Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Advance Copy Controversy and Blog Panel
Two great items via MobyLives.com:
Harbourfront Centre Director Sells Autographed Books
"The tumult over Greg Gatenby's attempt to sell off the books he got autographed during his years running the International Readings at Harbourfront Centre continues" in Rebecca Caldwell's Globe & Mail story.
The controversy is whether Gatenby is the rightful owner of review copies sent by publishers, or if the Centre has an ownership claim. My feeling is that unless the Centre made an effort to collect and maintain review copies as a collection, then the books are Gatenby's property. Very few organizations have the space, resources, or forethought to maintain a book collection. At the American Booksellers Association, where an excellent, and valuable, book collection could be maintained from all the Book Sense 76 picks, it just isn't part of their mission to keep such a library. I've worked at enough bookstores and publishers to know that review copies are one of the perks given to bookselelrs and reviewers. Publishers send the books knowing that one free copy sent can result in dozens sold by a bookseller. It's a built-in part of book promotion.
But there really isn't a controversy because:
If the guy was willing to buy, store, and protect 28,000 books for multiple decades, they're his. Let him sell them.
Literary Blogger Summit
Further example that blogging is becoming a powerful tool for talking about books and literature:
WHAT THE BLOG?
A talk show taping for BookTV, hosted by Dennis Loy Johnson (of Moby Lives), and featuring some of the Internet's top literary bloggers: Maud Newton, Jessa Crispin (Bookslut), Laila Lalami (Moorishgirl), George Murray (Bookninja) and Ron Hogan (Beatrice.com).
Among the topics of discussion will be:
Why? How come? and You call yourself a blogger?
At the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
126 Crosby St., Soho, NYC
Friday, Dec 3, 7 pm
free and open to the public
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Harbourfront Centre Director Sells Autographed Books
"The tumult over Greg Gatenby's attempt to sell off the books he got autographed during his years running the International Readings at Harbourfront Centre continues" in Rebecca Caldwell's Globe & Mail story.
The controversy is whether Gatenby is the rightful owner of review copies sent by publishers, or if the Centre has an ownership claim. My feeling is that unless the Centre made an effort to collect and maintain review copies as a collection, then the books are Gatenby's property. Very few organizations have the space, resources, or forethought to maintain a book collection. At the American Booksellers Association, where an excellent, and valuable, book collection could be maintained from all the Book Sense 76 picks, it just isn't part of their mission to keep such a library. I've worked at enough bookstores and publishers to know that review copies are one of the perks given to bookselelrs and reviewers. Publishers send the books knowing that one free copy sent can result in dozens sold by a bookseller. It's a built-in part of book promotion.
But there really isn't a controversy because:
"[Gatenby] says that only one-quarter of his collection was obtained by him as free review copies, the remaining three-quarters were purchased by him. Gatenby reckons he has spent 20,000 hours during the past 36 years searching antiquarian bookshops and remainder bins in stores on four continents since his first acquisition at age 18: The Dainty Monsters, Michael Ondaatje's first volume of poetry."
If the guy was willing to buy, store, and protect 28,000 books for multiple decades, they're his. Let him sell them.
Literary Blogger Summit
Further example that blogging is becoming a powerful tool for talking about books and literature:
A talk show taping for BookTV, hosted by Dennis Loy Johnson (of Moby Lives), and featuring some of the Internet's top literary bloggers: Maud Newton, Jessa Crispin (Bookslut), Laila Lalami (Moorishgirl), George Murray (Bookninja) and Ron Hogan (Beatrice.com).
Among the topics of discussion will be:
Why? How come? and You call yourself a blogger?
At the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
126 Crosby St., Soho, NYC
Friday, Dec 3, 7 pm
free and open to the public
