Originally Posted by biomieg
Sure will! Picking up copies tomorrow. How many do you want?
Sure will! Picking up copies tomorrow. How many do you want?
One is enough. Thanks a lot!!!
Can you pick up two copies and send them both to Michael? We'll arrange shipping in the Netherlands.
Will do. 2 it is!
My review should be up at CD Online tomorrow.
Author of The Road to the Dark Tower, Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences and The Dark Tower Companion. Co-editor with Stephen King of the anthology Flight or Fright.
Please grab me a King signed one. Thanks!Will do. 2 it is!
Great idea!
I'm driving the 6 hours today after I get off my night job...going to event and driving 6 hours home as I have to work tonite and I will be LATE by 3-4 hours at a minimum! UGH!
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Author of The Road to the Dark Tower, Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences and The Dark Tower Companion. Co-editor with Stephen King of the anthology Flight or Fright.
Thanks Bev.
Knowing it will never happen it would be interesting to see a small press publish Sword In The Darkness as a complement to Hearts In Suspension as it would give additional insight into SK's influences and state of mind during those turbulent years at UM.
Interesting event to say the least.....I arrived at 3:30 and hung out with numerous members here....I am rather timid with my own stuff, but hung with a couple hoping to catch King entering the event. We were on the side of the building and it was pitch dark by 5:30pm...Policeman walks toward us with another person, who turns out to be King....member asks him politely if he would sign a book and King flatly turned him down and entered the venue....so much for getting my Sphere Gunslinger signed (this time)....there will be more opportunities.
What is interesting about this book is I learned THERE ARE ONLY 10,000 1ST EDITION copies printed and distribution expected to be "local" East Coast, so don't expect to easily find this book. As reference this just as many as a true 1st edition Gunslinger.....NOT many to speak of so I expect this book will have higher value.
King read 3 passages from the book during his time on stage, Michael Alpert spoke briefly first, then Jim Bishop (Editor, King friend, UofM Prof) and then King....he spoke to the times of the 60's and reflections on his essay etc...there were no same stories we've heard so many times which was great....King then invited maybe 9-10 friends from his college days (also some have essays in the book) to come on stage and there was a short Q&A with them. One of last announcements was that there were 400 signed copies "sprinkled" among the 1600 or so books for sale after the event and limit of 1 signed book per family....which immediately got my suspicions up...."how were they going to monitor that!"....by the time I reached close to front in line to buy books, I was told by 2 members here that the book selling/signed books were "rigged" and NOT randomly distributed it seems...there were 18 books purchased with only 2 signed copies, one of which because a member bought 5 and demanded one be signed.....otherwise it "appeared" that workers were grabbing unsigned "sealed" copies and only on occasion were given a signed copy from another woman/pile behind a curtain.....I bought 5 copies, first 4 were sealed non-signed ones but I got lucky with a final signed copy....I think cause I bought 5, but that is a suspicion on my part.....but in truth, distribution was NOT random.
I was told by phone first copy sold on ebay while I was driving the 6 hours home at $600 buy it now....few other copies listed at WAY high prices of $500-$600.....but if you "assume" only 10,000 1st editions are available and this could well be the ONLY 400 signed, then it becomes a Finders Keepers type of event and those initial prices are not atypical....there is a Princeton NJ event soon but it only says there will be some signed copies of Stephen's works...not specifically saying THIS book....Safe to say signed copies will be pretty rare and hard to get. I am HAPPY to have one and made it worth a 12 hour round trip drive.
Other members in attendance should weigh in with their thoughts.
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Nowhere near "random" distribution. There was a lady determining behind the curtain when and how the signed copies were distributed. Which not only made it frustrating but it took too long for everyone to go through the line.
David described the event perfectly. Had a great time and it was nice to see the aforementioned David along with Chris. Met Rick and "Roseanne" for the first time.
Veddy interesting thoughts on the book distribution. My experience went as such: I was going to buy several to chance it and then my friend and her husband bought three and ended up with none signed. I already have one on pre order so I decided not to spend a bunch of money to possibly end up with 5 unsigned books. So I bought just one. It was signed. I couldn't believe it. I honestly had zero hope and had to make sure I wasn't hallucinating!
If it was a rigged system(thanks system! lol) how do you guys suppose they decided who ended up with signed ones? I'm just curious as to how you think they were working it.
It was as others have said very nice to see/meet other board members before and after the event. The event was enjoyable and full of first-hand history and insight.
The book distribution part? Not so much. I recognize that this was a big event and that things happen, but being near the end of the line my wife and I were shuffled from one line to another and back again, losing places each time. We finally bought our two (unsigned) copies and were saying our final goodbyes to people when I realized that, probably because of the poor distribution rates, some of the last people in line were being giving the chance to purchase guarenteed signed copies.
I immediatly went back to the table with a couple of board members who had travelled very far and not recieved signed copies and was able to purchase one myself.
It truly was a fun event and the overall feel for me was positive. I will admit that getting a signed copy though was definetly the icing on the cake!
"Thanks, but no, it isn't a cowboy hat. It's a fedora. And yes, Indianna Jones is still socially relevant."
They only gave signed copies to the pretty peoplehow do you guys suppose they decided who ended up with signed ones? I'm just curious as to how you think they were working it.
Mulleins
I'm the caretaker of Room 217..............I've always been the caretaker of Room 217
It seems it was a great event... congrats to all who ended with signed copies!
Looking for:
S/L: "Insomnia" (#117), "Firestarter", "EOTD #98"
US 1st/1st: "Night Shift"
Portfolios: "'Salem's Lot", "Cycle of Werewolf" (#192)
please help me find any #731 or #431
My full Wanted List
I was told by a member with impeccable reputation here that a lady behind the curtain (sounds a bit like Wizard of Oz doesn't it???) had all the signed copies, so when worker bees came back to get "orders" she determined if that order got a signed book or not. I cannot say it had anything to do with order size.....my statistical mind sees Bev buying one and getting 1 signed...I bought 5 and got 1, other members (saw the books) bought 18 and got only 2, Chris went 0 for 2 until he went back at end of night....They said one per household, so I think the lady behind the curtain just distributed them as she saw fit.
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Pretty poor way of handling it...the "randomness" seems to have been missed....
They only gave signed copies to the pretty peoplehow do you guys suppose they decided who ended up with signed ones? I'm just curious as to how you think they were working it.
MulleinsI can live with this!
Why can't people go and have a good time instead of fighting and worrying about a signed book? He read 3 things and told new stories?! That sounds awesome. Hope a good version ends up online. Can't wait to read this.
Did Jim Bishop talk about living in a lighthouse?
I had a good time! As did everyone that went. I don't think anybody that was there is fighting or worrying. Just discussing the situation as it's interesting to see how things ended up working out for some board members.
Jim didn't talk about living in a lighthouse however he did state that his epitaph will read that he gave Stephen King a C+ in his freshman year
haha nice.
+1 to what Lori said. I had a great time and I would have accepted not getting a signed book. As I said elswhere, for me it was a chance to see him for the first time since 1980 when he came to my high school. It was only when it became clear that the distribution was not being handled as well/fairly as we might have hoped that it became an issue for me. I saw an opportunity to go back and get my one signed copy, a copy that is on my shelf and is where it will stay.
King is, and will always be a stand-up guy when it comes to these kind of things. Hell, all the proceeds from this book, all of it, is going to support the University Of Maine Press in their future endeavors. It is only the.... cheesy stuff... that goes on behind the scenes, stuff that he has no control over that dimminishes the enjoyment of the night.
I can't think of too many collectors or forum members that would be upset at missing out on a signed book, as long as it was a level playing field. That is the nature of our hobby/passion. I think that most of us accept that. If last night had been level, there shouldn't have been that many signed copies left over at the end.
Just my 2cents, and I have been wrong before.
"Thanks, but no, it isn't a cowboy hat. It's a fedora. And yes, Indianna Jones is still socially relevant."
Met two of my favorite members cwalker and the Mrs. Mrs cwalker was awesome! Met Beverly marsh too! Had a great event! David did a great job summarizing. Books were in a bag, behind a wall. Not very transparent. Still a top ten trip for me!
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