Sep 14 2011
Dear Bitches, Smart Authors Podcast: September 14, 2011 : Backlist and Old Skool Romance
It’s podcast time! This week, we’re talking about old skool romances, digital backlists and the prices we are willing to pay. We also talk about how readers value books, and the possibilities of collectible books. The audio on my part is really poor and I apologize about that. This time I was somewhere different and my mic was rubbing against my sweater, I think. Sarah did her best to eliminate the extra noise. If you can, don’t use headphones. I promise that the audio will be better next time.
Readers have asked that we list the books we talk about, so here you go. All the titles we talk about in this episode:
And Promise Me Tomorrow by Nora Roberts, the holy grail of used books for many readers.
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If you have content suggestions, tips on how to do this whole thing better, or general wtf-ery comments, email us. It’s all welcome because a) we are new to this and b) we don’t really know what we are doing so the wtf comments are probably all valid. The email address for the podcast is sbj.podcast@gmail.com.
Sarah is editing two more, one that answers our awesome collection of reader mail, and another that discusses “romangst,” the romances that contain (obviously) a whole lotta angst.
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Sep 14, 2011 @ 08:37:06
I’ve been really enjoying the previous podcasts — great to listen to while on a walk (except for the part where I look like an idiot because I’m laughing aloud at something no one else can hear!) — and am looking forward to this one.
Sep 14, 2011 @ 12:14:24
@Jane I understand your point on how a collectible has to have some appeal, but it didn’t take into account how ebooks now make the secondary market obsolete.
I own Nora Roberts’s, Promise Me Tomorrow and Marsha Canham’s, The Wind and the Sea. While I never quite believed the inflated online prices, these two books would still have brought in quite a bit of money if I had any interest in selling. With ebooks, my “collectible” Marsha Canham paperback is now worthless. Don’t get me wrong; I think ebooks are a great way for writers to make something off their backlist. It’s just that we may have seen the last of books ever being collectible. Everything will be available in perpetuity as an ebook, so there won’t be anymore rare books.
Sep 14, 2011 @ 12:54:42
@Kim I still think that there is a place for books as artifacts. First print editions, because of their rarity, may become even more popular/expensive/valued. I don’t think that is the case for many, many books though.
Sep 14, 2011 @ 13:04:45
I sold a copy of Promise Me Tomorrow last year. Just had no desire to read it.
Sep 14, 2011 @ 13:11:43
I definitely think there is a place for books as collectible artifacts; in particular, I’m thinking of books that have unusual illustrations, text treatments, or physical, interactive elements. One thing I’ll definitely miss in our live tree, dead pixel future is the presence of ephemera, margin notes, and the like you can find in used books. However, I won’t miss the lack of access to great books–I love that so many libraries are digitizing collections that you could normally access only by appointment. That goes for 90′s era clinch mass market stepbacks, too. All things considered, I think digital is a great thing for researchers and readers alike.
Now if only digital publishers would hire human beings to edit their backlist conversions, I’d be a happy, happy reader.
Sep 14, 2011 @ 14:26:55
I find I am buying in ebook format many of the books by favorite authors I already own in print, so I do try to hunt for bargains and use coupon codes.
I resent all of the scanning errors which I find are much more prevalent in backlist titles. And I also resent paying more for e versions than the original books cost. This is particularly true for the Silhouette titles by Nora Roberts which rather than being issued in e as Harlequin Treasury titles, are being issued in e as Silhouette Special Editions for $6.99 per book. Yes you can find them discounted at Kobo, Sony, etc, but they are certainly cheaper to buy used as paperbacks. This is when those buy 10 get 1 free coupon codes from ARe come in handy.
As much as I love reading on my Sony, I still enjoy reading hardcovers. But I don’t think I can explain why I like reading hardcovers in a way that makes sense to other people. I guess it’s something you do like or you don’t.