An Easy & Rewarding Service
The following is an interview with Mandy, an enthusiastic book distributor from San Diego. She works full time as a makeup artist for Mac cosmetics. She manages a Sastra Dana book-rack and weekly places books in a vegetarian restaurant. By this method she’s distributed over 600 books in the last three monts. To learn all about our book-rack program Click Here.
VIDEO:
Sastra Dana: How did you find out about the Sastra Dana program?
Mandy: I received your newsletter in the mail. I started reading it and just got really inspired and wanted to help. I think it was one of the first issues, when the newsletter just started coming out.
I had previously been distributing books to my friends and my family, here and there, but then I wanted to take it to another level. I gave books to my brother. I sent my mom and dad a whole box of books which they still have and they read them. They are still not vegetarians but we are getting there. My brother is now vegetarian. He lives near the temple in Atlanta so sometimes he goes to the temple
SD: How do you distribute the books now through Sastra Dana?
M: I have an actual book-rack that’s placed in an Indian spice store and I am distributing in a restaurant, a vegetarian restaurant across the street from the Indian grocery store. I don’t have a rack there but they have a table where they let me put the books, every week.
SD: So there are stores, businesses that have their own shelves, racks, tables and you can just go there and ask them if you could leave some books there? How do you do that? Do you talk to the manager? What do you tell him?
M: I was shopping in the Indian grocery store and I asked the guy who was working there, I think he was the owner. He was very into it and wanted to put a rack right up front, right by the door as you walk in.
And the restaurant… the only reason why I wasn’t able to put a book-rack there is that they didn’t have room in the front part of the restaurant so I just had to use the table that they have with their menus on it and sometimes other people put flyers on there, but I have my own little area that I fill up with books.
SD: What did you tell them about the books? What was your presentation? What were your lines?
M: I just asked whoever was working behind the counter. I told them, “I have some books on meditation, yoga, spirituality, vegetarianism and I was wandering if I could display them in your store, free literature for your customers” and they were totally into it. They were actually familiar with some of the books. They’ve seen The Higher Taste.
SD: So you had a few samples to show?
M: Yes, and I had the rack and all the books in my car, ready to go, so when she said “yes” I went out and filled it up.
SD: It seems that it was pretty easy?
M: Yes.
SD: How many books do you distribute by this method? You have two places. In one place you have a rack and across the street you have…
M: In the restaurant I try to fill up as much space as I can because at the restaurant they go supper quick, the books are always gone when I go back or there is maybe one or two left so I put about 40 each week at the restaurant and about 25 to 40 at the grocery store across the street.
SD: Is it demanding to maintain this book rack?
M: No. It is very easy. I keep a box of books in the trunk of my car. That way when I am out running errands or have a day off I just stop really quick. It’s easy because I have two locations and they are near each other so when I stop at one I stop at the other.
SD: That’s close to where you usually shop?
M: I do shop at that grocery store sometimes for certain spices and dahl and stuff like that but it’s not too far from my house. But even if it was, I don’t mind.
SD: All right! So it is easy. It is not time consuming. It is distributing plenty of books. Pretty good so far.
M: Yeap. Super easy.
SD: Did you ever see people taking some of the books?
M: I usually distribute them and leave right of way, but I know they were being taken because they are always gone by the time I go back.
SD: Do the managers say anything about it?
M: Well, the manager at the restaurant had seen our books before and is happy to have them there especially because it’s a vegetarian restaurant. The owner of the grocery store was very into it. He wanted to put the rack right up front so it’s right at the front door when you come in.
SD: What would you say are the advantages, for you personally, of this type of book distribution to classical style where you go out, meet people, stop them, and try to sell them books?
M: For me personally I feel more comfortable distributing by just placing book racks in stores and restaurants. I think it’s great to be able to go up and speak about Krishna consciousness and distribute books in person. I just felt a little more comfortable doing it with the book rack. It is really easy too and not time consuming. I work full time and it works better that way.
Mandy & Nila, her fiance, at the San Diego Ratha Yatra festival.
Mandy & Nila, her fiance, at the San Diego Ratha Yatra festival.
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Your Contributions
Los Angeles Sponsors:
Advaita Candra. & Sita T. $251.00
Esekiel Jaggernauth $108.00
Murari Krishna Dasa $102.00
Rodolfo Sanchez $20.00
Anonymous $20.00
TOTAL: $501.00
San Diego Sponsors:
Nanda Suta Dasa $188.00
Randy & Kripa Mayi Dasi $108.00
Ravi & Sangeeta Wahi $50.00
Vraja Vadhu Devi Dasi $40.00
Jaya Gopala Dasa $10.00
Sai Bhupalam $6.00
TOTAL: $402.00
GRAND TOTAL: $903.00
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Distribution to Institutions
436 books!!! have been placed in the following institutions:
[#] [Donated to] [Address] [City]
5441 California Price Outlet 1144 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5442 Lollicup 1122 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5443 Hair Design by Gloria Lopez 1168 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5444 Robert Chong - Orthopedics 1174 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5445 Mike’s Tobacco 1220 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5446 Best Nails 1133 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5447 Hans Acupuncture & Herbs 1220 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5448 Xavier’s Florist 1220 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5449 Tita de Guzman - State Farm 1241 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5450 Café Verona 1138 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5451 Enterprise South Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5452 Horizon Family Dental Group 1241 S. Grand Ave Diamond Bar
5453 Dr. Yuh-Huey Yvette Wang - 1106 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5454 Dr. David Lee 1200 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5455 Dr. Jack Oh - dental 1200 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5456 Champs Elysees Bakery 1200 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5457 Sylvan Learning 1241 S. Grand Ave Diamond Bar
5458 Joon Lee - Dentist 1108 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5459 Pollo Loco 1220 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5460 Cleaners 1164 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5461 Blockbuster Video 1188 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5462 Round Table Pizza 1218 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5463 Green Hillls Seafood 1240 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Diamond Bar
5464 Radha Raman Temple 1022 N Bradford Ave Placentia
