When Writing Kersplebedeb from Prison

Many people write to Kersplebedeb from inside u.s. prisons. This note is a basic guide to what to expect and what not to expect when doing so. People in prison normally cannot access my website, so if you are in touch with someone in prison who you know is interested in writing me, maybe print this out and send them a copy.

What i Can Do

1) If you write to me wanting a catalog or to know about books, i will send you a catalog and try to answer your questions. That said, as i get a lot of correspondence, and update my catalog only once or twice a year, i may only send you the new catalog when it is updated. In other words, if we do not have a pre-existing relationship, it may take upwards of 6 months for you to hear back from me.

What i Cannot Do

2) i cannot normally supply you with free books, or direct you to other resources. i apologize but there is just one of me and i get a lot of mail, and requests, and this is just not something i can normally do. It is no problem if you ask, and if i can help i will, but 99% of the time i can’t. The best i can normally do is to provide books with free postage.

3) i cannot use u.s. stamps. i appreciate you sending them to me, but you shouldn’t, because in canada we use different stamps. Sending a stamp or stamps will not change how fast (or slow) i can get back to you.

What i Sometimes Do, but Normally Can’t

4) i sometimes do publish things, including writings by people in prison. These publications almost always are in the category of things that do not break even, and are subsidized by other work or sales i make. As such, i cannot pay you for your writings. Furthermore, as i have years of backlog of things to publish, it is unlikely that i can publish your book or pamphlet.

 

 

Please note that the above is for people who i do not know who write me. If we have a pre-existing relationship, if we have corresponded before, or if we are somehow connected, the above does not apply. For other people, i wish i could do more and work with you, but chances are given my overall workload, that i cannot.

For people outside of prison, who are thinking of including Kersplebedeb in a list of resources for prisoners, i appreciate the sentiment and can certainly send people a catalog (though i normally do these mailings only a couple of times a year), but beyond that am pretty limited. Please indicate this when listing my project in your directory, if you choose to do so.

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2hpmUz0