120 copies of Hardback Elantris

[EUOL]

So, by a tip from Parker (and through some wrangling and such) I managed to buy about a hundred and twenty copies of the Elantris hardback from a discount warehouse.  This is way cool because the hardback has sold so well that there is relatively little chance that Tor will ever remainder it.  (When a book gets remaindered, the publisher decides to send it to bookstores at a cheap price for the bargain tables.  Usually, before a book gets remaindered, the author has a chance to buy any copies he/she wants at the discounted price.) 

I was thinking I'd never get to buy a stock of remaindered copies.  Fortunately, this warehouse is out of Canada--and someone up there must have decided to remainder a batch of the books rather than send them back for a refund.  Either way, I got them.  My hope is to sell them through my website as signed and personalized hardbacks for those who would want one. 

Here is my question for you folks, then.  These DO have a remainder mark on them in the form off a small black dot on the bottom or top edge of the pages.  (I.E.  if you held the book closed with your thumb on the back cover and your fingers on the front cover and looked at the bottom of the book, you'd find a black dot there.)  This makes them of less value to collectors.

I'm wondering what the general opinion on these is.  Do regular readers care?  I want to find a price for these that would be fair, but that would be worth my time and energy to sell.  I was thinking $15+shipping, which makes them about $3.50 cheaper than Amazon, depending on what kind of shipping you get from Amazon.  (I'd offer free shipping for someone who buys two copies, I think.  I'd have to look at shipping costs.)  So, they'd be cheaper than any other place you can buy them, would arrive signed and personalized with whatever note you want inscribed in them, and would probably include a free bookmark or the like.  However, they'd have that mark on them. 

Thoughts?  Opinions?

[Nessa]

I would just make sure to note that they're remaindered books. Otherwise, I don't think it would be a problem. If someone is so concerned to have a 'collection' worth copy, then they'd go another route to get your signature. Most people don't care about that. At least I wouldn't.

[Phaz]

I would just make sure to note that they're remaindered books. Otherwise, I don't think it would be a problem. If someone is so concerned to have a 'collection' worth copy, then they'd go another route to get your signature. Most people don't care about that. At least I wouldn't.

I agree.  There are two kinds of collectors.  People who collect things for the extrinsic value, and people who collect them for the intrinsic value.  I think collectors who fall into the 2nd category, wouldn't have much issue with a remaindered copy.   I know I would love to have one.  I'd even pay 2x that if the extra went to a charity.

[Parker]

As long as you clearly note they're remaindered, I think you're good to go the route you've described.

[EUOL]

Yes, I had intended to do that, but it's nice to get confirmation.  Hopefully, the price will sound fair to people.  The thing is, you can often get remaindered books for seven or eight bucks.  I'll be selling mine for twice that much, but I just can't make it worth my time (and the time of Sprig, who would be doing the coding and running the shop) to sell for less than fifteen.  The balancing factor is that you won't be able to get hardbacks many places soon.  I don't know how long Amazon will stock them, and after that, you'll have to go through an on-line used book store.

[Spriggan]

I still think you can sell them for twice that since you are personalizing them.

[Tink]

I think that they are well worth the $15, if not more, because they have the signature, even with the black mark. Especially if you're not just signing, but personalizing it (which you mentioned). They're still hardback and I think totally worth it.

[Nessa]

I think that they are well worth the $15, if not more, because they have the signature, even with the black mark. Especially if you're not just signing, but personalizing it (which you mentioned). They're still hardback and I think totally worth it.

Not only hardback, but un-used hardbacks.

[Parker]

One thing I thought of as well was the fact that, if it's true that they're soon to be out of stock at most bookstores, then the price for them will naturally rise, even for used copies.  Just because the books have a little black mark on them doesn't make them used.  They're still usually fairly pristine.  I'd probably sell them for more, or hold back for a bit and see what happens when the book's hard to get.  My reasoning is that since you have a fairly limited supply of these, with no certain prospects of getting any more soon, you can afford to hold off, unless you have limited storage.  For now, if people want to buy a book, they can.  If they want a signed one, then you can certainly offer them that chance.  But why should you be offering a lower price than they can usually buy the book, if you're giving them MORE than what they'd get in a bookstore?  I'd say you could likely sell them for price of the book plus shipping.  You're going through a lot of hoops to make these available . . .

But maybe I'm just a cold-blooded capitalist.

[EUOL]

Good point, Parker.  You know, I looked at Amazon, and a lot of books that came out when Elantris did are already have the 'Available from these sellers' line at the top instead of a "sold by and shipped by Amazon' line (for the Hardcover, I mean.)  That means that Amazon doesn't stock the hardbacks anymore.  Once Elantris goes into this realm, then selling the book via my website will be one of the only ways to get hardbacks.  It's either that, or buy from a used bookstore. 

The question is how long Amazon will stock the hardback.  And, maybe I'll start with a price on mine at 15 or 20, see how many sell, then raise the price as I have fewer and fewer copies to sell.

[Parker]

You could do that, but I'd think I'd be a little irritated if I went to your site at one point, saw the HB was $15, and then a few months later I go back and see that it's up to $25, whereas if it was always at $25 or whatever, I'd never get irritated.  Well, not at you specifically, at least.

I think you need to ask yourself why you're planning on selling them through your site.  If it's to make money, then I'd say wait.  If it's to provide a service to fans and make a bit of money on the side, then $15 fills that fine, too.  I'm just saying you should think long term here.  If you're not going to have the chance to get more remainders, and you'll be writing books for a long time, then how long will you have the stock you have?  You can sell them now at $15, or wait a year or whatever and start selling them for significantly more, potentially.

I see nothing wrong with either approach--as long as you've thought it through and do things how you want to.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

I dunno...it seems kind of...odd to me. Do authors commonly do this? It seems strange to get into the business of selling books, to the extent you buy them from a warehouse, for only 120 books.

When I took Dave's class, I got a Runelords hardback from him for...well, I can't remember exactly, but I think it was only $5, and it doesn't have any black dot. I don't remember him mentioning how he got the books, though.

One of our artists (the artist of MBQ) often buys a case of books for wholesale from us and then goes out and sells them on the street, but that's understandable because his book sells pretty horribly in the bookstores and he's an extremely charismatic dude who knows exactly who to walk up and sell his book to (the audience it was written for really doesn't browse the manga/graphic novels aisle in the bookstore, or usually read any books at all). That's one of the only ways he's got to get his book and name out there—he needs to do it.

I think it might be nice to have some books to take to cons and sell after panels, but you don't want to seem greedy.

[Parker]

I certainly wouldn't be selling them for more than they cost at bookstores (or at used bookstores or whatever, after they're no longer available in bookstores).  However, I don't see anything wrong with an author saying, "If you'd like an autographed copy, and you can't get to my signings, then I'd be happy to let you buy a book from me and I'll send it to you."  You could also state that if people feel like sending their books to you and including return postage, you'd sign them that way, as well.  I'd still think they'd prefer just to pay shipping once.  I look at it as an author providing a nice way for fans to get signed books.  But no--you definitely want to be sure that you don't appear greedy.

[stacer]

You can also do this with signed bookplates, without going to the lengths of getting books, if you have readers who might like to save on postage but get their book personalized by you. I know many authors who do this--you send them the postage for the signed bookplates, they provide the bookplates, personalize them, send them back.

[vadia]

One point to consider is that by selling for less than the going rate you are (kind of) saying that your books are worth less than the going rate -- I don't know what the implication of that is, but it is something to consider.