Writers Selling Their Own Books on eBay
Here’s an interesting one …
Why would authors want to sell their own books on e-Bay ?
Due to the anonymous nature of selling on this popular auction site we cannot be sure how much of it goes on. But there have been indicators in the past.
Some authors have “worked closely” with dealers on ebay in the past. G.P. Taylor of Shadowmancer fame appeared to have fostered a close relationship with someone listing on eBay for example.
Today we possibly note another:
Is Simon Scarrow selling his own books ?
There is currently a type written first draft up for auction. It could be anyone selling it of course but the sellers feedback shows mostly Scarrow’s own books including a signed proof.
Somewhat telling is also a charity auction for a bottle of champagne given to the author by his publisher.
We also note that previous auctions contravened eBay rules by including a direct link to their own Scarrow Brothers website which also retails books.
Is there anything wrong with this ?
Well in theory no, but it does raise some questions:
-
Why bother ?
Is there an issue selling proofs that state they must not be resold ? Book dealers have been threatened by publishers in the past for doing this!
If you are going to do it why not go under your own name and sell only signed items - the ultimate guarantee !
As we say we cannot be sure, we merely raise the question for general discussion.
There have been some big Hollywood names who apparently ‘arrange’ for onset movie memorabilia to find it’s way onto the auction site.
Does Anyone Know of Any More Instances or Have an opinion ?
GP Taylor said,
August 7, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
Dear Rod,
never have you been so wrong. Since writing shadowmancer I have been deluged with dealers/ readers wanting me to sign stuff for them and in two cases being threatened when I refused. One dealer said to me - I think your books crap - but here’s thirty copies for you to sign…when I told him where to go he got angry and threatened to ruin my career.
I had a dealer turn up at my hotel in London with 500 books in a suitcase and another came to my house with nearly one thousand. unitl recently I have always allowed dealers at my signings but your specualtion that I am somewhat in league with a dealer has now led me to announce no more dealer signings unless they pay me £1.00 per book and I will donate the money to The Rotunda Museum in Scarborough
I have kept back several copies of the original shadowmancer which i have used to help out charities in need of money - these I have double signed and drawn on etc to give them added value.
I have been offered vast amounts of money for manuscipts and this year I am giving away the manuscript for Mariah Mundi as a prize in a treasure hunt even though I was recently offered a 6 figure sum. There will also been manuscript proofs of Salamander Street and a few saought after originals as well - 8th Sept in Scarborough.
Dealers have raided my dustbin for paper and now everything that leaves the house is burnt. One dealer came to my house and whilst out of the room he had raided my waist paper bin!
there are also the vast amount of forgeries on ebay - books I have never signed - so please be careful what you put to print. One man I have never met said in his blurb I was an old friend and lived around the corner - never met the man…he lived on the south coast.
Another wrote to me saying he was 11 years old - I felt sorry for him and rang his mother - about to send him and original 1st edition of great value - when his ‘mother’ answered the phone I found out it was his wife and the little boy was a 34 year old book dealer…
The problem is not so much the authors but the dealers. I think that some authors do sell on ebay and good look to them - why not?
But the words of a man who described himself to me as the most prestigious book dealer in England still echo in my head… be careful who you sign for as you may devalue your brand.
My reply cannot be printed.
GP Taylor.
PS
Love the blog.
Rod said,
August 8, 2007 @ 8:49 am
Dear GP
thanks for the taking the time to leave such an interesting and informative comment - very much appreciated.
Firstly, my apologies if I have misunderstood the situation with a certain dealer shall we say, from the Plymouth area.
I have to say I am shocked at some of the things you mention. Whilst I am well aware of the ignorance of some dealers at signings etc the other things stagger me.
I defence of ‘the trade’ I would think, and indeed hope, that the more nefarious deeds were committed by non-professional book dealers and ebayers etc.
Years ago, when the craze first started, I used to deal heavily in ultra-modern signed books but have never got involved in going to signings.
I always thought it an incredible liberty to turn up with countless copies of books and expect an author to sign them.
On another note, I have actually read Shadowmancer myself and certainly do not share the opinions of the guy with 30 books.
God, I’d love to know who that was
But I bet I could guess who the dealer in London was with 500 books, especially if they were the Mount editions.
Once again if I have misunderstood the situation in regard to the seller alluded to and the material he has offered as well as the connections he has alluded to in his auctions and online listings then please accept my apologies and I am more than happy to alter the post. I would say that I did not suggest you personally were selling them on ebay or indeed had any interest in the final price reached on ebay.
Thanks once again for the great insight and I hope you’ll continue to drop by from time to time.
Good luck with the new book
All the best
Rod
Andrew G Salmon said,
August 8, 2007 @ 10:12 am
Dear Rod.
” Sam ” Salmon here, the Plymouth dealer you have kindly left out of your comments. Having read through what you have written, I would like to add a little clarity to you and your potential readers.
It is very difficult for new Authors to gain any form of recognition in the industry and has been for some year now. A great many literary Scouts look at eBay for that illusive book that may gain them the ” Golden Egg ” deal that the top publishers are looking for. It also serves the purpose of self-enhancement in the book world, which is frightening at the best of times. Whilst most authors do not aspire to the great heights’ of the publishing contract, other’s, it may be said, are always chasing the deal of a life time.
A little self indulgence does no harm and a little money certainly goes a long way to paying off the mountains of debt that can and do accompany self publishing. Therefore, eBay is a good place to ply your trade, even at the cost of a little negativity from budding review writers. Unlike yourself, most reviewers do not get an opportunity to see or even hear about the new kids on the block, plying their trade on auction web sites like eBay.
It does serve a purpose and a useful tool for any scribes to have the potential of being picked up. Also, it allows a little more provenance to an authors signature, or, that proof copy that would not appear generally in the public domain. Some authors have learnt the hard way and had their prize manuscripts twisted from their collection by unscrupulous dealers who will do anything to gain a head start on a collection that has potential.
A signing factory has to be the way forward for security and provenance in the long term. In this sense I mean the likes of a J K Rowling signature is a very worthwhile investment, but how can we be sure it is real and she has signed it in person and not a typical kitchen table job, as seen on so many occasions lately, in order to secure £750.00 or more!
All in all, a benefit to the collector and a little more sanity to the author knowing who is selling your books and who is attempting to pass on illicit copies!.
best wishes.
Sam
GP Taylor said,
August 8, 2007 @ 11:00 am
Thanks for that Rod - I think your post will help people so please leave as is…
You are right - there are dealers and dealers. many are very straight but some have not only caught me out but also others. I have recently helped in a Trading Standards investigation into someone forging signatures and then selling them.
Keep blogging - and buy a new guitar!
Love
Graham
Rod said,
August 8, 2007 @ 1:22 pm
Hi Sam,
thanks for taking the time to add to the discussion, another great addition to an interesting thread.
I agree that using ebay for promoting self published first time authors is potentially a good thing.
I also do not suggest that an established author directly selling his own books is a bad thing - just different and worth debating.
As to the problems of fakes etc on ebay I couldn’t agree more, unscrupulous sellers have done a great deal of damage to the collectable book trade and ruined ebay as a marketplace for honest traders as well as damaging the value of books held by collectors.
This is something I have been trying to bring to peoples attention for a while with things like this:
Fake Ian Fleming’s
Harry Potter eBay Scams
Signed PG Wodehouse
I should also point out that selling copies of Shadowmancer has put food on the table at La Casa Goldeneye in the past as well.
Incidentally, I have about 15 copies left but ideally I need them signing
Thanks for participating Sam
All the best
Rod
Rod said,
August 8, 2007 @ 1:32 pm
Hi Graham,
thanks for the return comment and for endorsing the original post as it stands.
It does you great credit that you take the time to assist in cracking down on forged signatures. Honest dealers and collectors should all be grateful as these forgeries damage us all and must be incredibly galling for the author.
I know JK Rowling is also now very active in this area.
I’ll certainly keep blogging as days like this make it more than worthwhile.
Thanks again for your participation and I am pleased that this site has been a vehicle to air some of your experiences.
Cheers
Rod
Rod said,
August 8, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
Talking of ebay ! Here’s one for you all, currently in the gallery
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS SIGNED 1ST EDITION
hysterically, this is in the description !
The book is in fact just a deluxe edition, not signed at all. The authors signature is stamped on the front cover in gilt as part of the decoration. Every book in the series has had a deluxe edition and every one has been stamped thus !
It is laughable except last week somebody tried this and bidding was up to £420 !
Needless to say this saw a tidal wave of others follow !
Rod
Witches of Eastwick said,
August 8, 2007 @ 9:26 pm
Dear Mr Taylor,
We’re afraid to admit the Witches know very little about the world of literature and book signings. It is interesting therefore to read your comments about people going through the dustbin etc….. no one has tried that with us (very unwise without full breathing apparatus in this heat!) and probably never will.
Should you be passing through Lincolnshire, we would be delighted if could join us for coffee and gougere.
Kind regards,
WoE
p.s. Rod, before you ask, there will be plenty of gougere to go round
Little Witchlet said,
August 8, 2007 @ 11:19 pm
I am in awe of writers - having a book published, becoming a successful author is truly, well - awesome. Being very ignorant on the subject, what would be the best course of action for a novelist hoping to have their work published - is self-publishing the costly but realistic answer, in which case, any market, ebay or otherwise, seems the right way forward.
I am also curious as to the “relationship” between author and book dealer - putting the rogues to one side for the moment, how important/useful is the role of the book dealer to the author? There’s no doubt a great deal more to this than is apparent to someone outside the “book” world.
Might require something more carnivorous than gougere, WoE -a meaty subject!
Rod said,
August 9, 2007 @ 9:20 am
LW
self-publishing is now pretty easy and cost effective. Ther are some sites on the net that will actually market your book, print orders on demand and handle the sales etc !
A new author will only really come to the attention of a book dealer if their book is very impressive or looks like it will be, or can be, hyped up in value.
Their role is pretty minor as they only really sell to 1st edition collectors mainly - the author needs recognition and interest from the general public.
Booksellers, rather than dealers, however, obviously deal in any books but their interest is likely to be slight if you’ve no track history.
I do get new authors contact me through various websites I have looking to promote their work and get it of the ground, it must be very difficult to say the least.
The good new is it’s never been easier to actually get a book printed. Check something like Cafepress
Best
Rod
Witches of Eastwick said,
August 9, 2007 @ 11:04 am
Witchlet,
Do we have enough raw material yet for the first Coven novel? We need to set out our ingredients and above all mustn’t forget the baking powder…. this book has got to rise above all others. If it’s comedy or decadence, then we can pick them straight from the tree, anything else may require a google search. So Witchlet, we must dust off the old pith helmets and delve deep into the book jungle (or should that be the Jungle Book?) in very much the same way as our hair care specialists who found ancient substances to enhance lifeless locks.
Perhaps the more direct route would be (if you can stand another visit) to probe Rod’s mind… it’s surprising what a cheese straw can reveal!
WoE
p.s. shouldn’t we perhaps read a few books first, just a thought. We’ll ask Rod kindly to draft a list of essential reading, excluding in this case, instruction booklets on how electrical things work …. anyway we’ve read all those and frankly the plot’s a bit thin
Rod said,
August 17, 2007 @ 2:26 pm
Interesting Update:
The following auction is in the ebay gallery, from a new seller located in Plymouth. Makes interesting reading as the author himself actually refers to these in his original comment - auction below:
G P Taylor Manuscript, Poster & Book Signed
This is the Original Hand corrected manuscript with all corrections in black and is the full and complete book with 328 pages. The book ened with 335 pages.G P has signed it and most of the pages he has initialed.
This is the only copy and came direct from G P taylor in person.