Srila Prabhupada has said that book distribution is more important that street chanting. Book distribution is brihat kirtana. It is literally kirtana in the sense that the books are spoken and therefore anyone who reads a book is hearing. Because his books are recorded and transcribed Srila Prabhupada calls his books spoken kirtanas, or recorded chanting. So book distribution is also kirtana and should not be considered less than kirtana.
Your servant, Brahmananda Swami, Personal Secretary
Seen: ACBSP (initialed by hand)
Letter to Ramesvara, 25 October, 1974