Travis June 01, 2010

Mr. Stillman,

That was an utterly fantastic piece about the Los Angeles book "dealer" case. Thanks
so much for bringing it to our attention.

Best,

Travis

James Keeline June 01, 2010

re: eBay sniping

Tom McKinney,

I have been working with eBay as either a seller or bidder for many years, since 1998 in fact. I have seen their system go through great growth and the sad decline that is presently underway as they make policies and pricing changes to drive away the individual sellers which tend to have the most interesting items on average.

After losing some unique items which were important to us because we overslept the auction close, we decided to stop revolving our life activities to when we could be next to the computer and bid on an auction. The eBay policy of a fixed close time changes the successful strategies for bidding. It makes no difference who is the highest a day, an hour, or a minute before the close. Only the high bidder at the end counts. Hence sniping becomes the tool of choice for people who want to win more auctions and generally pay less for each item won.

I would not, however, use a local program. This would require that your computer be synchronized with the eBay clocks (not merely Apple system time) and that there be a fast connection and an awake computer at all times when you'd be placing an automated bid. For this we found that web site services were a better choice. We initially used AuctionStealer.com but left them when we lost a couple auctions due to service outages.

We now use eSnipe.com and have for many years with satisfaction. There is a fee for using these services based on how much you use it. With eSnipe you buy points for a fairly nominal sum.

There is a tool which can be installed on Firefox so that any eBay auction item page has an eSnipe window to log in and bid.

Of course these systems need to have your eBay user and password so don't use the same ones on eBay that you use for other important things like PayPal, your bank, email, etc.

I also have the eBay app on my iPhone to check in on auctions during the day but not to bid.

Keep in mind that eBay has bid increments so it is necessary to place a bid high enough to exceed this. Hence, if an auction starts at 19.99 and you bid 20.10, unless your bid is the first, you won't have a chance because the increment above 19.99 is higher than 11 cents.

The eSnipe default is 6 seconds before the auction. Although tempted, I have not felt compelled to reduce this to 5 or 4 seconds. The shorter the time, the more chance that the bid may fail.

In general, it's not so much an issue of who bid closest to the close but rather who has placed the highest top bid who wins. It just seems like the former situation when you are starting out.

Don't place a bid with an even amount ending in .00 or .50. Use something odd, especially between .50 and .99, to give yourself a minimal edge in bidding.

The eBay system, with all of its problems, still yields many items which are findable nowhere else. A great number of the prizes in my collection come from there. I make extensive use of the 100 saved searches they give each account though that is a topic for another day should you be interested.

James D. Keeline

San Diego, CA

. May 05, 2010

re: Portland Book Store Fire

Hello Fellow Booksellers,



I have looked into what we can do to help Phil, following the fire which totally destroyed Great Northwest Bookstore. The cost of cleanup alone will be in the tens of thousands of dollars. That means money is what is most needed. A fund has already been established with On Point Credit Union. I have discussed this with the other officers and we decided that PAUBA should donate $300. In addition, I encourage individuals to contribute what they can.



You can contribute in person at any On Point Credit Union or you can use your electronic payment systems. The account number is 1005903 and the address is P.O. Box 3750, Ptld, OR 97208.



I'll let you know if I hear of anything else we can do to help.



Best,

Debbie Cross



Wrigley-Cross Books

PMB 455

2870 N.E. Hogan Road Suite E

Gresham OR 97030-3175

Phone: (503) 667-0807

Toll Free: (877) 694-1467

http://www.wrigleycrossbooks.com

Tom Congalton May 03, 2010

Dear Bruce:



In your AE article about the New York Book Fair you referred to ILAB as the ABAA's European equivalent. Technically this is incorrect, ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers) is a world umbrella organization, of which both ABAA and over 20 other national associations (ABA in the UK, SLAM in France, and so forth) are members.



Best,



Tom Congalton

Editor's note: Thank you for the head's up. The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers is an organization whose membership consists of 22 national bookseller groups from all over the world. The individual booksellers who are members of each of these national organizations are thereby members of ILAB too. More can be learned about this organization and its services on the ILAB website: www.ilab.org.

Graham Richards April 07, 2010

Many dealers regularly visiting the UK will know of Quintos/Francis Edwards shop in London's Charing Cross Road - the Quintos monthly restock (1st Tuesday of the month) has been the source of many a bargain. In case your heart sinks to see it no longer alongisde Leicester Square tube station, fear not. It has moved further up Charing Cross Road to #72 - which in some ways is actually better than the former site. Quintos' stock is in the large basement. Just thought you all might like to know.

Bob Benham April 01, 2010

Hello,

Really, there is no such thing as a discount. Any reduction in price for any reason is simply a new price. The rest is all fluff.
I view discounts as morphing a 'hoped for' price from the Land of Oz into the real world.

I like the bare-knuckles approach of Walmart, they don't advertise discount prices, they advertise low prices. It must work.

As a buyer, I don't pay any attention to the fluff. If the price is right I buy, if not, I pass.

As an aside, as a dealer I don't feel correct offering discounts to special people at special occasions, (ie: book fairs) and then charging a 'full price' to those who aren't so special.

Sellers can do all sorts of marketing dances, but at the end of the day it's going to be about Supply and Demand.

Bob Benham

for Book World

Kol Shaver April 01, 2010

RE: BOOK FAIRS

Dear Americana Exchange:

I read with great interest your "New Reality for Book Fairs" article, and would like to offer a few observations.

I have been expanding the number of shows at which I exhibit for the past 10 years, and have been steadily moving away from depending on the internet, or in-store traffic. Many of the customers I have developed over these last few years draw from almost every age group, and demographic. This has necessitated that I bring exhibition stock in a number of different categories, as well as a range of price points.

Next, I would like to comment on the statement that the "serious buyer checks the net." Yes, many of them do check the net, but most of my best buyers care FAR MORE about the condition of the items offered to them in person, the personal experience of having those items treated with enthusiasm and respect, as well as the very real concern by almost all of them that they cannot trust the descriptions and pictures they read online. Many of them occasionally purchase from different websites, ebay, auctions, etc., and yet, they all have stories of books that they've ordered which have sincerely disappointed them when not purchased in person.

In addition, most of my regular clientele understands that they are rewarded for their ongoing patronage by being offered books before they are listed online, or in catalogues, or other venues. That's not to say they are loyal to only one, or two, booksellers (i.e. Rosenbach and Huntington), but they definitely enjoy a chance to buy material before anyone else.

There are also many of my customers, who do not buy online, and prefer to touch and see the books, as well as find something they haven't predetermined to find by certain sorts of searches. These are the treasure hunters who don't want to wait for a week or more to receive their books, but instead want to enjoy them immediately. These clients should never be ignored, or underestimated.

Finally, I definitely agree about a discount for customers who often patronize my stock at Book Fairs, or through Catalogues. I would rather let my direct customers have a discount, than pay the monies to ABE, Alibris, Amazon, and others.

Best regards,

Kol Shaver

Zephyr Used & Rare Books

JK March 31, 2010

re: Bookfairs

Bookfairs, like open stores but (at least as of today) unlike the internet, have the disadvantage of requiring the charge of sales taxes.

Bookfairs, like any other sales channel need their, customized marketing.

However, to promote a sales channel, here bookfairs, is it advisable to do this through discounts? Wouldn't it be better to promote the value added? The value many of our customers see is in connecting with the seller and seeing, touching, handling a book of their interest. For us, the value of a fair is similar, i.e., to connect with our customers and learn more from and about them, in addition to connecting with other sellers. Do we like the instant gratification of a sale on the spot, sure. Is it critical in our business model, no. Many (outside) industry trade shows don't anticipate selling the cars they have on the floor but to generate interest, market a brand, forge selling or buying arrangements, etc.

The suggestion is to rethink what we expect from bookfairs, e.g., the quick sale, potentially at the cost of a discount, or a possibility for continued and improved interaction and education of customers and booksellers alike. If a seller wants to offer books at a certain price, potentially lower than through other channels, that'd be their choice.

The "achieve better fair results with discounted prices" is the normal request of a salesman being able to sell better (fairs) at lower (book) prices.

How can fairs be more attractive to individuals though? Let the sellers do their job but make their lives easier with presenting them with more, qualified prospects.

An endless list of opportunities comes to mind, e.g., educational sessions about the trade, on-site/live auctions, combination with events such as antique road show, etc.

If the value of a book is there, it shouldn't be offered at a lower price but sold as such. If the value is NOT there, then there's another set of issues to be addressed.

Joachim Koch

Books Tell You Why, Inc.

Web: http://www.BooksTellYouWhy.com

Blog with us: http://blog.BooksTellYouWhy.com

Host of the Rare Book Forum: http://Forums.BooksTellYouWhy.Info

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BooksTellYouWhy

On Twitter: http://twitter.com/bookstellyouwhy


Note from the writer


I'm not focusing on the value of material. I'm focusing on the audience for it. In a more perfect world every good book will find a home but this is not the case today. Institutions and collectors have choices. I would like to see them incentivized. In this way shows may prosper.

Bruce McKinney

Duff March 01, 2010

Hi Folks:


As a visitor to many Los Angeles ABAA fairs over the past 25 years - starting with those at the Ambassador in the 1980's - the "hotel" business model is moribund. The entire affair was old and the material on the shelves was extraordinarily expensive. Not only were there few bargains, there was limited stock of moderately (<$200) priced material.


We all like fairs - sharing a common interest in books, the book arts, collecting and the like. The anticipation was exciting and the fair full of discovery. Now however it is clear that for the dealers the cost of a booth, transportation, hotel, food, etc., has made these biennial events ridiculous for all but the well to do on both sides of the glass case.
Unfortunately there just aren't that many of us willing to plonk down $2,000 - $5,000 for a book. This is especially true when it is doubtful a collector will see a return "of" that investment when the future of the book trade seems so precarious.


When this is combined with the a finacial model that requires dealers to "swing for the seats" in the hope of selling two or three expensive books, the decline of this selling model is complete. It has systematically caused the thinning of the collector audience and potential erosion of a collector base.
I believe book fairs can survive, but the business model - not just the venue - must be changed.


First, leave the hotels and old conference centers behind. Second, align with other, popular events - e.g, Los Angeles Festival of Books at UCLA - which draw a ready made audience to a central geographic locale. Third, make sure the inventory is priced in a way that invites readers to look and consider buying beautiful books, not gasp at prices that represent for most of us a mortgage payment. Finally, make sure you get a bunch of dealers who are under 40 years old and have a solid general stock - it doesn't have to be every dealer but enough to make readers in the 20 - 35 age range have some in the trade to identify with. [It also makes for a more diverse and intellectually interesting group of sellers for veteran fair attendees.]
These, or variations on these themes, need to be implemented immediately and not two or three years from now when if all accounts are reasonably accurate book fairs will be footnotes of history.

Duff

. March 01, 2010

Stillman article on Google case

Mr. Stillman's article assumes everything belongs to the people and he is
representing the people. So I die and no immediate persons come forward to make a
claim. Ergo the individuals rights to property, land, money, copyrights etc. once
you are deceased and no one steps forward to stake a claim, are gone.

Lets hope the Judge in this case does not allow such a simplistic answer.

And as for all those greedy businessmen lets clean them all out and let the kind
considerate politicians and little, poorly paid media people take over. I am sure
they will spread all that is good around and not take anything for themselves.

The Grand New World of Socialism.

Leigh Stein

Writer's response

The current law actually is as you describe: if you die and no heirs step in to claim your property it will escheat (I believe that's the legal term) to the state. Your house will not be left abandoned and unused for all eternity. If no one with a right to it makes a claim, the government will take it. It makes no sense to allow the resources of this world, be they real or intellectual property, to be locked away from the living because the previous owner died and no heir claimed the property.

As for the "greedy businessmen," I'm not sure the point here since this essentially is a case of one set of businessmen, primarily Google and its allied publishers and authors, versus another set, Amazon, Microsoft, and other publishers and writers. The government's role is more that of referee, and my belief is that the government needs a new set of rules so that it can play that role of referee in a way suitable to the times. If the government is the evil, and its involvement is "The Grand New World of Socialism," which I presume is something bad, then Google will be free to do whatever it wants with these books and all others. After all, copyright law is government intrusion in the free market, which would otherwise allow anyone to republish any other person's work at will with no compensation. Copyright law is in effect socialism in action, but, in my opinion, good socialism, like social security, public schools, national defense, public highways, police and fire protection, etc.

Barbara Young February 03, 2010

Re: Recycling packing materials.

One of our favorite book wrappings was not mentioned in the article. Living in a retirement area as we do, there are lots of Estate Sales. We buy unused rolls of gift wrap for pennies and use it for wrapping books for shipping. (We turn it inside out so if the Media Mail package is inspected, we won't be suspected of misusing the Media Mail.) I have gotten some amused emails from people who received a book in birthday paper on their birthdays!

. February 01, 2010

The Fate of Libraries

I read the article called "Printed Books vs. E-Readers: We're Ready to Make a Call"
By Michael Stillman and I agree with it. But I have a question for you, does that
mean that libraries will eventually no longer contain printed books (except in their
rare books section) and end up simply having kiosks for patrons to search for and
download electronic books onto their PDAs?

Anonymous

Writer's Response: While I'm not necessarily predicting a 100% change any time soon, I do suspect that this is essentially where we are going. I recently wrote about a high school library that is doing precisely that, though I think it is more a case of accessing texts on computer terminals rather than downloading to electronic readers (click here). These kids will only know electronic texts in libraries. Even at the college level, experience with my own children indicates they rarely use the printed word, though constantly access the electronic word. And, as more people read books electronically, it will become financially difficult to justify printing books that are not bestsellers. Then, as fewer books are published, everyone will have to learn how to use electronic readers, and in turn will become more comfortable with the technology. I'm an avid newspaper reader, but as online news has stolen marketshare from printed newspapers, they have become smaller, and as they provide less news, I have to go online to find what used to be available in print. It's a cycle, and I believe it will (is) happen to books, to the point that printed editions will become a small part of what future libraries will offer.

David G Anderson January 24, 2010

AE Top 500 Auction Results For 2009

You write "Topping the list for most appearances were George Washington and Charles Darwin, with seven each. All of Washington's listings were for manuscript items, all of Darwin's for editions of the same book, On the Origin of the Species."



I take a rascally kind of pleasure in catching the all-too-frequent misnaming of Darwin's magnum opus: On the Origin of Species.

Did you spot the difference?

DGA

Writer's Reply: This book comes up so often that I absolutely know the correct title does not have that second "the." Nevertheless, I still manage to write it the wrong way. I looked back at my past articles and it appears I do it wrong 50% of the time, even though I know better. I am appropriately chastised and humbled for my inexplicable and inexcusable mental laxity.

M.S.

Alex Nice January 05, 2010

re: In The News: The Political Leanings of Rare Book Users

Dear Sir,



I read this article with interest but was surprised that you were surprised
at the results of the survey. I am surprised that so many people declared
themselves conservative or middle of the road!

Obviously, I have not read the whole survey but here are some points based
on my observations as a University professor for five years in the US:

1. In America today an unfortunate consequence of the political system is
that "conservative" has become synonymous with "Republican" and "liberal"
with "Democrat". The former represents the censorship, capitalism and a
threat to "traditional" humanities subjects, the latter open to the sharing
of information, a more *socialised* outlook, and a liberal attitude towards
education for education's sake.

2. The majority of academics declare themselves as left of centre (i.e.
liberal or left of liberal) [whether or not they actually are in practice is
entirely another question!]

3. Those most likely to utilise rare books are faculty members in the
humanities - historians, literature professors, language teachers. I am
fairly certain if a survey were taken, then their political prejudices would
reveal that, in comparison, to faculty in other areas they are more likely
to be left of centre.

4. An education which encourages young minds to think critically,
creatively, intelligently is most likely to have a substantial measure of
"traditional" subjects (and hence faculty), for example: English,
Philosophy, History, and, of course, Classics. This type of education is
most likely to be considered more left-leaning in today's commercialised
higher education environment and the types of colleges which teach it
(liberal arts colleges for the most part) likely to attract left-leaning
faculty who care less about financial rewards or other incentives and more
about teaching.

I have not read the whole survey but a sample of 550 faculty from 350
colleges (less than 2 faculty per college!!) may also not be very
representative of the way individual collections are used in comparison to
others. It also strikes me that the element of the survey you have chosen to
light on is overly schematic and not particularly sensitive to way people
actually live their lives (rather than their perceptions vis-a-vis their
political leanings).

Yours,

Alex Nice

--
Alex Nice Ph.D.

Senior Research Associate, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Joey Cain January 03, 2010

Thank you for your wonderful site and great newsletter.

Joey Cain

. January 01, 2010

Dear Mr. McKinney:

I browse each monthly electronic journal usually reading articles on the changing book trade. Obviously the manner in which all of us obtain information, including that from books, is radically transforming. The success of these articles would be improved if there was more analysis. Why, for instance, did the sale of your material for $3.4M lead to a conclusion that the book trade is "holding its own"? I didn't recognize a single title in an area entirely obscure to me.

I have never paid more than $500 for a book and don't see how the sale of some 16th century title in Italian/Latin/French, etc., has any rational relationship to a collectible book I purchased 5,10, 15 or 20 years ago.

Anecdotally, my experience in 2009 is that dealers have priced items as if there has been no changed circumstance and that an active, competitive market demand still exists for this material. Yet I find that in the overwhelming majority of "collectible" books sit on the "electronic" shelves year after year after year without price reduction. In other words, I appear to be one of two individuals who might be interested in the subject [books on music - as distinguished from musical manuscripts/letters/autographs], both of us being unwilling to pay the dealers price when there is essentially no market when the time comes for us to pass these books along like you just did.

The point: how is a collector of my interest - who does not have $100,000, let alone $3.4M for a collection - relate your experience in any relevant, meaningful way? That synthesis would make your interesting experience more than just a "story".

Thanks for sending me your monthly journal. I'd probably be more inclined to subscribe if the annual cost was substantially less. That's not to say you should lower the price, I just can't see how my collecting interests would be served by paying an annual price of $180. I'd think $75 a year would probably prompt an annual subscription. [Although it is probably a fiscal distinction from a marketing standpoint that makes little difference.]

Best regards,

Duff Murphy

A writer's note

This article, on the auction itself, was simply an 'experience' piece. What is it like to sell a collection, in this case with low reserves?

I think the sale confirmed continuing support for premium material. I believe this because the reserves were low and most items sold with multiple bids. This however says nothing about other price ranges of material, most of which are in disarray because asking prices remain high and buyers unconvinced.

As to your frustration with what you believe to be over-priced material we long ago developed Matchmaker to provide direct access to fresh material as it comes to market. I use it to collect material on the Hudson Valley. My annual budget is $20,000 and I rarely spend more than $15,000 while buying appealing [and rare] material almost every week.

Finally, in a separate piece in this month's AEM, Collecting: A Changing Perspective I write about the changing approaches to collecting. It's possible to buy great material reasonably if you approach the task differently.

Bruce McKinney

Larry Tipton November 01, 2009

Dear Mr. Stillman,

In your article "Book Prices Tumble Amid Cutthroat Competition" is the following sentence
"The last we saw, Wal-Mart had inched their price down another penny, to $8.98. Among the new releases offered at this incredible price are books by Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, Barbara Kinsolver, and - oh my gosh - Sarah Palin."

Would you clarify the "oh my gosh - Sarah Palin" part of your statement? What do you mean to imply?

Thank you,

Larry Tipton

Writer's reply:

All of the others are familiar to us as names because they are great writers, though we know little about them personally. Most people probably wouldn't recognize any if they tripped over them. Ms. Palin is the opposite. Almost everyone would recognize her on the street and we all recognize her distinctive personality, but none of us has a clue whether she can write.

Linda Donaldson September 11, 2009

Bruce,

As an online book dealer [ABEbooks and Alibris] and a faithful reader of your AE Monthly columns, I'm happy to say my husband, Fred, and I will be at a vigil Wednesday night in Quakertown, PA. Fred began a website several years ago called www.socialsecurityplan.org. He's now a retired newspaperman after 48.5 years in both weekly and daily newspapers in the Philadelphia area. He also has a blog www.fwdpost.com that exposes the tentacles of the lobbyists in government. Interesting reading.

Linda Donaldson
of PrintsandthePaper

Duncan September 01, 2009

re: Collecting

Bruce:

Very much enjoyed, agree with and support your point-of-view. Always have.

Am very much trying to tell the story but not sure how successful I am at it but will continue with helping collectors collect.

Trying very hard to absorb, understand and practise some new thinking.

Thank you for doing what you do.

Regards

Duncan

LDRB

Jim Jeffery September 01, 2009

AE: A Perspective on Seven Years

A congratulations on your vision and hard work.

A reader.

Jim Jeffery

Ellen S. Dunlap September 01, 2009

AE @ 7

Hi, Bruce:

I just wanted to drop you a note of congratulations on seeing AE turn seven. Seems like only yesterday that you began, doesn't it? I always find things of interest in every issue and look forward to its arrival - like clockwork - on the first of every month. Great job!

All the best,



Ellen

Ellen S. Dunlap, President

American Antiquarian Society

Gordon September 01, 2009

re: Remarks on healthcare debate

Good for you for expressing your opinion on this mutilated subject. Even
better for urging true reform. I am a very political person of the decided left,
and I converse often with fellow dealers. I find the majority of them to be
well-informed and clearly democratic in sympathy. There are a few surprises
and even some really ludicrously unrealistic stances. One dealer lamented
thusly: "Since most customers are Republicans, dealers should be
Republicans too." What if most collectors were Druids? or Babylonians? or
left-handed?


Thank you again for your opinions and thank you for AE Monthly!

Michael September 01, 2009

Health Care


Hi Bruce,

Great column on healthcare. Did you email this to any organizers? Is something already in the works? It infuriates me that so much of the rage against the new plan is based on lies and myths that now a majority of Americans believes. The ignorant and gullible public should bear a lot of the blame as well...

Michael

Manhattan Rare Book Company

http://www.manhattanrarebooks.com

. September 01, 2009

Full agreement on your Health Care commentary

I am in full agreement with your Health Care commentary. Anthem has raised more than 500% in the last 15 years.

What's more, my wife is a British citizen and we are offended by the lies and deceit perpetuated by special interests who intend to bankrupt the country before Wall Street. The NHS has its problems, but its billing system won't kill you before any illness one may have.

For any assistance in hearing your voice, please let me know.

Brian Levine

Mt. Gothic Tomes and Reliquary, LLC

P.O. Box 3048

Crested Butte, CO 81224-3048

USA

. September 01, 2009

Sunday morning commentary


I've put your commentary on my Facebook page. Thanks!


Tomorrow evening, I'm participating in a vigil in the square at our county courthouse. Things are happening; we don't make the national news. Maybe if we brought bazookas?

Joy