It’s clear that most of us are trying to spend less these days. In the name of charity and good will, a new publisher has taken the price of a book all the way down to nothing. You heard me right: zero dollars and zero cents.

Concord Free Press has published their first book Give + Take and you can get it free, either by requesting it through their website or by picking it up in one of several bookstores that are giving it away. Why are they doing this? Here’s their reason, taken from their website

We’re dedicated to a different kind of publishing, one that connects readers and their communities in new ways. We’re interested in expanding the definition of publishing and re-invigorating the book, which isn’t dead yet, by the way.

No matter who published them or how good they are, most books go on a familiar trajectory—new, used, shelved permanently, dusty. Ours keep going from hand to hand, generating donations along the way. Readers are generally good people. We give them a chance to get great books for free—and make contributions to organizations and individuals right in their own community, wherever that may be.

I like this idea. It takes the book and makes into a real social object. We all pass along books, if we remember to. Now, we can pass them along with a purpose. Instead of spending money on a book, give a donation, whatever you can afford, to a local charity. When you pass the book along, encourage your friend to do the same. Each book has been numbered and you can go to the website, enter your name, book number and donation info. That way, the publisher can track how much each book generates in donations.

I’m all for trying new things in the publishing industry. Who can say for sure whether this will work or not? Regardless, I think it’s a wonderful and noble concept and it is going to get my support. Your thoughts?

Special thanks to the folks at The Concord Bookshop for telling me about this book and publisher!
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