Letters to the Bulletin

We run a letters page because someone told us it was old-fashioned. It turns out to be the most-read thing we do.

Here is this month's post, edited only for length. I have replied to each one, and in one case I have been forced to concede.

The angry one

Sir, madam, or whatever you prefer. I bought a copy of The Salt Ledger and the type on page 61 is so small I needed a magnifying glass. I have been reading for sixty years and I take it personally. Gerald Winch.

Dear Mr Winch. You are right. On page 61 a stray style slipped in at the proof stage, and a block of text went down to eight and a half points. We missed it. We missed it twice. I have written to the typesetter, who has agreed to correct the file, and the second printing will be right.

If you send your copy back with a note, we will swap it for a corrected one and put in a small apology. I can't give you the years back, but I can give you a larger font.

The practical one

Your books are lovely but your prices are high. I can buy a paperback for a fraction of that elsewhere. Why should I pay more? Priya Anand.

Ms Anand, a fair question. The short answer is the ledger we published last month: it costs us more than seven dollars a copy to make a book at our size, and we sell only a few hundred. A big publisher prints tens of thousands and spreads the cost over them all.

The longer answer is that we cannot compete on price and do not try. What we offer is the sort of book that does not otherwise exist. If that is not worth the difference to you, I don't blame you. Buy from the library. Borrow from a friend. Take the books out in turn.

The kind one

Just a note to say that I read the poetry pamphlet on a train, and a stranger asked me about it, and we talked for forty minutes. Thank you for making things that start conversations. Ellis Moorcroft.

Thank you, Mr Moorcroft. This is what we are here for. I have printed your letter and pinned it above the packing table, where Dov reads it on Fridays and feels better.

A concession

The anger and the practical letters were both right in their way. The page was bad, and the price is high. Neither is easy to fix, and one of them is cheaper. We are going to add a proofing round for every title and publish a typeface specimen on the colophon page so readers can see what they are getting.

I will not apologise for the price. I will apologise for the page.

Write to us

Letters should be on paper, kept short, and will be printed if they are good or if they are funny. If you want a reply by post, enclose an envelope. If you want to see what else is in the cupboard, our list is here.

Names, places and events in this demo are fictional.