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HELP ME SEND A FINANCIAL “CARE PACKAGE” TO A FELLOW APOLOGIST
I’m talking about Dave Armstrong (pictured with Jimmy Akin in 2004). Dave has been a fulltime apologist for years, working out of his home as a one-man operation. He’s done much good for thousands of people, but he’s broke. I don’t want to see him broken.
At his Facebook page Dave has posted an appeal for financial help. He’s trying to raise $7,500, but, frankly, his family needs much more than that. I ask you to join me in putting together for them a financial “care package.” My plan is to collect checks which will be sent to Dave in a batch.
I’ll start off with a check for $500 from my personal funds. I’m asking you to pony up too. I’d like to see us gather several times $7,500 so Dave can continue his good work for the Church.
Before I tell you the mechanics of my plan, let me tell you about Dave.
WHO IS DAVE ARMSTRONG ANYWAY?
Dave and his family live very abstemiously in a suburb of Detroit. His wife homeschools their four children and so isn’t able to be employed outside the home. Dave can’t look to income from public speaking because, frankly, he isn’t a good speaker. That’s not where his talents are. They’re in writing. He’s written 40 books so far (most of them being revisions of things he’s written on his blog). Only nine of his books have been published by regular publishers, mainly Sophia Institute Press but also Catholic Answers. The remaining 31 books are available digitally at Dave’s blog.
[Dave: actually, all are available in paperback at Lulu, and are also sold in paper and e-book form at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and iTunes]
Dave never has been able to support his family through book sales alone. This is the way he puts it: “The majority of my income is derived from book royalties: my own hard work and the sweat of my brow, but that’s not enough to completely support my family. The apologetics market is but a tiny niche in the bookselling arena. If such a book sells 10,000 copies, it is considered a bestseller in apologetics. I’ve accomplished that five or six times. But if you add up those royalties (often only as low as, say, $1.50 per book sold), it’s not much money.”
WHY ROYALTIES AREN’T ENOUGH TO LIVE ON
It certainly isn’t much money. Let’s say those nine books sell, on average, a total of 10,000 copies apiece during their lifetimes—about five years for most books. That’s 90,000 copies. At $1.50 royalty income per copy, that’s $135,000 over five years, or about $27,000 a year. Dave’s digital books may not sell even 500 copies each in their lifetimes.
I can’t see how his income from book sales can reach even $35,000 annually. And keep in mind that the royalties from his nine printed books may be far smaller than even these numbers, since most of those nine books were published years ago. His book income, which represents the majority of his income, could be as low as $25,000 annually—for a family of six!
Dave has had to supplement his fulltime apologetics work with side jobs. For years he worked a large newspaper delivery route. Another stint was as a seller of used books. For three years he moderated the website of the Coming Home Network, until that ministry’s tight finances resulted in his being laid off in 2010. I know he has taken other low-end jobs to make ends meet.
Dave infrequently makes pleas for financial help. This is only the third time he’s asked for assistance in thirteen years. That tells me his family is hurting.
If you can join me in writing a check for Dave, please follow these instructions exactly:
1. Make out your check to “Dave Armstrong.” Do NOT make it out to Catholic Answers, because your check will be forwarded by me directly to Dave, and he won’t be able to cash it if it’s made out to Catholic Answers.
2. I won’t open your envelope. I’ll forward it unopened to Dave. I’m not interested in who gives how much. I’m just interested in seeing that help is given.
3. Mail your check to this address:
Dave Armstrong Fund
c/o Karl Keating
Catholic Answers
2020 Gillespie Way
El Cajon, CA 92020
4. Put your check in the mail by September 13. That’s Friday of next week. It’s okay to postdate your check if your checking account needs to be replenished. Just put a sticky note that says “postdated” on the check so Dave won’t try to cash it too early.
5. Once all the checks have arrived here, which should be by September 18 or so, I’ll put them in a large envelope (or, I hope, a box!) and send them to Dave.
6. Your gift won’t be tax deductible, which means you’ll be entitled to extra brownie points for your generosity.
That’s about it, except that I’d appreciate your letting other folks know about this fundraiser.
(I wish this appeal could be kept secret from Dave, but I couldn’t think of a way to do the appeal on the sly. I’m sure he already knows about it, which means I’m going to be stuck with his effusive thanks. I just hope he doesn’t get mushy. I hate mush.)
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[further comment by Keating] Dave spends most of his time helping people online, not writing books. No doubt if he devoted his time to book writing he’d be able to do fine, but he thinks his calling extends beyond just book writing (as does mine, as does yours). Unfortunately for him, his main work pays virtually nothing.
[this is incorrect. The bulk of my time now is spent writing books. My financial problems are explained by a comment of mine, below, made in a second thread on Keating’s Facebook page, in reply to a friend who said that my “business model” could be improved, and would be by resorting to utilizing print-on-demand publishing]
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