I am mystified about the continual shaming of Renato and I, the tsk-tsking us for making a penny on our books. For the record, here is the deal with that.
We choose to publish quality, completely hand made books, now in full color and on good quality paper. This increases the cost of books considerably and we make a a few dollars on each one which has never yet covered our costs. If we chose to print them on newsprint and in black and white we might make more but we never choose to do that. I think the content of our books demonstrates our motivation and a commitment to quality.
Let me be the first to say there is no big money to be had in selling books on Valentino. It is a niche market at its best. The money to be had in the Valentino world is made by collectors.
They scavenge for deals, buy and resell and as I have discovered they could care less about a pieces provenance. A museum will have a curator research as long as it takes to ensure a piece is not stolen. In the world of Valentino collectors, its a wide open game. No one cares at all. The absolute only people who could make an issue of this would be the Alberto Valentino family. Sadly, I also learned long ago they don't care because they are dealers too. They should have long ago established a foundation and made all of the artifacts available to the public.
Valentino's historical artifacts are vanishing for a dime and have been for a long time. And the hierarchy in the realm of this selling of Valentino's history is established in a way where dealers, masquerading as experts, are positioned as voices to be heard.
The reality now is that the one with the most toys sits in the big chair at the head of the table. So there is money to be had when it comes to Valentino; but not in books. How ludicrous to be endlessly shamed by those imo who should be shamed? Shamed for hoarding and marketing Valentino's history to suit their commercial needs. Historical artifacts belong in museums and archives available to the public. History matters. It is not for sale.
And why do they try so hard to demoralize us? Some say they are motivated by jealously, but I say it is money. And certainly not the 3.48$ we make selling a book. Big money has corrupted Valentino's history and deals are always in the works to resell a relic at a profit.
I stumbled into that Valentino black market world of shady collectors frothing at the prospect of another deal of a lifetime. I exposed it in Affairs Valentino and they all know I did so honestly.
And the dealer who currently sits in that big chair at the head of the table? He runs a blog under the title of the book I wrote that exposed the very dealer racket he embraces and he has posted things like this (see below) to demoralize us for a decade now. He has been doing his worst towards us there for more than ten years and in keeping that blog online and active he does so today again.
He claims the blog is legitimate these days. Well, do tell. On March 3, 2018, he posted this to greet people Googling my book's title. I don't see so much jealously here but more fear; fear I might taint his market and a whole lot of impeding of our right to do business.
#boycottMadAboutTheBoy #boycottWeNeverForget
