© 1986 Urantia Foundation
We are pleased to report that the Ninth Printing of the The URANTIA Book is in the final stages of production. If all proceeds according to schedule, the entire manufacturing process of the Ninth printing will be completed by the latter portion of December. The contract for the Ninth Printing calls for the production of 30,000 copies of The URANTIA Book, which is an increase over the average figure of 25,000 copies produced for the Fourth through the Eighth Printings. Distribution of the Ninth Printing should begin in late winter or early spring when the inventory of the Eighth Printing will be exhausted.
Even though figures are not yet available for the month of December, distribution (which includes both sales and donations to libraries) of the English version and the French translation of The URANTIA Book has reached a combined total of 10,000 copies for this year. Since 1982, when we began distributing the French translation, in addition to the original English version of the book there has been only one year, 1984, in which the combined total number of copies distributed has not exceeded I0,000 books. So far for this year, distribution of The URANTIA Book stands at a little over 8,600 copies and somewhat more than l,400 copies of Le Livre d’Urantia. If the current distribution pattern for both versions of The URANTIA Book remains firm through December, the total number of copies distributed in 1986 should certainly reach 10,500 or more books.
With the end of this year, a total of more than 152,000 copies of the English version of The URANTIA Book will have been distributed since its initial publication in 1955. The total number of copies of the French translation distributed since its first publication in 1961 should reach approximately 18,500 books at the conclusion of this year. The combined total for both versions will be about 170,500 copies.
The process of translating The URANTIA Book into strongish currently involves an initial draft by professional translators at Euramerica, Inc. in New York City, then review by a team of long-time readers who are fluent in both languages.
Andite Corporation has reported to URANTIA Foundation that differing perceptions of the concepts in the teachings, and of usage and connotations in the two languages, present demanding challenges to both the professionals and the reviewers.
Translation of a work like The URANTIA Book is not easy! What is important is that we are committed to producing a good Spanish translation.
The Trustees are pleased to announce the election of Frank Sgaraglino as a Trustee of URANTIA Foundation. Frank is filling the vacancy on the Board of Trustees created by the death of Art Burch, who passed away last May. In his professional life, Frank works as the manager of a trust section at a large bank. Frank has been a student of The URANTIA Book for more than twenty-five years. He has been a member of Orvonton URANTIA Society of Chicago since its inception in 1961 and has served the group in a variety of elective positions, including President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Frank served as a member of the General Council of URANTIA Brotherhood from 1964 to 1986. He also had the opportunity to serve as a member of the International Fellowship Committee from 1964 to 1971 and the Fraternal Relations Committee from 1971 to 1980. In 1980, he became Chairman of the Finance Committee and served in that position until he was elected to the office of Vice President of URANTIA Brotherhood in 1985. After his election as a Trustee, Frank resigned his positions as a General Councilor and Vice President in order to focus his available time on his new responsibilities with the Foundation. During his tenure as Chairman of the Finance Committee, Frank led the very successful fund drives for the 7th Printing of The URANTIA Book and for the Spanish translation. Frank’s wife, Mary, works for a publishing company and his son, Mark, is a high school student. We hope you will join with us in welcoming Frank into his new role within the URANTIA Movement as a Trustee.
Over the last several years there has been some discussion over the $34.00 retail price of The URANTIA Book and the $38.00 retail price of Le Livre d’Urantia. In the course of this discussion, we have noticed a lot of misunderstanding about the pricing structure of the book. In particular, it appears that some people believe we are making large profits from the sale of the book at these prices. We wish to offer the following information in the hope of helping you to understand better where proceeds from the sale of books go.
There are two points to keep in mind before proceeding with this analysis. First, there has long been, and continues to be, a high value placed upon using the commercial book distribution channels, i.e., retail bookstores and distributors. This is done to help prevent us from exhibiting the cultish behavior associated with groups who distribute their publications only through members. Thus, this public availability of the book in thousands of bookstores and libraries helps prevent us from being perceived as a cult and is an important and efficient method of disseminating the book, for many people will be exposed to it while browsing in libraries and bookstores. The second point to remember is that we have to have a discount structure in order to do business with bookstores and distributors.
Our current discount policy is that distributors receive a 50% discount and individual bookstores receive 40%. These discounts are very much in line with normal book trade standards and are neither too generous nor too strict. In fact, good discounts are important to the retail book trade as an incentive to even carry the book because higher profits to the bookstore on fewer books sold makes up for the fact that the book is not a high volume seller. In addition, URANTIA societies receive a 40% discount for quantities of 10 or more books, and anyone can receive a 25% discount for 5 or more books.
Now, let’s look at how proceeds are distributed. First, the 25% to 50% discount to the purchaser is subtracted from the $34.00 retail cost. Next, URANTIA Brotherhood is paid a 17% sales commission on the discounted price to distribute the book as URANTIA Foundation’s sales agent. This commission pays for the staff time to process orders and ship books. Then, the $10.83 production cost of the book, (which includes storage, insurance, and depreciation of printing plates) is subtracted. Whatever is left is what is available for Foundation programs, not the full $34.00 retail selling price.
Because final figures are not yet available for 1986, let’s look at 1985 English version sales figures of books sold through normal distribution channels. Of the 7,724 books sold, 4,029 (52%) were sold at the 50% discount. The Foundation’s gross proceeds on these sales would be figured as follows: l7.00) = $17.00; minus 17% sales commission to the Brotherhood ($2.89) = $14.11; minus production cost ($10.83) = $3.29. So, on over half of the books we sell, we only receive $3.28 per book
In addition to the books sold at 50% discount, the remaining figures are 2,496 books (32%) sold at the 40% discount, 780 books (10%) sold at 25% discount, and only 419 books (6%) sold at the full retail price of $34.00. At the 40% discount rate, the Foundation nets $6.10, after paying the Brotherhood’s commission of $3.47. Combining the percentage of books sold at the higher discount rates of 40% and 50%, we find they account for 84% of all sales. So, on over half of all books sold, the Foundation receives only $3.28 and on another approximately one third, we receive only $6.10. Counting all books sold at the various discount rates, the Foundation receives an average net proceed of $5.67 per book.
We realize we have thrown a lot of numbers at you, but we believe it is important that you understand the small proceeds received even at the $34.00 price. The $5.67 average proceeds per book are all that is available of $34.00 to help pay for Foundation salaries, building maintenance, office equipment and supplies, and all other overhead expenses. If one included the Foundation’s overhead, and gift books donated for library placement, we do not make any money on the book. In fact, we take a loss. This means that without your contribution support, we could not continue at our current level of operations, let alone try to expand our services. When all the figuring is done, the bottom line is that less than 25% of the operating budget for the Foundation comes from book sale revenues.
We truly rely on and need your financial contributions, and we wish to again thank you for your previous and, we hope, continued support.
“Eight months ago, I purchased a copy of The URANTIA Book from a local bookstore. I have read the book from cover to cover, and am now in the process of rereading it. This time, very carefully underlining what I consider important passages as I go. There seem to be millions of them!”
“Found your book, The URANTIA Book, in the local library here listed as a gift from you. Thanks! Now - what the dickens is this? Who are you? Where did this come from? This book is a MIND BLOWER!”
“Recently, a friend of mine showed me a copy of The URANTIA Book presented to the Nursing Home he manages. Not being familiar with the Foundation or the book and having only a short time to examine it, I am seeking additional information. The most logical place to begin is with your organization.”
“We discovered your beautiful book in our public library, and now find we need to know more about your Foundation.”
“About a month ago, I purchased a copy of your publication, The URANTIA Book. Since that time I’ve read approximately two thirds (I’m at Part IV - The Life and Teachings of Jesus). To say the least, the material is very thought provoking. However, pending completion of the book, I’ll reserve further judgement. Nevertheless, I will state that it has certainly enhanced my outlook with regards to my relationship, (as I perceive it), with God, and surely, that is good and I commend you.”
“But personality and the relationships between personalities are never scaffolding; mortal memory of personality relationships has cosmic value and will persist. On the mansion worlds you will know and be known, and more, you will remember, and be remembered by, your onetime associates in the short but intriguing life on Urantia.” UB 112:5.22
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URANTIA Foundation
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