Six days ago, FieldMouse Press launched the GoFundMe campaign to “help Fieldmouse news keep life.” The emergency campaign cited recent Trump administration “trade announcements” such as the tariff war between the United States and China, where both countries are currently raising tariffs on imported goods to 125%. For small news publishers, this “sudden and dramatic increase in tariffs” means that their Chinese printers have asked them to pay an additional “another 54% tariff” during the winter of 2025.
While the new tariffs don’t seem to apply to books, the situation for the on-site team is unclear. “Our special circumstances are not clear.” Alex Hoffmanin the appendix to the GoFundMe campaign, publisher of FieldMouse Press. “The printers we are working with Shanghai, China are operating because at the moment, the tariffs are in place. In addition, this is still a turbulent situation as further US tariffs and global retaliation continue to be a real possibility.”
FieldMouse stopped accepting donations on GoFundMe after gaining support from other small news publishers such as Glacier Bay Books and Silver Sprockets. Because the publisher is “unsure” whether the funds raised in “until the ship arrives within three to four weeks,” it has stopped donating and instead directs people to support FieldMouse by supporting its winter 2025 crowdfunding campaign.
The appendix continues: “If the printer should not impose any further tariffs and there is no actual tariff imposed at the border, our current plan is to return this Gofundme.”
Beat Talked to Alex Hoffman of FieldMouse Press about the confusion about whether tariffs apply to books, how small news publishers work together and what to help these companies during this period (if you have the ability to do so).
This interview has been edited to understand readability and length.
Ollie Kaplan: I think the current tariff situation is a bit confusing. Can you explain the situation with printers in China to our readers? (Will China’s reaction to US tariffs affect this?)
Alex Hoffman: The tariff situation is very confusing for both American and Chinese companies. As of April 4, 2015, the tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese imports were 125%. If you take face value, that means every product coming out of China faces a 125% tax when it reaches the U.S. border. But, there are some exemptions, and that’s where it gets tricky. According to Annex II and Annex III tariff announcement data, books and written materials appear to be exempt from tariffs. This is likely due to the seemingly restricting freedom of the press and freedom of speech, which was a goal in the past when it came to tariffs. This usually means book publishers are OK – however, our specific version of the printer does not believe there will be exemptions due to the information they receive from the port forwarding agency and hopes that we will also pay an additional 34% tariff after paying 20% tariffs on the original total cost.
- The reason we launched GoFundMe is that, frankly, we were asked to pay the extra money upfront after payments throughout the winter, and we had no cash available. As a nonprofit, we have consciously worked to avoid borrowing money for operating funds and we have no cash to process such payments. Under this pressure, this makes the most sense option because we know that if we don’t need to use the funds, we can return the promise.
- Imports and exports are complex, and unless the publisher has a specific staff handling the work, most imports are managed through a port forwarding agency that works on behalf of the printer, which coordinates shipments on behalf of the printer. This means FieldMouse Press owns these books and has recorded businesses in the goods and technically imports them, but brings them from China to our distributors with the help of external business signed by the printer. Therefore, it takes a lot of hands to transfer books from the printer to the dock to the ship, to the dock to the warehouse
Kaplan: How do our readers currently support small media and independent publishers?
Hoffman: Readers can support small news businesses by purchasing books that already have stock and supporting crowdfunding efforts. FieldMouse Press is doing a booking activity on CrowdFundr, but we have a great back-up list and we hope people can check out. Purchasing books that already have stocks puts small publishers in these challenges and maintain the funds needed to stay solvency.
Kaplan: You have been in contact with CBLDF for your situation. Any advice for others?
Hoffman: We have a lot of people coming to help us when we cry for help. We also contacted everyone we could think of – CBLDF, CLMP (a nonprofit organization for literary magazines and media communities, independent news and magazines) and other publishers. This answer to questions 3 and 5, but usually small news publishers in comics create books because they like art forms and are passionate about it. It is so difficult to make money on small books, but we do it because we think it is an essential work. FieldMouse Press is a three-person operation, and we all volunteered to participate in the time. Bulgilhan Press is a person. Glacier Bay is a person. Stranger Publishing House is a person. Even the highly respected Koyama Press (RIP) has only two people.
My advice is if you are a small news or someone who is considering publishing a book and you are working on a problem or if you need help, please email me. Email other publishers. Avi Ehrlich Silver Sprockets have provided us with so much guidance and help over the past few years. Annie Koyama Helped us design the rights contract. I think we all generally believe that rising tides lift all ships. Building this network and recognizing that we all have experience and can help each other is how the industry will survive in the harsh economic environment that may happen in the coming years.
Kaplan: Can you tell me more about your upcoming book?
Hoffman: We are excited to showcase our latest books. FieldMouse Press publishes books in the Title because it helps consolidate costs and shipping costs, so we organize the books into two main seasons: winter and summer. Our winter of 2025 is what we affectionately call the “live novel festival of nihilism” as many books struggle with difficult topics, including addiction, abuse, suicidal thoughts and disorderly diets, to name just a few. But these books are beautiful because they are hard. Don’t be too philosophical here, but human experience is largely a combination of great love and painful moments. We are working with artists who reveal human experience through pain and show that life is still worth living even in pain and trauma. You can find more information about our books in Crowdfundr’s booking event here.
However, here is some general information:
- soften Strike go through Bread Talton It is a 380-page, Smith-Seven-Book paperback, the largest book to date, and a book that has been underway since 2021.
- enthusiastic go through Carl Antonowicz It is our first landscape book. This is a 172-page Smyth-Sewn sewn hardcover book. Will you do your best?
- souvenir go through Sara Jewell It is a full-color 84-page smyth-sewn paperback, a mixed media for books. How do you accept who you are when you stick to the past?
- overall go through Jeff Lowe—The black and white paperback of page 124 is its original form of autobiography. What happens to a person when they think everything about the American Dream is lies?
- Ambiguous blue go through Noah Schiatti It is a 52-page, perfect paperback, originally published on Shortbox Comics Fair and offers a new adaptation. What do you do when your self-image wears on the edges and no one seems to understand?
Kaplan: Many small media seem to focus on the economy. Some people, such as Glacier Bay (recently released on tariffs) and Silver Sprocket (also already open to the struggle), also support your campaign. Are all publishers trying to support each other? Can you take me through this ecosystem?
Hoffman: I think that, besides what I said above, the ecosystem is one of the loose mutual aids. We are all working hard to make good books and make important art. To a certain extent, we are all trying to earn the same dollar. But I think every publisher in the independent comics field has his own niche and his own interests. More importantly, there is a DIY/community spirit that guides us. For example, I don’t necessarily publish something about Silver Sprockets (for example) (for example), which I think is a great thing because it means more diversity in sound and storytelling that more people can experience.
Kaplan: Do you want to add anything else?
Hoffman: We are very grateful for all the support we have received in the past week. Seeing people fighting for us and FieldMouse Press means a lot. This reminds people of the strength of this community. And we have a lot of work to do – we planned a great summer 2025 season, released SPX 2025 books in a timely manner, and some surprise releases!
(Featured image: @fieldmousepress)
If you want to support FieldMouse Press, commit to their CrowdFundr campaigns by April 23, 2025, or purchase a digital version from the publisher’s previous season! Also, keep it up to date with all the latest announcements from its Linktree and FieldMouse Press!
