Publication: Publishing & distribution
Contents:
- Éditions Padmakara (French)
- Padmakara's other publishers: English
- Other languages
- Padmakara’s goals and ethics as a publisher
French
Éditions Padmakara publishes most of Padmakara's French books & practice texts
Padmakara publishes its own books in French, in order to retain maximum control over quality and appearance, and to make sure that the translated texts remain available despite their specialised nature. The design and illustrations, electronic typesetting and layout of the books are supervised by Padmakara’s staff, who then follow production with the printers and binders. Distribution by online / mail order to individual customers and Buddhist centres is carried out by Padmakara’s own staff, while wholesale distribution to general and specialized retail bookshops is handled by a national distributor. Apart from one or two titles that have been published by major publishers, Éditions Padmakara thus publishes the majority of Padmakara’s French translations in book form. It also publishes practice texts in French, English and other languages in the form of booklets.
Books and booklets translated, published and distributed by Padmakara are available throughout Europe, America and Asia. They can be purchased on this site (songtsen.org or padmakara.org) in Éditions Padmakara's online store. All revenue from the sale of books and audio media is used strictly for the publishing of more books.
Padmakara's other publishers
English publishers
Although one or two English titles have been published by Editions Padmakara, most of Padmakara’s books in English are published by publishers in the U.S., especially Shambhala Publications and Snow Lion Publications. These books are distributed by the publishers and are available for purchase on Padmaraka's online stores in affiliation with Amazon (available in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, & the UK and other countries) or at local bookstores. Padmakara is a registered charity affiliate with Amazon, therefore Padmakara benefits directly if you use our affiliated online store or our Amazon affiliate links to shop at Amazon.
A wide range of practice text booklets in English are published by Editions Padmakara and can be purchased online on this site - see Éditions Padmakara's online store.
Other languages
Padmakara’s translations into other languages—principally German, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish and Dutch—are generally published and distributed in the countries concerned. For details, see Padmakara’s list of publications or see how to purchase: other dharma publishing resources.
Padmakara’s goals and ethics as a publisher
Padmakara’s sole aim is to preserve and spread the Buddha’s teachings to a world audience. To publish and distribute books effectively, Padmakara is obliged to operate in the commercial world of publishing, but is nevertheless committed to remaining a strictly non-profit organization.
Moreover, Songtsen’s directors insist on maintaining as far as possible the Buddhist tradition by which it is considered ethically preferable for people not to live on income arising from the sale of sacred Dharma books. All revenue from book sales is therefore used solely to publish more books and texts. The translators’ work is funded by third-party sponsorships ensuring basic financial support, or in some cases volunteered. Sponsorships also cover a substantial proportion of the salaries of Padmakara’s administrative staff.
Ideally, Padmakara would like one day to provide all its texts free of charge to all. This has been possible to a large extent in the East. However, printing costs in the West are significantly more expensive; distribution networks for free books do not exist; and the western public tends to view publications that are given away as either publicity or propaganda. Nevertheless, Padmakara has the long-term aspiration, if these problems can be solved, to make its publications free. In the meantime, the prices of its books reflect production and printing costs, but not the work of translating, researching and editing the texts.
Please note: Any revenue received from the sale of books and audio media is used strictly for the preservation of Tibetan texts, and in particular, for the reprinting of rare or endangered Tibetan literature.
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