From the April-June 2008 Issue
Old work, new office
Demetrio and Jenny Canovas
New EP office10 November 2007 was a pivotal date in the fairly long history of EDITORIAL PEREGRINO, the publishing house I have been working for, in one way or another, for more than twenty-five years. This was the day when we did the removal of our old office and small warehouse (located on the ground floor of our house) into the big warehouse we’ve had for several years in our town. With the help of some friends in the area we were able to transport an enormous amount of books and office equipment to the new premises. But even then, it took many weeks to re-organize all the pallets with books, put up new racks and get everything working smoothly. To make matters worse the whole thing happened at the busiest time of the year when we get most orders!
The removal itself was the culmination of the laborious process of putting up a metal structure and plasterboard walls in order to build the new office in the old warehouse. For this we had the invaluable help of a Christian friend from Britain and other local friends. We are most grateful that the Lord gave vision and willingness to these dear people to come to help(cf Judges 1). Without their help the financial burden would have been too big for us to bear. Some who couldn’t come to help with their hands did so with their money, which was a great relief as well.
A growing work
Was all this upheaval justified? Most certainly so. Otherwise I would not have faced the fear and trembling that the mere thought of it produced in me before it was done! The fact is that our work has grown tremendously in the last few years, but our premises have not! Only one year ago we had one part-time worker, now we have one full-time and another part-time employee. Our sales of books have gone up more than 20% during the last year and our book production is growing apace. In the end it was a matter of sheer survival! Now everything is running much more smoothly and we are in a much better position to face the enormous flow of phone calls, emails and faxes that come into our office from all over the country and the world. The Lord has blessed us with two excellent workers who take their work very seriously and they find it much easier to function in the new environment.
What are the keys to the growth of our publishing work? Certainly most of all is the blessing of the Lord, which really is the one that can make rich (Proverbs 10:22). Then, on the human side, an important key is perseverance. EDITORIAL PEREGRINO started more than twenty-five years ago, and although during the first years there was very little publishing, nevertheless as we plodded on the Lord gave new opportunities and opened new doors. If we had given up then, PEREGRINO wouldn’t be what it is now. Also, the type of literature we publish is not one that would appeal to a great number of Christians who are mainly interested in self-help books and sensational subjects, but one that seeks to help people to understand their Bible and Christian doctrine in a deeper way. And yet the Lord is honouring our approach by giving us an increasing number of customers who are keen to read authors like Dr Lloyd-Jones, J.C. Ryle, the Puritans and the like. Another key is that we give a good service to our customers. We don’t just sell books, but also give guidance, both through our magazines and direct contact with people.
But we need to mention separately the great blessing it is for us to have friends and churches that support the work in prayer and in practical ways. Humanly speaking, without their support our work would never have got off the ground. Printing books and paying salaries and other overheads represents an enormous financial burden. Add to this the fact that our books sell very slowly (it may take five to ten years to sell out an edition), and then you realize how difficult it is to make ends meet. So financial help is vital at this stage.
Future challenges
And yet, financial support is for us a great challenge. At the present time our sales represent 50% of our income from gifts. This means that we need to double our sales in order to be financially independent! Although this may seem a difficult goal, if we continue growing at the present pace it doesn’t seem so far away.
However, growth also implies more staff and this is a need we’ve felt for quite a while. At present I’m doing both editing and management, while each of these aspects of the work would require a full-time person! For a long time we’ve been looking for a manager, but obviously it is not easy to find the right person. Perhaps someone with a missionary call might like to consider this post!
Part of our growth in recent times is due to our agreement with The Banner of Truth Trust, by which we look after the publication and distribution of their Spanish titles. We feel very privileged to work with such a reputable publishing house and are very honoured by the fact that we are considered reliable enough to take on this great responsibility.
So, the work is old, the office is new and the prospects are great.