Needlework book distribution in North America

Before I say anything else, this is NOT meant to be a solicitation of
any form. I'm looking for advice and ideas only.

Whew! Okay, a needlework teacher from Italy has asked me to be her North
American distributor for her needlework technique booklets. She's
written nine I believe, two of which she has included english
translations for and is working on the others with a final goal of
having them all translated to english. She is sending me the two already
translated which are "how-to" booklets on Filet Lace and Sicilian Drawn
Thread. Since I don't have them yet, I can't tell you how good they are
but I have read testimonials from her students and it seems that they
are very well explained and diagrammed. (She also writes a "how-to"
column for an Italian Needlework Magazine and what I've seen of her
explanations is good.)

Now the thing of it is this: I don't know how to go about this. What I
want to do is feel out the interest. Many of her books are classic
embroidery techniques but some are "Italian" needlework
technique-specific. I've seen that members of the national guilds write
booklets and sell them through Ruth Kerns Books so I was thinking to
contact her but I really don't know where to start and what kind of
questions I should be asking. I would appreciate any and all input
(privately if this is pushing the limits of the rules here!!).

One other thing to note is that I'm in Canada. Does anyone know where I
can find out the laws and regulations for this in the States? I know
I'll need an importer's license but possibly an exporter's license too
if I need to ship to the States. I'll probably need a broker for
cross-border stuff too.

Thanks so much for any advice!
Jeanine in Canada

I read Sheena's post and agree somewhat with her conclusions.

I would contact Ruth Kern and just be honest about it. Tell her what
you've just told us.

I'm wondering which Italian teacher. I know that Stefania was trying to
get another teacher's book on drawn thread available in the U.S. I
would have loved to get my hands on it.

Dianne

Jeanine3 wrote:
Before I say anything else, this is NOT meant to be a solicitation of
any form. I'm looking for advice and ideas only.

Whew! Okay, a needlework teacher from Italy has asked me to be her North
American distributor for her needlework technique booklets. She's
written nine I believe, two of which she has included english
translations for and is working on the others with a final goal of
having them all translated to english. She is sending me the two already
translated which are "how-to" booklets on Filet Lace and Sicilian Drawn
Thread. Since I don't have them yet, I can't tell you how good they are
but I have read testimonials from her students and it seems that they
are very well explained and diagrammed. (She also writes a "how-to"
column for an Italian Needlework Magazine and what I've seen of her
explanations is good.)

Now the thing of it is this: I don't know how to go about this. What I
want to do is feel out the interest. Many of her books are classic
embroidery techniques but some are "Italian" needlework
technique-specific. I've seen that members of the national guilds write
booklets and sell them through Ruth Kerns Books so I was thinking to
contact her but I really don't know where to start and what kind of
questions I should be asking. I would appreciate any and all input
(privately if this is pushing the limits of the rules here!!).

One other thing to note is that I'm in Canada. Does anyone know where I
can find out the laws and regulations for this in the States? I know
I'll need an importer's license but possibly an exporter's license too
if I need to ship to the States. I'll probably need a broker for
cross-border stuff too.

Thanks so much for any advice!
Jeanine in Canada

--
"The Journal of Needlework" - The E-zine for All Needleworkers
http://journal.heritageshoppe.com

I agree in part as well - I was thinking though that the Italian
techniques would be what sells but she seems to have sprinkled those in
with other traditional embroidery techniques. The teacher is Liliana
Babbi Cappelletti. I know that Stefania creates the illustrations for
her column in RAKAM. Unfortunately Stefi has been offline since last
spring due to moving into a new house and is still without a land line
for internet access so I can't ask her if this is the same one. Do you
know the name by chance Dianne?

Jeanine in Canada

Dianne Lewandowski wrote:
I read Sheena's post and agree somewhat with her conclusions.

I would contact Ruth Kern and just be honest about it. Tell her what
you've just told us.

I'm wondering which Italian teacher. I know that Stefania was trying to
get another teacher's book on drawn thread available in the U.S. I
would have loved to get my hands on it.

Dianne

Jeanine3 wrote:

Before I say anything else, this is NOT meant to be a solicitation of
any form. I'm looking for advice and ideas only.

Whew! Okay, a needlework teacher from Italy has asked me to be her
North American distributor for her needlework technique booklets.
She's written nine I believe, two of which she has included english
translations for and is working on the others with a final goal of
having them all translated to english. She is sending me the two
already translated which are "how-to" booklets on Filet Lace and
Sicilian Drawn Thread. Since I don't have them yet, I can't tell you
how good they are but I have read testimonials from her students and
it seems that they are very well explained and diagrammed. (She also
writes a "how-to" column for an Italian Needlework Magazine and what
I've seen of her explanations is good.)

Now the thing of it is this: I don't know how to go about this. What I
want to do is feel out the interest. Many of her books are classic
embroidery techniques but some are "Italian" needlework
technique-specific. I've seen that members of the national guilds
write booklets and sell them through Ruth Kerns Books so I was
thinking to contact her but I really don't know where to start and
what kind of questions I should be asking. I would appreciate any and
all input (privately if this is pushing the limits of the rules here!!).

One other thing to note is that I'm in Canada. Does anyone know where
I can find out the laws and regulations for this in the States? I know
I'll need an importer's license but possibly an exporter's license too
if I need to ship to the States. I'll probably need a broker for
cross-border stuff too.

Thanks so much for any advice!
Jeanine in Canada

I wish I remembered her name. I think it was Marie something or other.
That's why I asked. Sorry I can't be of more help. My memory just
isn't what it used to be.

I know that I am always looking for quality books on embroidery from
their native authorities, or one who has studied thoroughly. Some of
these European techniques are "gems" and simply not available to us.
It's why I appreciated Yvette's book on Mountmellick, and Fernau's book
on Schwalm, which was and is my bible on the subject. I've seen other
books from good authorities, but the diagrams leave too much to be
desired and are therefore useless to learn from.

Dianne

Jeanine3 wrote:
I agree in part as well - I was thinking though that the Italian
techniques would be what sells but she seems to have sprinkled those in
with other traditional embroidery techniques. The teacher is Liliana
Babbi Cappelletti. I know that Stefania creates the illustrations for
her column in RAKAM. Unfortunately Stefi has been offline since last
spring due to moving into a new house and is still without a land line
for internet access so I can't ask her if this is the same one. Do you
know the name by chance Dianne?

Jeanine in Canada

Dianne Lewandowski wrote:

I read Sheena's post and agree somewhat with her conclusions.

I would contact Ruth Kern and just be honest about it. Tell her what
you've just told us.

I'm wondering which Italian teacher. I know that Stefania was trying
to get another teacher's book on drawn thread available in the U.S. I
would have loved to get my hands on it.

Dianne

Jeanine3 wrote:

Before I say anything else, this is NOT meant to be a solicitation of
any form. I'm looking for advice and ideas only.

Whew! Okay, a needlework teacher from Italy has asked me to be her
North American distributor for her needlework technique booklets.
She's written nine I believe, two of which she has included english
translations for and is working on the others with a final goal of
having them all translated to english. She is sending me the two
already translated which are "how-to" booklets on Filet Lace and
Sicilian Drawn Thread. Since I don't have them yet, I can't tell you
how good they are but I have read testimonials from her students and
it seems that they are very well explained and diagrammed. (She also
writes a "how-to" column for an Italian Needlework Magazine and what
I've seen of her explanations is good.)

Now the thing of it is this: I don't know how to go about this. What
I want to do is feel out the interest. Many of her books are classic
embroidery techniques but some are "Italian" needlework
technique-specific. I've seen that members of the national guilds
write booklets and sell them through Ruth Kerns Books so I was
thinking to contact her but I really don't know where to start and
what kind of questions I should be asking. I would appreciate any and
all input (privately if this is pushing the limits of the rules here!!).

One other thing to note is that I'm in Canada. Does anyone know where
I can find out the laws and regulations for this in the States? I
know I'll need an importer's license but possibly an exporter's
license too if I need to ship to the States. I'll probably need a
broker for cross-border stuff too.

Thanks so much for any advice!
Jeanine in Canada




--
"The Journal of Needlework" - The E-zine for All Needleworkers
http://journal.heritageshoppe.com

These books, as I understand it are not "pretty" but very instructional.
More for learning than looking. :-)

Many of the books that I have purchased from Italy are as you say,
pretty pictures but lacking in the instructions and diagrams. I recently
read a debate on this very subject (on an italian message board) and
they recognize this. Ethnic embroidery books tend to be pictures of
finished work as there are schools available for those who want to learn
the techniques in their respective countries. They noted that
"English-speaking" countries tend to produce "how-to" books noting
everything from choice of fabrics and tools to execution of stitches.

A fellow guild member locally ran into the same thing trying to learn
Snutki (a polish technique I believe). The woman she contacted wanted
her to sign a document promising that she wouldn't show anyone the
instructions sent to her and wouldn't teach the technique to anyone else
either - not being properly schooled (in their opinion). There are
justifications to this way of thinking (proper technique, loss of
revenue, rampant copyright violations, etc.) but it makes it hard to
actually learn the techniques if you are not able to travel to the
various countries and schools to learn. :-(

I have noticed a few italian embroidery books lately have been either
published with a separate booklet in english or have the english (and
sometimes french) side-by-side with the italian instructions. Many times
however, the english translation isn't the greatest. These books are
largely self-published so there isn't much of a budget for extras.

Another barrier is method of payment. Italians don't use credit cards
like we do - they use bank transfers. I don't know about in the States,
but my bank wants an outrageous sum just to *do* a bank transfer to a
European country. Bank drafts or money orders are the compromise but are
bothersome to obtain for the buyer and service-charged for cashing at
the other end resulting in a higher prices for the book. I don't even
want to start talking about shipping!

Whew, didn't mean to go off on a tangent. Anyway - it seems the world
grows smaller but not easier. ;-)

I have been meaning to write Stefi a (gasp!) snail mail letter, maybe
I'll finally do it and ask about this author. She seems to be advancing
quite well in her embroidery career. I see her name (and picture!) in
RAKAM often and I believe she's teaching embroidery in Milan.

Jeanine in Canada


Dianne Lewandowski wrote:
I wish I remembered her name. I think it was Marie something or other.
That's why I asked. Sorry I can't be of more help. My memory just
isn't what it used to be.

I know that I am always looking for quality books on embroidery from
their native authorities, or one who has studied thoroughly. Some of
these European techniques are "gems" and simply not available to us.
It's why I appreciated Yvette's book on Mountmellick, and Fernau's book
on Schwalm, which was and is my bible on the subject. I've seen other
books from good authorities, but the diagrams leave too much to be
desired and are therefore useless to learn from.

Dianne

Jeanine3 wrote:

I agree in part as well - I was thinking though that the Italian
techniques would be what sells but she seems to have sprinkled those
in with other traditional embroidery techniques. The teacher is
Liliana Babbi Cappelletti. I know that Stefania creates the
illustrations for her column in RAKAM. Unfortunately Stefi has been
offline since last spring due to moving into a new house and is still
without a land line for internet access so I can't ask her if this is
the same one. Do you know the name by chance Dianne?

Jeanine in Canada

Dianne Lewandowski wrote:

I read Sheena's post and agree somewhat with her conclusions.

I would contact Ruth Kern and just be honest about it. Tell her what
you've just told us.

I'm wondering which Italian teacher. I know that Stefania was trying
to get another teacher's book on drawn thread available in the U.S.
I would have loved to get my hands on it.

Dianne

Jeanine3 wrote:

Before I say anything else, this is NOT meant to be a solicitation
of any form. I'm looking for advice and ideas only.

Whew! Okay, a needlework teacher from Italy has asked me to be her
North American distributor for her needlework technique booklets.
She's written nine I believe, two of which she has included english
translations for and is working on the others with a final goal of
having them all translated to english. She is sending me the two
already translated which are "how-to" booklets on Filet Lace and
Sicilian Drawn Thread. Since I don't have them yet, I can't tell you
how good they are but I have read testimonials from her students and
it seems that they are very well explained and diagrammed. (She also
writes a "how-to" column for an Italian Needlework Magazine and what
I've seen of her explanations is good.)

Now the thing of it is this: I don't know how to go about this. What
I want to do is feel out the interest. Many of her books are classic
embroidery techniques but some are "Italian" needlework
technique-specific. I've seen that members of the national guilds
write booklets and sell them through Ruth Kerns Books so I was
thinking to contact her but I really don't know where to start and
what kind of questions I should be asking. I would appreciate any
and all input (privately if this is pushing the limits of the rules
here!!).

One other thing to note is that I'm in Canada. Does anyone know
where I can find out the laws and regulations for this in the
States? I know I'll need an importer's license but possibly an
exporter's license too if I need to ship to the States. I'll
probably need a broker for cross-border stuff too.

Thanks so much for any advice!
Jeanine in Canada

I've never had anyone refuse one, just argue about it. Many of the
individuals that I've ordered books from (most often it is the author
herself) have claimed that they are charged fees for cashing bank
drafts. (This is not just a recent claim but one that has dogged me for
years) These days I send bank drafts in euros drawn on the Unicredito in
Milan (the ONLY bank in Italy on the list of options at the Royal
Bank!!) but I still get complaints.
Sometimes they ask for Postal orders instead but I've asked at Canada
Post and they don't do postal orders in Euros. I gather that they are
not received that often (in Italy) nor if you like, are they done that
often here. At least at my branch. I average about one a month and I
always have to explain to the clerk at the bank how to do it. Maybe they
are missing a vital step?!

Jeanine in Canada

Lucretia Borgia wrote:

Another barrier is method of payment. Italians don't use credit cards
like we do - they use bank transfers. I don't know about in the States,
but my bank wants an outrageous sum just to *do* a bank transfer to a
European country. Bank drafts or money orders are the compromise but are
bothersome to obtain for the buyer and service-charged for cashing at
the other end resulting in a higher prices for the book. I don't even
want to start talking about shipping!


I have never had anyone refuse a Money Order which can be obtained at
any Canadian bank, nor have I ever heard of a service charge at the
other end. I might add I get Money Orders practically every week (for
a friend laid low by MS who deals in stamps) and they are quick to
obtain and easy for the recipient to cash. If the recipient is being
charged for cashing, something is wrong and they should challenge it.
Basically, a Money Order is like cash.

Jeanine3 wrote:
I've never had anyone refuse one, just argue about it. Many of the
individuals that I've ordered books from (most often it is the author
herself) have claimed that they are charged fees for cashing bank
drafts. (This is not just a recent claim but one that has dogged me for
years) These days I send bank drafts in euros drawn on the Unicredito in
Milan (the ONLY bank in Italy on the list of options at the Royal
Bank!!) but I still get complaints.
Sometimes they ask for Postal orders instead but I've asked at Canada
Post and they don't do postal orders in Euros. I gather that they are
not received that often (in Italy) nor if you like, are they done that
often here. At least at my branch. I average about one a month and I
always have to explain to the clerk at the bank how to do it. Maybe they
are missing a vital step?!

I have had bank drafts made out in Australian funds, which cost $25 in
bank fees. I have also wired money, and that cost $40. Depending upon
what you are trying to accomplish, it can be difficult and/or expensive.
I have had the same complaint in Italy about the high cost of cashing
a check/draft.

Dianne


--
"The Journal of Needlework" - The E-zine for All Needleworkers
http://journal.heritageshoppe.com

There is also the option of Paypal. While most people pay for Paypal
payments through their credit cards, I believe that you can also use
your bank account - probably depends on the country you are in though.

You don't need to be operating an auction to accept Paypal payments.
You can set it up to work for websites and even emails.

And as an Australian, yes Austrians are lovely people I'm sure, but I
am not an Austrian... :-) There is no Vienna Boys Choir in Sydney...

Yvette Stanton
Vetty Creations, Australia
http://www.embroidery.more.at
Author of "Elegant Hardanger Embroidery" 2002, 2005 and "Mountmellick
Embroidery: Inspired by Nature" 2004

There's physical geography (maps and such) and there's cultural
geography. We had cultural geography where the class studies three or
four countries in depth. Calling it geography is a bit misleading to my
way of thinking because it is a completely different class.

Lucretia Borgia wrote:
On 17 Oct 2005 13:36:08 -0700, wrote:


There is also the option of Paypal. While most people pay for Paypal
payments through their credit cards, I believe that you can also use
your bank account - probably depends on the country you are in though.

You don't need to be operating an auction to accept Paypal payments.
You can set it up to work for websites and even emails.

And as an Australian, yes Austrians are lovely people I'm sure, but I
am not an Austrian... :-) There is no Vienna Boys Choir in Sydney...

Yvette Stanton
Vetty Creations, Australia
http://www.embroidery.more.at
Author of "Elegant Hardanger Embroidery" 2002, 2005 and "Mountmellick
Embroidery: Inspired by Nature" 2004


I was just appalled that somebody who had finished school, was deemed
intelligent enough to work in the bank, could be so dismal in
geography. Then again, they don't even have geography in school
today, it's called something else and maybe doesn't involve learning
about or where other countries are located.

--
Brenda
NEW to Styx, classic to the world: Big Bang Theory

LOL! Yeah, kinda sad. Funny enough in 1998 when I wanted to attend a
language school in Italy, they requested an "International Money Order".
Thinking that my small suburban branch wouldn't know... I went downtown
to the main branch of the Royal Bank (where my account originates).
There were clueless. I ended up with a handwritten bank draft. (which I
consequently paid an extra 10,000 lire in cashing charges for to the
school when I got there.) The Scotiabank in my suburb however, gave me
the next one (not handwritten) and there were no charges. I think it's
like paying the GST on deliveries from the States. Hit and miss. LOL!
Jeanine in Canada

Lucretia Borgia wrote:
On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 03:01:15 GMT, Jeanine3
wrote:
I do remember one stupidity and that was at Scotiabank locally. I
asked the teller (who looked very young and had in fact just started)
for a Money Order in Australian Dollars. After some time she returned
with a Euro Money Order. I told her that it was of no use to me and
she explained that they no longer used Dollars, only Euros. That's
when it dropped with me she was thinking Austria - when I asked she
said "Well it's all the same isn't it ? Australia/Austria ?" I told
her she would be well advised not to say that to an Australian anyway
lol