Here's the email I got from TAN. If ANYONE was thinking about any books, PLEASE consider buying them from TAN.
An Important Message from the Founder of TAN Books . . .
Dear TAN Patron,
This is one of the two most distressing letters I have ever had to write you. On February 18, 2005, TAN once again had to file for protection under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy law!
As a result, we are in a very dangerous situation during the next 4 to 8 months while the Chapter 11 filing is in effect, because we have to demonstrate to the Federal Bankruptcy Court that we are able to pay all current bills - that is, we have to show that we can make a profit during these months - and at the end of this period be able to shoulder our old bills besides, according to an approved monthly Payment Plan. Unfortunately, April and May tend to be very slow months for us - after the usually very active Lenten season - until we can mail out a catalog advertising new books. For, after Easter (March 27 this year) sales traditionally fall off drastically until we can advertise some new books - usually in May. If we have new books in May, we should do pretty well throughout the Summer - during what is otherwise a very dead season. When Fall comes, sales traditionally pick up again.
If we cannot show a profit to the Court during the next 4 to 8 months, the Court will probably appoint a trustee to come in and liquidate TAN under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy law - in other words, they will close us down and sell off our assets!
But this definitely does not need to happen! Why? For the time being, we are still intact and operating as usual, thanks be to God and to the Chapter 11 protection from our "pre-petition" creditors, and we are still free to conduct our routine business ourselves. Also, we have a very large inventory - all paid for!
Nonetheless, as our financial reports for the last 10 days of February and all of March - plus for each following months thereafter - go in to the Court, they had better show us making a profit and being able to handle, not only current expenses, but having enough profit besides to handle a Payment Plan for the old bills and debts, per whatever the Payment Plan our creditors will vote on. Consequently, we desperately need your financial help at this time to insure absolutely that we present a profitable picture to the Bankruptcy Court during the 4 to 8 months that the Chapter 11 is in effect. Otherwise, TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. is going to be history!
That is why I am calling on you to help us with your best possible order for books at this time - and/or your best possible donation to our Book Mission fund if you have enough books - in order to make 100% certain that TAN consistently shows profit during these normally slower months and will survive the present Chapter 11 period. We desperately need your financial help to insure that TAN keeps going and comes through this Chapter 11 period successfully (the next 4 to 8 months). We must insure that during the 4 to 5 months immediately ahead, which are normally slow months, TAN still meets all its current expenses and that we can demonstrate conclusively to the Bankruptcy Court that we can also show a profit and can reasonably shoulder the repayment of the old debt according to whatever Payment Plan we get approved.
Therefore, I am appealing to you - if you have ever derived any good from TAN - that you send us as soon as possible (today, even) your most generous order for books that you can afford in order to keep us going during this critical time. We need your order now! There is no time to lose! If you feel you have enough books at this time, you could instead send us your best donation to our St. Anthony Mary Claret Book Mission Fund, which enables us to send packets of books to U.S. prisoners, to seminarians worldwide and to domestic and foreign mission operations.
For this appeal to be successful, we need AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO PURCHASE BOOKS AND/OR CONTRIBUTE TO TAN'S MISSION FUND in order to insure that TAN survives these next 4 to 8 months and continues in business past the Chapter 11 period. We truly need your order or contribution, and we need it now. Plus, we really need to ask you to buy and/or give as much as you possibly can! We also need your prayers! A large response to this mailing is absolutely crucial to TAN's successful Chapter 11 case.
Please be generous! Stock up your family Catholic library and/or send a contribution to our Mission Fund and help us get books out to the poor who cannot afford them, and in the process get TAN past this perilous and frightening crisis! I am sure God will richly reward you for your generosity. Please . . . today . . . send us your largest possible book purchase and/or the most generous donation you possibly can to our Mission Program! And I pledge we shall use your funds to the optimum to keep TAN running and to keep reaching out with the knowledge of the Faith to many others, as we have been doing in the past.
May God bless you most richly and abundantly for whatever you may do, and please keep us in your prayers!
Sincerely yours in Jesus and Mary,
Thomas A. Nelson,
Publisher
TAN/sh
P.S. TAN needs your financial help now if we are to survive. Please send us your largest possible book order and/or your most generous mission donation and at the earliest possible date. As a token of our thanks for whatever you do, we are having the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for you, and all those who purchase books now and/or make a donation to this appeal, each day from April 1 through June 30, 2005. That is 91 days in a row! Please mark your calendar and make your intentions in conjunction with these Masses - for your family, your friends, your loved ones in Purgatory - whatever or whomever you wish to have these Masses offered for.
Also, for all who donate $30.00 or more to this appeal, we will send you a Patron's Certificate, good for the purchase of any of the books or pictures on our list at 20% off the full retail price. And there is no time limit to the use of this certificate; you simply return the certificate with your order, or cite the number on the certificate if phoning in or emailing your order, and take the deduction. The sooner you make your purchase and/or your mission donation during this time, the better it will help us come through this difficult time.
This is one of the two most distressing letters I have ever had to write you. On February 18, 2005, TAN once again had to file for protection under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy law!
As a result, we are in a very dangerous situation during the next 4 to 8 months while the Chapter 11 filing is in effect, because we have to demonstrate to the Federal Bankruptcy Court that we are able to pay all current bills - that is, we have to show that we can make a profit during these months - and at the end of this period be able to shoulder our old bills besides, according to an approved monthly Payment Plan. Unfortunately, April and May tend to be very slow months for us - after the usually very active Lenten season - until we can mail out a catalog advertising new books. For, after Easter (March 27 this year) sales traditionally fall off drastically until we can advertise some new books - usually in May. If we have new books in May, we should do pretty well throughout the Summer - during what is otherwise a very dead season. When Fall comes, sales traditionally pick up again.
If we cannot show a profit to the Court during the next 4 to 8 months, the Court will probably appoint a trustee to come in and liquidate TAN under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy law - in other words, they will close us down and sell off our assets!
But this definitely does not need to happen! Why? For the time being, we are still intact and operating as usual, thanks be to God and to the Chapter 11 protection from our "pre-petition" creditors, and we are still free to conduct our routine business ourselves. Also, we have a very large inventory - all paid for!
Nonetheless, as our financial reports for the last 10 days of February and all of March - plus for each following months thereafter - go in to the Court, they had better show us making a profit and being able to handle, not only current expenses, but having enough profit besides to handle a Payment Plan for the old bills and debts, per whatever the Payment Plan our creditors will vote on. Consequently, we desperately need your financial help at this time to insure absolutely that we present a profitable picture to the Bankruptcy Court during the 4 to 8 months that the Chapter 11 is in effect. Otherwise, TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. is going to be history!
That is why I am calling on you to help us with your best possible order for books at this time - and/or your best possible donation to our Book Mission fund if you have enough books - in order to make 100% certain that TAN consistently shows profit during these normally slower months and will survive the present Chapter 11 period. We desperately need your financial help to insure that TAN keeps going and comes through this Chapter 11 period successfully (the next 4 to 8 months). We must insure that during the 4 to 5 months immediately ahead, which are normally slow months, TAN still meets all its current expenses and that we can demonstrate conclusively to the Bankruptcy Court that we can also show a profit and can reasonably shoulder the repayment of the old debt according to whatever Payment Plan we get approved.
Therefore, I am appealing to you - if you have ever derived any good from TAN - that you send us as soon as possible (today, even) your most generous order for books that you can afford in order to keep us going during this critical time. We need your order now! There is no time to lose! If you feel you have enough books at this time, you could instead send us your best donation to our St. Anthony Mary Claret Book Mission Fund, which enables us to send packets of books to U.S. prisoners, to seminarians worldwide and to domestic and foreign mission operations.
For this appeal to be successful, we need AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO PURCHASE BOOKS AND/OR CONTRIBUTE TO TAN'S MISSION FUND in order to insure that TAN survives these next 4 to 8 months and continues in business past the Chapter 11 period. We truly need your order or contribution, and we need it now. Plus, we really need to ask you to buy and/or give as much as you possibly can! We also need your prayers! A large response to this mailing is absolutely crucial to TAN's successful Chapter 11 case.
Please be generous! Stock up your family Catholic library and/or send a contribution to our Mission Fund and help us get books out to the poor who cannot afford them, and in the process get TAN past this perilous and frightening crisis! I am sure God will richly reward you for your generosity. Please . . . today . . . send us your largest possible book purchase and/or the most generous donation you possibly can to our Mission Program! And I pledge we shall use your funds to the optimum to keep TAN running and to keep reaching out with the knowledge of the Faith to many others, as we have been doing in the past.
May God bless you most richly and abundantly for whatever you may do, and please keep us in your prayers!
Sincerely yours in Jesus and Mary,
Thomas A. Nelson,
Publisher
TAN/sh
P.S. TAN needs your financial help now if we are to survive. Please send us your largest possible book order and/or your most generous mission donation and at the earliest possible date. As a token of our thanks for whatever you do, we are having the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for you, and all those who purchase books now and/or make a donation to this appeal, each day from April 1 through June 30, 2005. That is 91 days in a row! Please mark your calendar and make your intentions in conjunction with these Masses - for your family, your friends, your loved ones in Purgatory - whatever or whomever you wish to have these Masses offered for.
Also, for all who donate $30.00 or more to this appeal, we will send you a Patron's Certificate, good for the purchase of any of the books or pictures on our list at 20% off the full retail price. And there is no time limit to the use of this certificate; you simply return the certificate with your order, or cite the number on the certificate if phoning in or emailing your order, and take the deduction. The sooner you make your purchase and/or your mission donation during this time, the better it will help us come through this difficult time.
I have a wonderful book from them called "This is the Faith A Complete Explanation of the Catholic Faith". That book played a huge part in my decision to convert to Catholicism. They have my prayers. 
