So, after I was convinced that reviewers putting bound galleys up for sale wasn’t the dastardly act I’d thought it was (thanks, Patrick), the next obvious step was to do it myself. The ebay auction can be found here.
Auctioning off Jhegaala bound galley
Published by
I think you’ve got the starting bid too low. But then, I do want it, so… yay low starting bids!
I must have missed the earlier post — apart from running my own small press, I also edit reviews for SFReader.com, and so see a fair amount of bound galleys, ARCs, etc. I think, like anything, there’s shades of greys. I’d feel a bit funny about selling ARCs that the various publishers send me, but those are free to me for promotional/review purposes. And so really, they’re not MINE to sell, though they were sent to me.
In the case of one of my authors wanting to sell one (or several) of their ARCs that I or they had left over — I’d say more power to ’em.
Plus, now I get to bid on yours. :)
Are you sure it’s not a dastardly act? I can’t imagine you doing something that wasn’t. Perhaps you have some cunning plan that this is only the first step in! Yeah, that must be it.
Jennifer@1: Low starting bids encourage bidding, in my opinion. It gets people bidding right from the start, and later an item with a high number of bids is more attractive than one with less bids, regardless of how much it is actually selling for.
And we’re up to $53 as of this writing. :)
Matt@3: You have deduced far too much, human. Please stand by for arrival of our robot termination team. They have your best interests at heart. Really.
I’m glad you don’t consider it a dastardly act! I was feeling guilt over picking up Issola that way. :)
I don’t have $120+ just laying about the house…
:whimper:
Out of curiosity, is there a link so I can read why selling an ARC is not against the Code of Honor for reviewers? (I do get a number of them and would hate to be the last hold out for the Lawful Good team… *g*)
How rare are those bound galleys?
I have no experience in the publishing industry.
And approx how long till the novel is actually released?
Oops, just realised it said July 08.
I need to remember to check it closer to the end date and see if it’s out of my price range. I always forget to check auctions.
Digg it, guys, and help drum up interest!
http://digg.com/arts_culture/Steven_Brust_s_Jhegaala_Advance_Uncorrected_Proof_Auction
Of course, if you’re one of the people who’s already bid, this may not be in your best interest… but if you’ve already been /out/-bid, then let’s get it on the front page!
Well, I bid $250 but was outbid! Have any old ARCs you’d be willing to sign and part with? Like, say… The Phoenix Guard or 500 Years After?
Wow, that is way cool! Too bad I don’t have that kind of cash. Good thing I have Steve’s old license plate to comfort me.
Hi Steve,
I have a quick question for you that’s not particularly related to the Jhegaala auction (or maybe it is, seeing as someone is offering an unsigned ARC for $100 with no takers so far).
Do you have an existing arrangement with a local bookstore through which people can order autographed copies of your books? For example; you can get an autographed copy of pretty much any Neil Gaiman book in print through Dreamhaven Books, Harlan Ellison offers autogrpahed or personalized copies on line and I just received an autographed copy of the new Michael Swanwick novel through Robin’s Books.
I already have the vast majority of your books, but still, a couple of autographed editions would look nice on the bookshelf.
All The Best,
JKS
It looks like the auction is going well; if I had money, I’d bid.
I can’t wait to read it. Come on, July.
I bailed out at $250 and bought the other one. Tough call passing on the signed copy, but a 6 day head start is some consolation.
Jennifer@1: As Kit says, starting the bidding unreasonably low seems to be pretty effective at building a bidding frenzy, which then carries the item up to absurd levels. On ebay, specifically; strategies for both selling and buying seem to vary considerably by venue.
I have frequently started good photo equipment at $10 to $25, and had it close at $150 to $640. I’ve put stuff I describe as “broken” and “sold as-is” (“broken” was in the title as well as the description) starting at $.01 and had it go over $60 (this was an old Nikon LS-2000 scanner; you can get the Coolscan V which seems to be a better unit brand new for $500).
As a buyer, don’t get too attached to those low initial bids!!!
Josh @ 11: I’m heading back to Vegas in three weeks to move some stuff; I’ll look for those.
Jonathon @ 13: I usually do that sort of thing myself. Drop me some email in a month, when I should have a new “permanent” address. And thanks for your interest.
I know this is unrelated to the auction, but you know what I’d like? Leather bound volumes of Steven’s work. I am fairly certain that there are craftsmen out there who can bind a book in leather that was not originally bound that way, right? Anyone know more about this than I do? LOL, I don’t suppose you could know less.
Goat:
Google is your friend here. Do a search on “Leather Bookbinding” and you will find lots of resources. My aunt used to do this in her basement, and there are craftsmen out there who do amazingly good work.
Wow! I did not expect to be out bid so quickly. I think I’m out.
Steve, I think you’ve definitely stumbled on another source of income here.
Are you allowed to buy a bunch of your own books wholesale? If so, I suspect you’d be able to sell quite a few signed online. Jonathan’s idea is a good one too. I’ve picked up a few Ann Rice books this way (signed copies make great presents).
Or heck, set up an order form on this site, and sell them out of Reese’s store.
Thanks, Michael. It’s certainly a thought.