Another question for the authors

[neadods]

Long story short - an author sent me an unbound ms to review for RtE. I wrote back and said that I needed publication info (price, ISBN, page count, etc) for the review and that an unbound ms was kinda hard to read and I looked forward to an advance copy.

The author emailed me the missing info and informs me that unbound advanced review copies were common in the review industry.

Question: Are they? Is a sheaf of plain paper printed 2-pages on one sheet, landscape, really par the course?

Question #2: Who pays for these? The argument is that the ms was sent to me at great personal expense of the author, but a bound ARC would be even more expensive to the author. By that point, aren't they getting into the costs covered by the press as part of doing business?

Comments

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

Sounds more like a galley than a review copy to me. My guess is she's parroting what her publisher has told her, and that they're a small-time outfit that can't afford to do actual review copies.

It's common to have to do your own promotion, certainly, but your own copying? That's a new one on me.

Wonder if they're actually a vanity house or something, and she's had to pay for all of it?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Wonder if they're actually a vanity house or something, and she's had to pay for all of it?

That's my impression. I also get an impression of great defensiveness in the huffing "this is the way things are done" answer.

[lagilman]

Occasionally, a house will determine they can only do a small number of galleys, and will send them to their targeted list. In those cases, it's not unusual for an author to send unbound galleys (also known as author proofs) to smaller outfits.

Unbound galleys are not "common," but they are seen, especially in situations like the above.

Hopefully, her publisher sent bound galleys to the majors -- otherwise they'll just toss 'em.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Unbound galleys are not "common," but they are seen, especially in situations like the above.

Nods. This is a press I've never heard of, so I can imagine they're running close to the bone. And the author had asked if I wanted an electronic copy, and I said I preferred a manuscript, so she has some basis of saying "but I gave you what you wanted!" I just never expected a sheaf of papers.

I think in this case, I'm going to offer a compromise. I really am uncomfortable reading 8 1/2 x 11 sheets in landscape. So I'm going to tell the author I will send back her manuscript in exchange for an electronic file which I will print and bind to my satisfaction... and bear in mind in the future when we are contacted by authors to make "bound copy" part of the deal up front.

[kefiraahava.livejournal.com]

The book club I do first reads for (a subsidiary of Big Whomping Book Club) has given me everything from shiny-covered ARCs to bound uncorrected proofs labeled as such to double-sided or single-sided ms. photocopies over the years.

I've sometimes gotten photocopies of a copyedited ms., complete with markup, which suggested to me that the production schedule was running late on that particular book and the publisher thought it was better for Big Whomping Book Club to see it quickly rather than waiting to produce a pretty, clean, bound format. (I bow to those with more experience in editorial than I on that; I just theorize from having done production.*wry grin*)

*looks over at current lot* One bound uncorrected proof and one ARC, because I told the person who gives them to me last week I was going on a plane ride and needed portable stuff. Very nice of him.*grin*

[neadods.livejournal.com]

The book club I do first reads for (a subsidiary of Big Whomping Book Club)

*perks up* That sounds like fun!

What I've got currently in the RtE stack are about a dozen paperbacks, one hardback, and two bound uncorrected proofs... and this manuscript. Had I realized what she was going to do, I would have asked her for an electronic copy and printed it in my own preferred format.