Out of Print: Carry Your Book On Your Sleeve

By Chadner Navarro
November 17, 2011

Out of Print

Todd Lawton and Jeff LeBlanc, co-founders of Out of Print

Out of Print Though paper books may be going the way of the Dodo bird (blame those blasted eReaders!), they are finding a way to get printed anyway, though in a different fashion. A company launched by Jeff LeBlanc and Todd Lawton, pals since second grade, New York-based Out of Print brings iconic, old-school book covers back into the mainstream by slapping them on sweatshirts, t-shirts, totes, iPhone cases and, yes, even on iPads (the latter so you can look like you're reading a book even if you're just playing Angry Birds).

(left: eReader jackets available on the Out of Print website)

But don't misunderstand; the guys behind Out of Print don't just love to look literary—they're big on reading, too. They want to spread the joy of reading through their t-shirts and accessories, and they even started a Twitter book club. (The first virtual meeting had hundreds of followers chiming in about Ray Bradbury's dystopian classic Fahrenheit 451.) They also realize that having access to books is a serious challenge in many parts of the world, so they've partnered with Books for Africa to ensure that for every Out of Print item sold, a book will be donated to a community in need around the world.

We spoke to co-founder Todd Lawton to talk about how his company got started and what’s coming up.

Out of Print

Out Of Print's partnership with books for Africa program means that for every Out of Print sale, a book is donated to a community in need

The Inside Source: So how did Out of Print come about?

Todd Lawton: When we first started talking about starting a business together... [Our] ideas were always based around our personal interests. At the same time we were having these meetings, the Kindle was launched and there were rumors of an iPad on the horizon. The experience of reading was changing fast. One night we started talking about how reading would be different if there were no paper books. One of the things we started to wonder about was what was the future of book covers. We thought it would be interesting to create a brand that helps people share their affinity for literature and to get more people to join in the conversation about books.

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The Out of Print Toja shirt

The Inside Source: You guys wanted the product to start conversations. Any memorable conversations yet?

Todd Lawton: One of the best ones I have heard came from my dad, who was attending a folk music festival in central Oregon wearing our Of Mice and Men shirt. A twenty-something man came up to him and said, “I love that band.” My dad was pretty sure that it was/is a book by John Steinbeck and said so. The kid was sure it was a band. Turns out they we both right and both learned something. It’s a book as well as a heavy metal band from California.

The Inside Source: What was the first book cover you guys decided to work on? Why?

Todd Lawton: The first shirt we made was 1984—seemed right as that was the year we first met.

Out of Print

Out of Print clothing

The Inside Source: What are your favorite books?

Todd Lawton: Coincidentally we both have Catch-22 as our favorite. Jeff also likes to throw in The Count of Monte Cristo and I am kind of on a Vonnegut kick right now.

The Inside Source: What’s your take on the rapidly changing book publishing industry?

Todd Lawton: I think the publishing industry’s biggest threat is the fact that people in general are not reading as much as they used to. There are so many passive forms of entertainment that are competing for our time. Reading has really taken a back seat, it seems. Hopefully with what we are doing at Out of Print, we can get a few people here and there to pick up a book they haven’t read before.

Out of Print

The Inside Source: How about eReaders?

Todd Lawton: If e-books get people reading way more, I’m all for them. I personally like reading paper books, but I think that the ease of using something like a Kindle is a good thing, too. I guess it all comes down to personal preference.

The Inside Source: Your eBay wish list [below] focuses on books and reading. How have you shopped on eBay in the past?

Todd Lawton: We've purchased a good number of bookish props and knickknacks for our office: card catalog drawers, bookends, a really cool whale paperweight, etc. Also, we have used eBay to find a number of book covers that have ended up on our shirts, most recently Song of Solomon and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.