SubPress just announced the S/L of McCammon's first novel Baal and what unfortunately seems to be the new practice (if the last two announcements can constitute a pattern) of a $50 higher "deluxe" S/L with all the stuff a $75 book should have.
Not being into McCammon much (though I'd buy and S/L of Swan Song), I'm going to take a pass on this. But I know there are some here who will jump on this offer. So, here's the heads up!
I will be getting the $75 book but I'm not in a hurry with preordering.
Yep - I jumped!
Pre-ordered the $75.00 editions, plus the numbered one.
Just couldn't resist...
sk
Yeah, I was disappointed by the tiered pricing as well. And I agree- at 1000 copies, the $75.00 should have the leather and the slipcase. There seems to be no point to the $125.00 edition.Originally Posted by thegreattim
Was hoping Subpress would be moving away from what seems to be a universally reviled practice- rather than ramping it up. Make the best edition you can for a price the market will bear, and add a lettered if you must (I'm even against those in most cases, but I understand why they are done).
Ron
I'll probably wait until they start showing up in the secondary market at a much more reasonable price.
John
The lettered's sold out.
sk
The only one I considered was the lettered but it sold out while I was at band practice. The 1000 copy edition is just a signed trade so the inflated price for an average presentation is not something I'm interested in. They could've just offered the same option they offered for The Five.. signed trade edition at an affordable price or at the very least an unsigned trade edition. They cornered the market with Baal and they know it - anyone who wants a hardcover has to dish out $75.
Thanks for your input on the signature, Eric and Alan.
At least I've got those to add to my notes. Very helpful indeed.
For anyone interested, the lettered edition of Baal is available again. The limitation has been increased from 26 to 52 copies. Baal at SubPress.
Hunter
I like Sub Press, but that really grinds my gears.
"When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes."
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus
Yeah, I guess a 100% increase in print run does not equal a 50% reduction in issue price...
I brought this "sales tactic" up on an earlier SubPress discussion and the general consensus then was that an increased print run does not does not realistically change the value of the book. I still contend, as the posters above do, that there should be a direct collation between the size of the increase and the reduction in price. It really pisses me off when they do this.
I agree. Supply and demand and all that should mean that if the available copies are increased then the value is decreased accordingly. At least that's how it seems to me.
I don't hold this against the author(s), by the way. I don't think I've ever 'met' one who thinks like a collector, they just write stories and sell them.
Some Robert McCammon items.
FYI, all but two or three of the books are signed.
Dark Harvest:
Kinnel:
Assorted US publishers:
Somehow I obtained an Usher's Passing w/O a DJ. Paperback is a 1st printing:
The Swan Song trade, limited and lettered editions from Dark Harvest are all stunning productions.
I really hope this one isn't redone by Subterranean Pres.
I didn't know Swan Song had a previous S/L! Another thing to add to my wishlist.I'd be very surprised if Subterranean redid it. I think if they intended to, it would have been a book mentioned in their "year of McCammon newsletter". I think that this is also why they called (and priced) the 1000 copy edition of Baal as a limited and not a "signed trade", as others have suggested, being that a trade was already once produced. In the case of Mr. Slaughter and The Five, SubPress was the first publisher.
ETA: Those are great looking books, Jerome. Thanks for posting the pics.
sweet collection!
Great stuff. One of my favorite authors.
Taken from my collection thread, which has been woefully neglected for quite a while.I didn't know Swan Song had a previous S/L! Another thing to add to my wishlist.
ETA: Those are great looking books, Jerome. Thanks for posting the pics.
"Swan Song" by Robert McCammon.
Letter MM of 52 lettered copies in wooden slipcase.
Signed by both McCammon and artist Charles Lang.
Dark Harvest also issued a trade hardcover of SWAN SONG with the same cover art as the S/L, but without limitation page and slipcase. I don't know what the print run of that one was.
Nice pics, e_taylor! Is that an after market slip, or was it issued with the book? One of these days I will get around to exploring everyone's collection thread fully.
The wooden slipcase is what was issued with the lettered editions of both Swan Song and They Thirst (and both lettered editions were issued without dustjackets). From the Bibliography page of RobertMcCammon.com:
I don't remember ever hearing how many trade editions were printed, but they're fairly scarce and pricey now....Swan Song
Winner of the 1987 Bram Stoker Award
Nominated for the 1988 World Fantasy Award
1. New York: Pocket Books, June 1987. Paperback.
2. London: Sphere Books, 1988. Paperback.
3. Arlington Heights, IL: Dark Harvest, June 1989. Deluxe hardcover edition limited to 672 signed, numbered, and slipcased copies (including 52 leather-bound copies lettered A--ZZ).
4. Arlington Heights, IL: Dark Harvest, June 1989. Trade hardcover edition.
Hunter
Over the years, I've received email from hundreds, if not thousands, of people who hope they do. The Dark Harvest limited was issues more than 21 years ago, and the book has found many new fans since then. At this time, Simon & Schuster own the print rights to Swan Song....
Regarding the cost of the Baal lettered, increasing the number of copies from 26 to 52 probably isn't going to change the production cost in any way, so why should the price be lowered? (Yes, I get that there will now be 52 copies of this rare book instead of only 26. While that could affect the resale value later, it probably doesn't affect the production cost now.)
Hunter
True! But collectors (who are the target audience for any type of limited edition, really) are not only paying lots of dollars for the quality of the production (high production costs) but also for the quantity (small print run). Resale value has nothing to do with it because collectors don't buy books with the sole purpose of reselling. Collectors are prepared to pay a certain price for the lettered edition because it's well-crafted but also because there are only a certain number of copies issued. When you preorder a book and decide to hand over x-hundred bucks for a book that (so you are assured) only 26 people will have in their collection, it's quite dissappointing when you subsequently hear that the size of the print run will be increased. Sure, the production quality remains the same but the limitation (which is an important reason for people to dish out extra cash for a lettered edition) is altered. It seems logical to me that this should be reflected in the issue price.
Of course, I'm not really serious about decreasing the price with 50% but I think there should be some kind of compensation. Especially since the size of the print run was increased as a sort of afterthought. Otherwise people could have decided not to take out their wallet in the first place, when weighing the issue price against a limitation of 52 instead of 26 copies.
Sometimes when publishers increase the print run they say it's because they 'want to give more people/collectors the opportunity to buy the numbered or lettered or whatever edition' but I think that's nonsense. If you want a lot of people to buy a book, then don't publish a limited edition. It's called limited for a reason!
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