What the f---?

[faustus]

I'm writing a blurb for the second edition of the Pocket Essential Philip K Dick and eventually remembered I could paste it in from Amazon. Whilst there I notice the book is finally out of print, but is available from dealers from £9.20. This is from Cold Tonnage, a dealer I trust, but bear in mind a) this is new and b) it retailed for £3.99. You could pay £18.84. Also new. No, that's silly money.


Try second hand then. Used, very good. £42.24. Would have to be Fucking Very good. But it doesn't stop there.


£68.23 Used - Good. Not Very Good or As New. This is a paperback. 96 pages. No colour pictures. First six pages are apparatus - title, contents, copyright. Three pages at the end blank or adverts for other books. 87 pages. That's nearly 80p a page. But that's cheap.

Very cheap.

Imagine paying £324.99 for it.

Jaw drops.

That's around a penny a word. (And some of those are misspelt.) I doubt it's even a signed copy, as if that would add to the value. That's from adciezl.

Now, I have a pile of spare copies somewhere. What am I bid?

Comments

[nwhyte]

And how much of that money ever reaches the 'umble author???

Not a lot

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

None of it.

Well, that's not entirely true.

I think I worked out that I get summat like 40p from each copy sold, and I got a £500 advance against royalties. These earned out, and I've had cheques for extra amounts in, um 03, 04, 05. I could work it out from my tax returns, but I guess I've earned around £2000. Less than probably. Assuming none of these are remaindered copies, I will have had 40p from each of them.

(From the reports of where these have been spotted, I find the print run of a couple of thousand to be, um, an approximation.)

I hasten to add, I'm not a person who believes that copyright is eternity plus seventy-five years, or that I have to have a cut of every resale, but really. I know I undersell myself, but. I can't imagine anyone paying out three hundred quid.

Re: Not a lot

[abrinsky.livejournal.com]

Not even for a signed edition of the PKD book?

Re: Not a lot

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

As opposed to the rare, unsigned...

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

You must gloat to Mr. Langford. I see adciezl is also selling a 'used -VG' first edition of The Leaky Establishment for a mere £120.50.

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

Would you rather buy a copy of The Pocket Essential Cyberpunk for a penny from a dozen sellers(no, no idea how they can do it as obviously I would have been offered first refusal before remaindering) or £31.00 from Adciezl.

Cold Tonnage calls it "Collectible". H'mmm.

[fishlifter.livejournal.com]

This is from Cold Tonnage, a dealer I trust...

A dealer who also credits you as author of Reiffen's Choice (see catalogue item 19467).
---Mark

[oursin.livejournal.com]

A 64-page exhibition catalogue that I did for a work thing, that was distributed free, is now going for between £10-£20 from various dealers.

Boggle.