About Us: Our Mission and Story
Our Mission
Our primary purpose at FCT Press is to provide a service to self-publishing authors who are advancing and employing ethical critical thinking in their writings, implicitly or explicitly, and who seek the earth-friendly print and dissemination options for their books. All paper used in our printing processes comes from recycled paper; in the process, we protect the lives of trees and of the many species dependent upon them.
We accept books in the following categories:
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Textbooks.
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Social critique, including: critical theory, critique focused on the rights of ethnic minorities, women’s rights, gender rights, and rights of the disabled or differently-abled.
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Critique of thinking in any field of study or profession.
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Books (fiction or nonfiction) that illuminate critical thinking or the lack of it in any part of human life (e.g., books on environmental destruction, the loss of democracy, the problem of nuclear weapons, the stereotyping of people throughout societies, etc., and what can be done about it).
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Children’s books that depict critical thinking in one or more forms.
Millions of trees are needlessly killed every year for the printing industry. Alarmingly, the production of books emits more than 40 million metric tons of CO2 globally, making it the third-largest industrial emitter of greenhouse gases. On the other hand, using recycled paper reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, and it reduces the energy required for many paper products. Using recycled paper extends the fiber supply and contributes to carbon sequestration. It moreover saves considerable landfill space while reducing energy and water consumption.
FCT Press offers you, the author, the opportunity to have your books printed with the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are contributing to a greener future for all of earth’s creatures.
Until now, self-publishing authors have mainly been forced into printing processes that are only minimally green, if at all. But we think that publishing companies can and must do better. Humans have leaned far too hard upon the earth; we have taken too many of the earth’s resources while not giving enough back to protect it. Now we must do everything possible to restore native habitats, preserve old-growth landscapes, encourage native gardening, plant and support the growth of trees, and, overall, think first of our impact on the earth before acting. We must redouble our other efforts to move away from plastics, clean up the oceans and other waterways, clean the air, and in every way begin treating the earth as a living being which is attempting to support life while we humans continue to slash, burn, and poison it – thereby harming ourselves, each other, and our fellow species. While there are many innovations in the pipeline, we know there are things we can and must do now. One of these is to protect the trees that support native wildlife systems and to build, rather than destroy, forests.
We believe in the power of books – along with our respect of nature – to create positive change, to inspire others, and to shape a better future for generations to come.
What We Offer
Authors should note that at present, when asked whether they use sustainable practices, mainstream printing and publishing companies tend to respond, at best, by saying that their printing practices do not use old-growth trees, but instead employ “responsible” tree-farming and harvesting. We do not condone this; we do not think it is good enough.
We work with authors who value reducing their books’ carbon footprint, and who find it easier to sleep at night knowing they are not cutting down trees so people can read their books. We offer self-publishing and other printing services that use earth-friendly, sustainable, 100% recycled paper, therefore refraining from using newly-cut trees of any kind in our publishing. In the future, we envision moving to other paper sources, such as hemp or wheat, as new technologies make book-quality paper available to independent publishers like us.
Through this service, we illuminate that self-publishing can reasonably lean only lightly upon the earth, and that it should give something of importance back to it. Instead of cutting down trees, we believe that many more trees need to be planted wherever they best grow, with their native counterparts, and left to develop for future generations and to support other forms of life. In this spirit, for every new title we publish, we plant a tree.
We have a team of world-class graphic designers and editors who can work with you to create the book you envision. Details are available at our Self-Publishing page.
Help Create a Better Future
We work diligently to keep our prices as competitive as possible. However, to restore the health of the earth, we sometimes need to make hard decisions. One of these includes deliberately creating truly green economic and cultural systems, even when this is more costly in the short term. The reality is that at present, recycled paper costs significantly more than paper manufactured from the cutting of trees. For this reason, the price you pay for our books or printed materials may be higher than that of traditionally-printed items.
We and a growing number of authors find this exchange worthwhile. One of our primary goals is to help stop the downing of trees for paper, thereby contributing substantively to the green movement, as time is running out to develop sustainable practices for protecting the earth’s precious resources and the ecosystems on which we depend. While we may frequently need to pay more for things in the short term to prioritize the health of the earth, ourselves, and our children over our cravings for immediate gratification, these investments pay great dividends over time, while the upfront costs of sustainable manufacturing continue to decline with greater adoption and streamlining.
In short, we seek authors who value the importance of reviving the health of the earth, of publishing meaningful works, and of how these essential, redeeming, invigorating pursuits connect with one another.
A Human and Humane Publishing Experience
Contact us to discuss self-publishing your books, guides, business cards, flyers, etc. using 100% recycled paper. Every part of our relationship is customized according to your needs and projects. We believe that as an author, your time should be spent writing and developing your ideas, not worrying over the publishing process. Therefore, we extend our white-glove treatment to all authors; you can simply email us with the details of your project along with your contact information. If the project meets our criteria for publishing, we will suggest a telephone or video meeting time to explore how best we can work together. From there, we will discuss pricing and our author’s packages for publishing, as well as all other details of our publishing process.
Throughout the process, you can speak to us by phone or email, and you will be treated as a valued colleague in our aims to publish meaningful works and help restore the planet’s ecosystems. Once published, your books, in both print and digital form, may be directly purchased through our FCTPress.Org bookstore as well as through Amazon.
We plant a tree for each title you publish with us through One Tree Planted, a non-profit organization working toward reforesting the earth.
Publishing, printing, and conservation of the earth’s resources can go hand-in-hand. A tree is planted for every book we publish.
Our Story
This project grew out of our frustration as authors in seeking self-publishers who would use 100% recycled paper for our books. After much research, we located no such companies. We found this astonishing at this point in history, with the recycling technologies available to us and the obvious, pressing need to protect the earth. During this time, we also noticed other authors lamenting the lack of sustainable options for self-publishing.
As we increasingly perceived how ecologically destructive the traditional printing process is, we determined that our books in all consciousness should be printed on recycled paper, using sustainable processes, or they should not be printed at all. After further research, we learned that, at least at present, recycled paper is considerably more expensive than paper made from newly cut trees. We believe that this can change as humans become more
enlightened and skilled at sustaining the earth, and we believe that we can help the process through our own support of truly eco-friendly printing practices. We have published our works for decades, are skilled at curating high-quality books and other works, and have expertise in the adjoining publishing processes. For all of these reasons, the Foundation for Critical Thinking Press has been reestablished.
Our view is that the Earth simply cannot thrive – or even continue to reliably support existing life – under the constant cutting of trees for paper, which decimates or reduces resources for other plant and animal life. Our publishing service helps you avoid this as an author, or as a professional in charge of printing at your company or other organization.
Trees are losing their lives for this.
Trees are losing their lives for this.
