Brazilians, for instance, know well what this “import substitution” concept means in real life. Not that the U.S. economy can be paralleled with that of Brazil, but as Susan is pointing out, things are far more difficult than what we are told in government propaganda. Brazil had a high tariff on computers back on the 80s and our manufacturers simply did not invest in innovation… they had a market reserve, if you will. We were stuck with old subpar technology, not just at home. Since it ended, huge amounts of government investment were made and we’re still behind. How many tech gadgets made in Brazil have you bought lately? And this is just one example. Maybe it will happen in the USA, maybe it won’t. But, usually, when this story of shielding one’s economy to develop internal industrialization appears big companies raise their prices and lower their quality. I have seen it.

Not to mention I’m guessing those big presses you would need are probably not made in America either.

The comments yesterday on that thread were surprising. Imagine sharing that difficult news face to face with anyone. Our first reactions are most likely to offer compassion and reflection and support. Online we go right to suspicions that you are “being political” and then to say, too bad, figure it out. I read that post this morning and I’m thankful you shared it. And many comments were what you had asked for, others sharing the ways they were affected by the tariffs as well. Very eye-opening.

Can you print through Amazon?

Yep. Our family’s bread and butter has been manufacturing for 45 years. This is not the way to gear up manufacturing, which likes incrementalism, plans, and certainty.

Thank you for sharing in an informative way. We have used this info for a homeschool discussion about how tariffs 'work' and affect things, tied in with historical examples we happened to come across in our lessons this week (the Corn Laws) and of course we also needed to reference the famous Ferris Bueller clip where the teacher talks about the Hawley-Smoot tariffs. I hope though that a solution is found and for your situation and that fewer extreme and unpredictable changes will be thrown at small businesses.

Susan, since I started researching homeschooling over two decades ago, I have appreciated your balanced and common sense approach. These two posts are more of the same. Thank you for using your voice and sharing the impacts the tariffs have had on your business so that we are all better informed. I have no solutions to offer but wanted to offer support, appreciation, and sincere hopes that you find solutions.

Susan Wise Bauer - my career background is in faith-based publishing and I have contacts that may or may not be able to help. I have a couple specifically who have transitioned from big publishing houses to small hybrid types and help smaller authors get their books published. These are not going to be large print runs but they have figured out how to make it work. If you’re open to it, I’d be more than happy to connect you or someone from SOTW with them. They are both based in Nashville. I do want to address something as a point of reference as this is near to my heart. As I mentioned, I was in publishing for many years. While in this industry, I saw first hand how the manufacturing of books and Bibles went from US based printers to China. The cost was drastically different. I was with our company when we shifted all printing overseas and it out more than one printing company out of business in the US. This was heart-breaking and awful. It is one of many reasons I left the industry. I left to open a clothing store. This is when I saw first-hand what Americans were willing to pay for garments. When clothing is made in the USA, it is substantially better quality but also higher priced. The cost to live in America is higher than China, and so the cost of labor is higher. We understand this on an intellectual level. But to see this play out in my own store was disheartening. People would see a $39 white shirt in my store, made in the USA, and they would laugh and tell me they would go to Walmart or Target and get one for 1/3 the price and they, “didn’t care if it didn’t last because it was so cheap.” Not only did this mentality eventually cause our store not to survive financially, but it further perpetuates the issue of manufacturing in America. While innovation and cost-benefit can come from international commerce and trade, the pendulum may have swung too far to some countries. Getting back to a point where we can support American manufacturing should be very important to us because it supports our economy, our families, our small or large towns and much more. And when this happens, manufacturers can make large and small print runs work because they are up and running with a full staff, facility and support system. Right now, few manufacturing companies are prepared for an influx of orders. I don’t pretend to know the macro or micro economics of this situation but I can say customers must be willing to pay more for products made in America. Period. If that means SOTW goes from $20 to $25 to make it doable, then we should be willing to pay that because it’s worth it. It’s actually worth way more than what people have been willing to pay for it because Susan was able to get a below-market price due to the lack of competition. This is just my perspective as someone who was in publishing and also on the front line with consumers. It’s not gospel, but it’s a perspective that has driven me to shop local as much as possible for the past 20 years.

Don’t forget about the finishing equipment not to mention all the packing and shipping personnel

Just as an FYI, I’ve found Nashville to have a very strong printing industry (used printers there for years for businesses I worked for (annual reports, brochures etc), even when living in other states). My stuff was offset printing, but there is also good web press capacity. You might want to look at options there.

I'm sorry this is happening...to all of us. I fear it will takes years for our country to recover from the anti-intellectualism that's taken hold. I suspect your base is homeschool families who are committed to a factual and thorough education. You've built a beacon in a sea of fluff. My 11 year old is being raised on the words you and your mom put to paper. I hope a solution presents itself soon. In the meantime, I'm glad we can purchase PDF versions.

if only there was a robust ELA curriculum that could improve the reading comprehension of some of the people commenting on the previous post...

In general, Susan's post illustrates what happens from policy ping-pong as presidential administrations change back and forth. Changes in response to national zeitgeist aren't in itself a bad thing, but excessive use of Executive Orders are. And make no mistake about it... this is something both parties do. One throws a door open and the other slams it shut. The present chaos caused by tariff trade war uncertainty is of course due to radical changes from the present administration, but quasi treaties and a complete opening of the border happened last time. All that from both sides could stop and a dampening filter would be applied if 90% of presidential actions instead were considered, debated, and enacted (or not) by the Legislative Branch of government. That's what the Congress is there for. Binary step changes in policy are terrible for business and the economy because they add a lot of costs and firms are nervous to invest in (for example) $10 million presses for just a couple of years.

I am sorry. One thing I learned from the guy on the Christianity Today Bulletin podcast, (he was a conservative financial expert from National Review) was that we are being given such garbled messages on this. That legitimate issues are raised, but other legitimate issues are being suppressed by the rhetoric, and that the proposed solutions are contradictory at times and not nuanced enough. Your experience helps flesh out that truth. I wonder how many people will suffer. I am sorry for the hidden suffering ones even if things go well for most.

Thanks for being so thoughtful about this and for taking the time to share -- it takes a lot of small stories to help us all think about the huge range of impacts from a big policy change like this.

People are so naive that we can just move manufacturing back to the US with a wave of a wand.

This may end up being lost in comments but I wanted to share a specific resource in case it's helpful. My husband's family has been in the printing business for decades. Here is a business with which they have had relationship for many decades: pahutch.com/#our-markets

There is a huge assumption being made on both of your posts that, if addressed, may be a key to understanding the likely outcome and give you some hope. An assumption has been made that the print houses you are using are going to have their capacity filled by large publishers and will no longer serve you. While this the likely outcome in the short run, it is unlikely to remain true. The print houses will expand. You don't need to start your own. They will add new capacity much faster than you can start something. They will add shifts, find efficiencies, add equipment, or whatever it takes to meet the increased demand. That is one of the core tenets of capitalism. They will get better at what they do, and you will eventually have more options for service because of it. There will be short term pain. I'm a business owner of 19 years. I get it. I've watched this sort of thing happen in my industry over the years. We are still suffering from some of the supply chain issues that started during Covid but, as a result of the Covid experience, some production has already come back to the States, and its been a good thing. Take a deep breathe and remember that you are an entrepreneur. You are creative, nimble, and courageous or you wouldn't have gotten this far. You'll find the short term solution and survive to enjoy the long term benefits.

Don’t be quick to judge where others are coming from. Many have suffered gov’t decisions in the recent past to find out they are simply viewed as collateral damage as well. I have great compassion for what this will mean to TWTM. You have been the light in the dark. This is just one more thing in a long line of watching institutions fail, and fall. When you’ve already been beaten/lost in a similar way, you offer hope. I know many people in waiting mode, hoping an answer will resurrect them. People are already experiencing loss that will never be recovered. My heart goes out to anyone who finds themselves caught up in this madness. I am well into the failures of the health care system for issues that will never be remedied. Trade is but one area that is under vast uncertainty. Our world problems are multi faceted.

That's so dreadful, Susan Wise Bauer! I hope you are able to find another printer in short order. How awful that the printer dumped you! Could you possibly move to more digital downloads for some things? As a homeschool mom with a big family, I have often found it easier to download certain things--like your Story of the World Activity Books.

If printed materials will be hard to come by I’m glad your company already had digital copies available! We have use the digital versions of many of your products and I hope your other customers can make use of those too. Wishing you guys the best during this period.

This is heart wrenching to stand by and watch; I can’t imagine what it’s like to live it. I’m so sorry. The frustration for me is how completely reckless, unnecessary and avoidable this is.

I share your pain. The company I work for is dealing with similar issues although not related to printing. It may not survive.

I am grateful for your impact on our family through the years. You have both knowledge and wisdom. I am praying that you will be able to find both temporary and long term solutions. Families need your resources!

It may be worth looking into other small publishers. Little Mountain Printing in Myerstown PA, for example, or the publishers of Today magazine which has lost some financial base due to moderately conservative views.