So here, people, is a fine example of how the greed of a few ruins it for everybody.
Pay attention.
I am a book reviewer.
I write for a glossy magazine called SCI FI. The money is not life-changing, but it’s a low-stress gig. Publishers send me their books. More than I could possibly read. I pick a few and write about them, put a very few others on the shelf, to be perused at my leisure, someday.
Because I live in finite space, the number of books I can keep is limited. I can only keep a relative few, usually those that I honestly hope I’ll have the time to read someday, or those that — even though I have read them — I adore so much I cannot bear ever parting with them. The threshold for that last category is very high. I have to get rid of most.
I give some away at meetings of my local SF club. But I have largely saturated those good people, and many now regard the monthly box of giveaways the way they would regard the latest huge mound of spaghetti at the local all-you-can-eat buffet. Besides, there are certain books that will never be snatched up by them. Certain sub-genres that none of them have any interest in. Books that, regardless of any expansive salesmanship by me, will still go unclaimed.
So from time to time I need to find other methods of disposal.
And until a couple of years ago, this was one of them.
When I went to science fiction conventions, I brought a box of books — new books, mint books, books only read once, books by major authors, important new books — and arrayed them on one of the unused display tables alongside the fliers for room parties and upcoming conventions and whatnot, and left a sign reading: PLEASE TAKE.
I figured, these are science fiction conventions. People like to read. The most niche volume in my discards would find a taker. I was happy with this solution, delighted to pass on some enjoyable reading to folks who might be passing through the hallway, and spot a treasure made just for them.
It was a nice thing to do, too. I figured I was earning karma points. (Even the authors of those books would have little reason to complain, as giving away a single copy, and thus increasing word of mouth, is much more beneficial to them than doing what so many yutz-heads do nowadays, which is scan entire novels into pdf form and helpfully give them away to all takers, on the web.)
So I did this.
And then I discovered something that horrified me.
Booksellers were running out of the dealer’s room, taking every book I had offered as giveaway, bringing them all back to their tables…and selling them, as merchandise.
An act of generosity, of fellowship with my fellow lovers of the written word, was being perverted into commerce by people who saw it as a way to stock their respective inventories, by a few volumes.
The next year I amended the sign. BOOKS FOR FREE. NO DEALERS.
And watched.
Five minutes later, a dealer scurried out of the dealer’s room and took every single volume, as his to sell.
So I had to say that I’m not going to do this anymore.
I have a nice box of two dozen giveaways, good books, recent books, brand new books, that are not going with me to the local SF convention this weekend. It’s a nice thing I can’t do anymore. It’s effort I won’t go to, so that somebody can claim all the largesse for himself.
Comment By: firstgentrekkie
April 28th, 2015 at 9:30 am
Could you give them away out of your room, or the green room?
Comment By: Invisigoth
April 28th, 2015 at 10:09 am
Just a suggestion: I take the overflow of books to the local library for their library sales, Goodwill and stock the little libraries around town with them.
Comment By: Rich Horton
April 28th, 2015 at 10:26 am
Appalling.
I give those books to the charity auctions at the cons I go to.
Comment By: Darlene Marshall
April 28th, 2015 at 11:00 am
I give mine to the Friends of the Library for their annual booksale. Also, local jails/prisons/hospitals and especially VA centers may want to have the books for their residents.
Comment By: Oldshib
April 28th, 2015 at 1:13 pm
Cut a 1 inch square off the cover. Top corner or bottom. On the page under that, write “free” (and probably the next couple of pages under that). I would think that would reduce the scum-theft-reseller factor by a bit.
Comment By: Karen Anderson
April 28th, 2015 at 2:10 pm
Adam,
The Foolscap Convention in Seattle has a “Magic Book Box / Bookshelf” where we bring books to give away.
We have only a few dealers, all well-known to us, and they have not violated the spirit of the magic book box. It’s really sad that this system doesn’t work at the larger conventions.
At larger conventions, Foolscap has given away books at our fan table. Perhaps you could collaborate with one of those staffed fan tables and let them give away the books?
Karen
Comment By: Adrienne
April 28th, 2015 at 3:58 pm
May I recommend the volunteer lounge? Most volunteer coordinators would love to have give-aways for their people. Many volunteers would adore those books, too. It always says something nice to me when a con has books to offer its volunteers 🙂
Another option is a room party you’d like to support. Drawing names for give-aways can work there too.
I hope you find something that works for you.
Comment By: Steve Harper
April 28th, 2015 at 6:46 pm
Once you place an item on a ‘free table’, you relinquish ownership.
At that time the item belongs to no-one (or perhaps to all).
Whoever picks the item up gains ownership and can do with their item as they see fit. It is no longer your concern.
The item is being used and is not tossed into a landfill or otherwise destroyed. The fact that it is not being used in the manner you wished has become irrelevant.
Comment By: Steve Harper
April 28th, 2015 at 6:49 pm
let me edit this (so people will know it is really me…
Once you place an item on a ‘free table’ and walk away, you relinquish ownership.
At that time the item belongs to no-one (or perhaps to all).
Whoever picks the item up gains ownership and can do with their item as they see fit. It is no longer your concern.
The item is being used and is not tossed into a landfill or otherwise destroyed. The fact that it is not being used in the manner you wished has become irrelevant.
‘and walk away’ being the edit…
Comment By: Synova
April 28th, 2015 at 9:14 pm
You might check with the convention volunteer coordinator if the books could be given to the volunteers directly in a goodie-bag, if they do goodie-bags.
Or if there is a charity auction at the convention, they could sell them and the money go to a good cause.
Comment By: Adam-Troy Castro
April 29th, 2015 at 9:16 am
Steve Harper,
Here’s the way to look at it.
Yes, once I relinquish ownership I have no say over who takes it.
But if the wrong person takes it I can elect against acts of identical generosity in the future.
If I put out a cooler with bottled water in ice with a big sign saying TAKE, when the marathon runs past my house, and instead of being taken by the runners the water bottles are collected by my neighbor across the street so she doesn’t have to make a grocery run later, well, fine, I gave her the license, but I sure as hell do not have to keep supplying her next year. She ruins things for the intended recipient.