Eric Schierloh - How to Prepare Yourself for the Collapse of the Industrial Publishing System

This publication is the result of a warm exchange between Public Collectors and Eric Schierloh of the press Barba de Abejas, (Beard of Bees).

In 2020 Eric wrote this essay that he translated into English with an American friend, Paul Paul Holzman, who also lives in Buenos Aires. In December 2021, Eric reached out to me to share his enthusiasm for my text “Towards a Self Sustaining Publishing Model.” Eric proposed making a Spanish translation and publishing my writing as a cheap edition in Argentina. He felt my text had similarities to his own words; the two works share a similar spirit of encouraging publishing experimentation outside of typically limiting market constraints.

Though Eric’s text had already been published in English in World Literature Today magazine and translated into French by the cardboard press La Liebre Dorada, we agreed that it could still be worthwhile to make a US edition that stood alone. So, in a celebration of artist publishing exchanges, Public Collectors is happy to share Eric Schierloh’s inspiring writing. It provides many potential creative paths forward for people with access to any form of printing, and any materials that could be used to make a book.

Published by Half-Letter Press in 2022

Zine/Saddle binding, 8 pages

Size: 5.5 x 8.5 inches