Hey Everybody,
It's almost time to prove again that what we started last year actually works. I'm a bit scared and excited at the same time. Last year we started the sponsor program and saved Borderlands. This year showed that it wasn't a one-time fluke. But 2017 is going to be the final test. In 2015 we had around 850 sponsors. This year we had around 650. That is, roughly, a 25% drop. To be honest, that is better than I was expecting.
In 2015, Borderlands closing was big news. People were paying attention and emotions were high. Being a sponsor in 2015 was a statement. It was, if you will, a shout out to the world, "Dammit, bookstores matter!" It was a punch in the face to all the things that have, over the years, closed our beloved bookstores (and record shops and video rental joints).
But being a sponsor in 2016 was a different sort of statement. It was, delivered in a flat, dispassionate growl, "I'm going to keep Borderlands open." It was the start of a wrestling match on the barroom floor; a match that might go on 'til last call. So, it's no surprise that fewer people want to sign up for that sort of fight.
Which is not to say that I don't appreciate the hell out of the people who stood up in 2015, took a swing, and then went on to another good fight. Their sheer numbers sent me and plenty of other people a message that we needed.
This year is going to send me a message as well. If we drop by another 25% this year, down to around 400 sponsors or so, I'm going to have some serious concerns about this working over the long term. Because that progression means we barely make the 300 we need come 2018. And, in 2019, we won't make it and we're closing.
On or around the 15th of this month, the web-page for sponsor renewals will go live (I'll be sending a short note to you to let you know when that happens). I'm hoping that you'll all decide to go another round with us but, if you decide not to, thank you so much for your support -- we've had a good year and we've done some great things. Without you, we wouldn't have had this year or the last one. So, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Have a peaceful and calm holiday, and may the New Year bring you all you wish.
All Best,
Alan
PS A big thank you to the folks who made the last sponsor social a big success: Meg, our fantastic tarot reader <http://www.megstarotreadings.com/> whose efforts were much appreciated by all. Philip Cuadra, founder of San Francisco's Highlawn Wine Company <http://www.highlawnwine.com/>, who plied our guests with some very tasty beverages. And our DJ, Steven R. Boyett <http://www.steveboy.com/index.html>. Steve recorded his mix from that night and has it here for your delectation <listen - http://traffic.libsyn.com/djsteveboy/funk_by_the_book_-_live_at_borderlands.mp3 download / playlist (mix is called "Funk by the Book" - http://www.groovelectric.com/mixes.html )
The Twitter Version
1) We'll be hosting a brief private reception for a small group of sponsors with James S.A. Corey (aka Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck), on Saturday December 10th at 4 pm, before their public event at the store. If you would like to be in the drawing to attend the private event, please reply to this email and say so (and, do look at the details in the next section of this note).
2) We'll be touring the offices of the Long Now Foundation at Fort Mason Center (2 Marina Blvd. Fort Mason Center Bldg. A San Francisco, CA 94123) on Monday, December 12th at 7:00 pm. You're welcome to bring a guest but please RSVP to sponsors@borderlands-books.com.
3) Thanks to the Balboa Theatre <http://www.balboamovies.com> and SF in SF <http://www.sfinsf.org>, Borderlands Sponsors have an opportunity to attend a special preview of the new Star Wars movie "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" at 7 pm on Thursday, December 15th. For details, email sfinsfevents@gmail.com and mention that you're a Borderlands Sponsor.
4) Bringing in the new year, we'll take a tour of the Speakeasy Brewery on Saturday, January 14th at 2:15 pm. There will be a small charge for the tour and guests are welcome.
5) I, and several other folks, thought it might be nice to have a little social gathering on Friday, January 20th to mark an event that is, at the very least, slightly science-fictional and surreal. So, we'll be getting together at the store for cookies, tea and company from 7 pm to 10 pm. Guests are very welcome and, if you've got cookies that you're especially proud of, please do bring some.
6) The first sponsor social of 2017 will be on Saturday, February 11th from 7 pm to 11 pm.
7) We're going to take a group visit to UC Berkeley's Doe Library exhibition, "Beyond Tintin and Superman: The Diversity of Global Comics", on Sunday, February 26th at 2 pm.
The Wikipedia Version
1) As a special treat for our sponsors, Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (collectively known as James S.A. Corey, author of the wildly popular Expanse series) will be attending a private reception for a small group of you before their public event at the store on Saturday, December 10th. To make this an intimate gathering, rather than just a smaller version of the signing at the store, the number of people attending is sharply limited. If you would like to come, please reply to this email and let me know. The deadline to express interest is 6 pm Friday, December 9th.
After the deadline, I'll draw names out of a "hat" to determine who will be attending. The private event is at 4 pm on Saturday, December 10th, will run just about an hour, and is walking distance from Borderlands. Drinks will be available to purchase at the site. Regrettably, it will not be possible to bring any guests. I will be notifying the winners Friday evening, just after 6 pm, and giving them further details.
Of course, the event at the store is open to the public and, as a sponsor, you can reserve a seat for yourself and one guest, if you like. Just email sponsors@borderlands-books.com to reserve a seat.
2) We'll be visiting the home of the Long Now Foundation at Fort Mason Center on Monday, December 12th at 7:00 pm. A bit about them, from their website: "The Long Now Foundation was established in 01996 to develop the Clock <http://longnow.org/clock/> and Library <http://rosettaproject.org/> projects, as well as to become the seed of a very long-term cultural institution. The Long Now Foundation hopes to provide a counterpoint to today's accelerating culture and help make long-term thinking more common. [They] hope to foster responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years."
Visiting Borderlands sponsors will take a guided tour of the space, see a model of the 10,000 Year Clock (you may have heard about it in Neal Stephenson's novel Anathem), hear about the Long Now's myriad projects, and grab a drink surrounded by mechanical wonders at The Interval, the Long Now's bar. There is no charge for the tour, and you are welcome to bring a guest. However, please RSVP to let us know you'll be attending. We'll meet at the Long Now Foundation, 2 Marina Blvd. Fort Mason Center Bldg. A San Francisco, CA 94123 at 6:50 pm. (Please leave yourself some extra time to find the space, since Fort Mason is a bit of a maze.) We're very grateful to sponsor Danielle Engelman, Long Now's Director of Programs, for arranging this visit. More info about the Foundation here: http://longnow.org/
3) Thanks to the Balboa Theatre <http://www.balboamovies.com> and SF in SF <http://www.sfinsf.org>, Borderlands Sponsors have an opportunity to attend a special preview of the new Star Wars movie "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" at 7 pm on Thursday, December 15th, before the movie opens to the public on December 16th. Tickets will be $8.50 each. For details, email sfinsfevents@gmail.com and mention that you're a Borderlands Sponsor.
4) Tour of the Speakeasy Brewery < http://www.goodbeer.com > on Saturday, January 14th at 2:15 pm. Ever since they were the beverage guest at one of our sponsor socials, we've been really big fans of the folks at Speakeasy Ales and Lagers, so it seemed obvious to us that a visit to their brewery and tap room would be in order in 2017. They opened the same year as Borderlands and their operation right here in San Francisco is something to see -- they can turn out 90,000 barrels of beer a year at the current facility. Despite their success, they're still a small, local company and just our kind of people. Each tour group caps at 10 people but they run tours every hour so, if we fill up the first tour, we'll add another at 3:15. As a consequence, guests are completely welcome. There will be a nominal charge of $7 per person for the tour. Please RSVP to sponsors@borderlands-books.com to let us know you'd like to come, since we need to book a bit in advance.
5) Cookies, Tea and Company on Friday, January 20th from 7 pm to 10 pm. I, and several other folks, thought it might be nice to have a little social gathering to mark an event that is, at the very least, slightly science-fictional and surreal. So, we'll be getting together at the store for cookies, tea and company from 7 pm to 10 pm. Guests, in any numbers, are very welcome. We'll provide some cookies but, if you've got a recipe (or supplier) that you're especially proud of, please do bring some to share. Likewise, if you've a favorite sort of tea, you can bring that too (though we'll have plenty of tea on hand). Also, if you feel like the evening deserves something a bit stronger than tea -- we won't tell if you don't.
6) The first sponsor social of 2017 will be on Saturday, February 11th from 7 pm to 11 pm. More details about that as we get closer to the date.
7) On Sunday, February 26th at 2pm, we're going to visit the "Beyond Tintin and Superman: The Diversity of Global Comics" exhibition at the Bernice Layne Brown Gallery, Doe Library at the UC Berkeley. On the advice of a sponsor, we're going to check out this exhibit of comics and graphic novels from around the world. From their website: "These materials often reflect the socioeconomic, ideological and political realities of the societies in which they are produced. . . . Comics and graphic novels portray differences by selectively intensifying various contradictions generated in society by censorship, race relations, political agendas and gender biases. Some of the comics that are displayed may raise issues that are highly contradictory or painful to contemplate. . . the curatorial team encourages you to dissect, deconstruct, analyze and enjoy the pictorial narratives that these items portray!" The exhibit is free and you are welcome to bring a guest. We'll meet outside the Gallery at 2 pm, and it should take no longer than an hour to see the exhibit. The UC campus is easily accessible from the Downtown Berkeley BART station. If you live in San Francisco and would like a ride, or can provide a carpool, please RSVP and let us know so we can help arrange transportation. The Doe Library is in the middle of campus, directly west of Sather Tower. The Brown Gallery is on the first floor, off of the North entrance. Directions are here: http://www.berkeley.edu/map?doe and you can find more information about the exhibit here: https://events.berkeley.edu/?event_ID=101462
Useful links for sponsors:
Sponsors' Blog - http://borderlands-sponsors.blogspot.com
Sponsors' Twitter feed - @bl_sponsors
YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvLsi-6ZyU0fuY09DIAt3A
Google Event Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=ud8v8s1cfutjemfeusiv72ubvo%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles
No comments:
Post a Comment