Free Books, Black Activism & Charitable Contributions

My free book from Concord Free Press has arrived. Note the “100% OFF” sticker on the envelope.

Push Comes to Shove by Wesley Brown is set in the 1960s and 70s and follows a group of black activists struggling to make their place in the world. Mr. Brown is Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University and currently teaches literature at Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

Concord Free Press is an experiment in generosity-based publishing. Upon request, books are are shipped anywhere in the world free of charge. There are no shipping and handling fees.

My obligation for receiving a free copy of Push Comes to Shove is three-fold:

1. I must make a donation to a charity or person in need.
2. I must chart my donation on the Concord Free Press website.
3. I must pass the book along to someone else, so that they can give.

My original intent was to donate to 12for12k, but since I’ve chosen to donate to an alternate charity this month I plan to support the Pink Cross Foundation.

 

Concord Free Press Experiments in Generosity-Based Publishing

Concord Free Press just released it’s second free book.

A small publisher from Massachusetts, Concord Free Press, is giving away 2,000 copies of Push Comes to Shove by Wesley Brown as part of an ongoing experiment in generosity-based publishing. Their first book was Give + Take by Stona Fitch. In October, the company plans to release a novel by bestselling author Gregory Maguire entitled The Next Queen of Heaven.

The books are reportedly nicely-designed paperbacks, free of ads, written by professional writers. Upon request, they are are shipped anywhere in the world free of charge. There are no shipping and handling fees. So what’s the catch?

All we ask of readers is that they make a voluntary donation to a charity or someone in need. And pass their book along so others can give. It’s a new kind of publishing based on generosity.

Private support, grants and connections within the publishing industry keep Concord Free Press in operation. So far, readers have contributed over $45,000 in donations around the world.