Only 10 cents

It was bound to happen one day.

My book.  On offer at a garage sale.

And the worst insult -- they were only asking 10¢ for it.

The title? 

Chapter & Hearse.

Not only that, but there were cozies sitting there from two of my author pals.  (One of them I had blurbed.)

I asked the woman running the sale if she'd enjoyed the book, which looked a little worse for wear with dogged ears and a savagely split spine.  She said, "I never read it.  It either belongs to my mother or daughter."

Not any more.  It's MINE now.  And the next time I meet up with an old pal who asks me what I'm doing these days, I'm going to give it away.

What would you think if something that took you six months to make was on sale for 10¢?

Comments

[Kourtney]

Ouch that's painful. I feel guilty when I snag a book at half price because of how much the author has put into their work. On the upside, the wear on the book shows that whoever had it really enjoyed the story. But ten cents. That's just wrong.

[Rachelle]

She should have read it, then she would have not sold the book. I hope love your work and might have bought another copy for a dime, to give to someone else to enjoy as much as I have!

[Susan]

Please don't feel bad about this?

Yard sales often yield under-priced treasures. The best bargains usually happen in the circumstances you described - when someone sells stuff from a hobby/field/genre with which they are unfamiliar. If she had read the book, she would likely have realized what a bargain she was offering!

Besides, hey, it happens to even the biggest authors, in fact it happens a LOT more often to them.

& Now you have a 10 cent copy to share when someone says they'd love to try your book if they could afford it ;)

[Kelly McClymer]

Why didn't you leave it to find you a new reader? Someone would have bought it -- and read it. A 10 cents treasure that just might snag you readers for the backlist.

Of course, now you know it will get read, with your plan (pretty good plan -- give it as a freebie to someone who wonders what you're up to :-)

Yard salers expect bargains, so 10 cents isn't as bad as it seemed. I've seen yard sales where an entire box full of books was priced at a dollar!

[Terry Odell]

I wouldn't be too upset. I've gone places like my dentist's office or my physical therapist, and they're intrigued to find out I'm a writer, but they usually buy one copy of the book and pass it around. They have no qualms about telling me that's what they do. Even my mom shares her copy of my books (which I usually give her!) with at least half a dozen friends.

You only make the royalty on one sale, so I agree, you have to think of it as putting the book in the hands of a new reader.

Terry