing, prices rising. I have found that for domestic shipping, "media mail" with tracking appears to be the best deal. This being a periodical (yearbook), it qualifies to be shipped as media mail, with tracking. For international, there is no tracking anyway, and sending as a "package" is horrid expensive. However, there is something called "flats", as long as the full envelope is less than 3/4 inch thick, and bends; the cost is almost reasonable. Flats also can be sent without a customs form, and probably have as much a chance to make it to their destination. None was lost in 2019, but one domestic envelope with tracking and all, was stolen from someone's porch after delivery, no luck there...

Because domestic "flats" are more expensive than media mail, and seldom postal employees wanted to help me with this kind of distinctions, I needed to visit two different post offices, one for international flats, one for domestic media mail...

Either way, manila envelopes is the only game in town. Priority mail seems to offer no advantage, compared to media mail with tracking, except perhaps the "prepaid insurance" up to $50. I wrap the books in plastic, as mail gets wet if it rains, and I also add the shipping address inside the plastic, I've had things happen...

It might be that by now USPS rates have gone up so much, that a visit back to UPS, Fedex or DHL might make sense.

(from Yama, July 28 2019)

I have a bit of a concern when I aim for 100 participants, keeping the fee the same.

What happens is that a book about 50 participants, has a cost of production (prints, labor, binding, gluing) that we will call X50. The cost for 100 particpants is probably twice X50 per each book! As there are twice as many books, that means a production cost of X50 times four, while income from the fees (a lot of which goes into international shipping) remains the same per book, at best just doubles.

The "value" of course is also oh so much higher, as more participants make for a more "complete" display of what is going on in 2019 in papermaking by hand.

That additional "value" makes it worth the extra effort, sure, this will be a Swatch Swap for the ages, but it will mean a lot of extra effort.

:-)

(August 2)

The Swatch Swap is not yet one week old and we have 25 signups already... They say "be careful what you wish for", and I wished for 100. I might make it. scary :-) That's 100 books. Say, an average of 2 swatches per participant, 200. 3 per page, 67 pages, plus 10 or so "advice" and etc., 7,700 pages. Heavy paper, that alone is a pile almost 3 feet high...

yikes :-)

Having fun, and clearing my calendar for October...

(August 26)

Was advised that there has been a bit of a tradition about having sign-up go beyond Labor Day. Thusly extended this year's to Sept. 4.

(August 30)

Breathing easier, the count is 77 this morning.

Important: use the same format for people to put an address in the sign up form, the way that it is done everywhere in the intertubes! Meaning, name, company, shipping address line one, shipping address line two, etc.

I tried to have something to ease counts by country, and mangled things. No big deal this time, but will need extra work to sort out, and it confused people. Also, make sure an option exists for people that are not having the books mailed, but instead carried to them internationally.

then, perhaps an option to publish name and/or company as their official listed name.

Dimensions while I am proud I'm not insisting on 2by 3 inch, one option that came up was 2 by 6, folded. I love popup books, and this concept might be interesting to some.

Lists of people to invite

https://encuadernacionalpoder.blogspot.com/2018/08/papel-artesanal.html

Don’ts and Do’s for a Paper Swatch Swap Coordinator

(shared wisdom from Beth Heesacker, 2016(?))

• Don’t be surprised if swaps come in a multitude of package types. Enjoy the variety.

• Don’t be surprised if the swatch count is off, either too few or too many. If too few, email the participant and give them the chance to search for more. If no more are available, cut swatches in half to make enough for the books.

• Don’t be surprised if people back out at the last minute. Things happen.

• Don’t be surprised if some have not sent a return address label.

• Don’t edit the recipe pages until all swatches have been verified. That is, the proper number of different swatches matches the number of recipes in the database for each participant.

• Don’t be surprised if swatches are lost in the mail. Just email the participant and let them know so they can resend if they can.

• Don’t be surprised if the swatches are in various sizes.

• Don’t be surprised if swatches stick together and then fall to the floor while you shift pages.

• Don’t be surprised if thick/cockled swatches don’t want to stick. Just put glue on the swatch too and hold for a few seconds.

• Don’t be surprised if you put a few swatches in the wrong place. Just remove, reprint the page if needed and re-glue. Always be in a mode where you are checking constantly what you have done.

• Don’t be surprised if you skip a page. Just go back and fix it.

• Don’t be surprised if some covers are too small or too large for the books. Just “make it work”.

From a 2011 message from Beth Heesacker in the Papermaking web group https://groups.io/g/Papermaking/message/29701

My apologies to the others but I will just post this one email so that anyone who is interested can see what is entailed and then if there are any further questions, please email me off the list.

• Decide how many books you think you can make.

• Decide how much time you need to get the work done.

• Decide on your deadlines for sign-up and for when you want all materials in to you based on the above decisions.

• Set up your Yahoo list and invite people to sign up.

• Wait for the materials and do some preliminary book designing. You cannot finish this until you have some idea on how many swatches you will need to put in the book.

• Keep the swatches in the same packages in which they were mailed to you (just in case you need to check an address, etc.) and keep them in alphabetical order, in a safe place.

• Occasional emails are necessary to encourage people and to remind them of deadlines.

• Close the list (and the waiting list) when the deadline has come and gone.

• Work on the books.

• Email anyone who shortchanged you on swatches.

• Send the books out and make sure that all arrive.

• Send extra copies to appropriate charities.

That is an outline of the process. How you handle it is up to you. How you design your book is up to you.

Beth