This is the second most boring post of all time, exceeded only by my infamous “Poetry inspired by watching beige paint dry” post from 1996.  In fairness, that post did generate 200 heated comments in the inevitable “ecru v. tan” debate, but that’s neither here nor there for purposes of this post.

Anyway, in hopes that maybe one or two of my fellow authors might find this edifying, here goes.

I ship a fair amount of autographed books every year (Want one?  Here’s how to get it).  I ship via the U.S. Postal Service but dislike shipping books via parcel post (the cheapest way).  Parcel post takes forever to deliver and too often (in my experience) results in roughly handled packages.  That’s not cool for collectors who want a nice, shiny, autographed first edition.

So what do I do?  I ship via Priority Mail, using the Priority Mail Flat Rate Padded Envelopes you can order in the USPS shop here.  Alas, most post offices (in my experience) do not stock the padded envelopes, which is why I made this boring post.  You have to order them.  To do that, just sign up for an account at USPS.com and choose the padded envelopes from the USPS store.  They cost nothing and the USPS will deliver a bag of them to your door.

The nice thing about the padded envelopes is that(a) they ship anywhere in the U.S. for $4.95 and get to their destination fast; (b) they can easily hold one or two mass market paperbacks, one trade paperback, or one hardcover; and (c) they’re padded and waterproof, which makes them ideal for getting autographed books where they’re going without damage.

So, you know, there.  Boring, I know.  Hey, who wants to talk about beige paint, er, I mean ecru paint….