Ever since I received my first ARC, I have taken great care to be respectful about the entire process. If the publisher is generous enough to send me one to review, then you had better believe I'm not going to do anything to essentially thumb my nose at them. The fact that we as book bloggers have the opportunity to read and review these books early is an amazing thing and is an opportunity I am very grateful for. Whether or not there is a law regarding the legality of the sale of ARCs is moot. It's a matter of ethics that we not sell the ARCs that are shared with us. When ethics fall by the wayside, the community as a whole suffers.
Last week, I came across an ARC copy of Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock up for sale on Amazon. I reported it to customer care and it disappeared. Whether it was pulled or bought, I don't know, but I at least tried to do the right thing. On Friday, I saw something very disturbing via one of Gennifer Albin's tweets. Not one, but TWO ARCs of her upcoming release, Crewel, were up for sale on eBay. This seller not only had placed these ARCs on eBay for sale, but he or she was essentially boasting that they came from BEA. One was even signed, meaning this person likely stood in line and met the author before turning around and doing such a disrespectful thing. That is, unless this was one of the people reportedly stealing books from people's tote bags, but that's another matter entirely. Either way, this is a horrible thing and, unfortunately, it got even worse. When I clicked on the seller's profile link in order to see if there was a button I could click to report them, I found out that the two ARCs of Crewel were just the tip of the iceburg. The seller had a stock of 64 books. Today, they have 42. Guess how many of those are ARCs. FORTY OF THEM! Right there, plain as day, were copies of Black City, Fallen Kingdoms, Origin, Entice, Fathomless, Venom, and several others. I called eBay and reported this person, hoarse voice and all. That so many listings are gone now while others are still there doesn't bode well for the likelihood that they were pulled by the site, but I did what I could and, hopefully, others did, as well.
Does this burn my biscuits? You bet it does! Publishers are placing a lot of trust in us when they send us these books. Such a practice makes a mockery of the publisher/book blogger/librarian/book seller relationship. Also, what about the authors who worked so hard on that book? They won't see a dime from the sale of an ARC. This is a bigger deal than you might think. How so? Though she is talking about the piracy of her ebooks, Saundra Mitchell explains it very well with her post about the piracy of her first book: Free Books Aren't Free. So, what can you do? Speak up! If you see it, say something. Don't stand aside and let it go unchecked. Whether you see an ARC for sale on Amazon, eBay, or even in your favorite used book store, it's up to you to inform the appropriate people. If you don't get a response from the sellers, take it to the publishers. Blatant dishonesty shouldn't be ignored. I refuse to stand aside while it goes on in our world.
The "Respect the ARC" button above comes from A Few More Pages
The "Respect the ARC" campaign originates from Behind Yellow Eyes, which was down at the time this post was written.
Also, check out this post by Jessica at Confessions of a Bookaholic for more words on the matter and some great "Respect the ARC" buttons.
I think that this is a great cause. I have yet to ever get sent an ARC, but I'm hoping one day I will, and I most certainly will not try to profit off of them. It's like stealing music or anything else. Author's work so long to tell their stories and make them the final masterpieces that we will eventually see in print, it's not right to profit off of their hard work.
ReplyDeleteI think that the giving away of ARC's is great, though. Once you are done with it, you are giving another individual the chance to enjoy the ARC just as much as you did. There is nothing illegal about it and the only place money comes into play is shipping. The only profit off of gifting is knowing you made someone's day.
You're exactly right, Lili. Giving them away serves a purpose in that it garners more exposure for the book without putting a monetary profit into the wrong hands. Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you in standing up against those who disrespect authors and publishers by selling advanced reading copies. While I've never received an ARC in the mail, I have had the chance to speak with publisher representatives about ARCs and the work that goes into them. I know there is a lot of money that goes into making them that has little monetary return. Publishers are essentially printing books to GIVE to others to promote upcoming titles. It really frosts my cookies when people decide to ignore the stamps on the covers and on the inside of the books that say "Not for Resale."
ReplyDeleteTo put it rather succinctly: ARCs are a way to spread the word about an upcoming book. They are meant to be read and then hopefully reviewed by those people that publishers deliver them to. It seems like a stab in the publisher's back when I see ARCs for sale on websites like ebay or even in used bookstores. If people don't want to keep them, it's best to offer them to friends, have a giveaway, do a book trade, or donate them to a children's hospital (this applies mostly to middle grade and young adult books). I think these are better ways to share ARCs with others.
These are all great ideas for ways to ethically pass along ARCs! I especially like the idea of donating them to a children's hospital.
ReplyDeleteThat's awful. If I have an ARC and no use for it, I'll list it on a swapping site - after the publication date or have it as part of giveaway or even simply pass it on to another UK blogger. I'd never sell it, it says quite clearly 'NOT FOR SALE'.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if I came across an ARC or Twilight, you bet your ass I'd sell that. It's worth a fortune and I believe there's no harm as the book has been out so long and my bed is falling apart. ComaCalm's Corner =^.^=
ComaCalm's Corner =^.^=
ComaCalm's Corner =^.^=
And Disqus keeps messing up my HTML. Sorry about that. *cleans up*
ReplyDeleteNo worries. I'm trying out Disqus 2012, so I'm guessing there will be bugs. :-)
ReplyDeleteSadly, I just found another one this afternoon after I wrote this. While there's a certain catharsis from reporting these people, it's incredibly frustrating to come across it again and again. They're eventually going to ruin it for everyone and it's just not right.
ReplyDeleteI will swap ARCs or gift them to other readers, but sell them? Sorry, but I'd rather gnaw my own leg off before pulling something that unethical and disrespectful.
ReplyDeleteI refuse to patronize sites that don't respect ARCs. I used to buy from Thriftbooks, until they sent me two ARCs that they hadn't identified as ARCs in the description. I'm super conscientious about NOT buying ARCs, so I raised a huge fuss over it, got my money back, and refuse to buy from them. Same with Alibris. I totally respect Amazon for pulling listings - I've reported them there and they are fantastic to work with.
It drives me crazy that these sellers are disrespecting authors and publishers like this. Thankfully, there are quite a few people (book bloggers are the best for this!) who are taking a stand. I'm happy to count myself among that number.
Fantastic post. I'm grabbing the button and putting it up on my blog too.
I'm much happier with Amazon's way of handling the problem than I am with eBay's. In fact, I let eBay know just what I thought when they sent me a survey asking about my experience with their customer service department. I don't expect that they'll pay much attention, but it needed to be said and the more people speak up, the more notice they're bound to take.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my post and for putting up a button! Jessica has some great ones to choose from. I might design some, as well.
Great post..this is an issue that everyone needs to be aware of ..so that they can do their part in preventing this. I value my ARC's and the responsibility that comes with them.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Marla. I think a lot of the problem (and I'm not excusing it at all) is simply ignorance. People don't realize the cost that goes into ARCs, or the disservice they are doing the author by selling one. I have a very small collection of print ARCs, and you'd better believe I respect them, and if I love them, I will purchase the book when it's released to support the author. People are probably thinking, "publishers have so much money, they won't miss the sale of this ONE BOOK," or "authors are rich, they don't need another book sale," (which I know is a horrible misconception) and don't realize what they're actually doing. So posts like this are wonderful to raise awareness and educate others on why it's unethical to sell ARCs.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite post on ARCs, what they are, their purpose, and what to do with them is this one by Holly Root at Waxman Literary Agency. Both the post itself and the comments are fantastic, and I think every blogger should read it.
Also, my favorite suggestion for used ARCs is to donate them to a teacher for their classroom library. Most teachers build their classroom libraries out of donations and their own pockets (and we all know how much money teachers make *sarcasm*). Providing ARCs for their shelves helps them out tremendously, and encourages children to read. Also, if you educate teachers on ARCs and their purpose, they can in turn educate their students.
I really hope that more people become aware of the situation. It's such a frustrating thing to see happening so often and on such a wide scale. :-(
ReplyDeleteFirst off, you rock, Lauren! Thanks for linking up to Holly's post. You're absolutely right: it's a great, in-depth discussion of the matter at hand.
ReplyDeleteI've seen just the misconceptions you mentioned on seller forums (so not what I wanted to read while I tried to find the right way to report a seller, but that's another issue for another day). It's so incredibly frustrating and I wish people would do more research on the subject!
Another great suggestion! If I get many more of these, I'm going to have to write up an addendum for this post listing all of these great ideas for passing along used ARCs. Thanks for a great comment, Lauren!
I actually had no idea this was happening. I can't believe someone would go to the extent to sale an ARC they reveived from the publisher/author. I agree with everything you said in this post. Thanks for sharing this Marla. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's like the dirty little secret of the book review world. The sad thing is, I found two more last and reported them. At least Amazon will pull them. I don't know what eBay's excuse for leaving them up is.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to stop by and read this post. :-)
That makes me soooo angry! Some of those are books I was unable to stand in line for to get for myself to read!! I had a woman in front of me, I forget what publisher, who when they asked her if she sold ARC's, she must not have known what they meant, I hope, because she was like, oh yes, we sell them, of course we do! Like it was a good thing! I noticed the publisher person discreetly throw her card away when she left.
ReplyDeleteOy! I can't even imagine the frenzy involved at BEA. I'm honestly surprised the woman you mentioned answered in the affirmative like that, especially with such a tone. It's rather disturbing to think about.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by today.
Well said! Thanks for spreading the word! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by to check it out. :-)
ReplyDelete