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fmacdonald
Acolyte
Canada
33 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 18:54:04
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This isn't stricly about forgotten realms. The best place to find old FR books, in my oponion, is used book stores. I've been wondering how authors feel about used book stores. An author could have a huge fanbase, without it registering with wizards, or getting any royalties. I am wondering if i should bite the bullet (or magic missile), and buy only new books, and wait for older novels to be reprinted.
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www.myspace.com/deathsheadmusic - If you have a myspace account and are into this "heavy metal" and "punk rock" thing the kids are listening to now, check out my band. |
Edited by - fmacdonald on 05 Oct 2006 19:01:18
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Dremvek
Seeker
70 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 19:10:15
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I buy a fair number of used books, for several reasons, the two biggest being: 1) I buy a LOT of books, and I just can't afford to get them all new. 2) A lot of books I buy are out of print, making it nearly impossible to get them new. That being said, for authors I really like, I try to buy the books new so 1) they get the royalties and 2) I have a near-mint condition copy of the book, as sometimes used ones get quite beat up.
I don't think used books are unethical - it's like anything else you get used. If you buy a used Chevy, GM isn't getting any money for that, but I'm guessing most people don't think twice about that. I don't see how books are that different - and right now GM is in more need of that money than some of the authors are :) |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 19:10:35
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| Well I am not an author but I am a bibliophile ( book-mad )and used bookstores and antiquarians are among my first stop anywhere I go. The question over used books being ethical is like asking if antique shops, art auctions or innumerable others are ethical. It is an integrated part of the buying-selling chain that I personally at least, see no reason that you should feel bad about. |
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fmacdonald
Acolyte
Canada
33 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 19:17:15
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| True. And a lot of the time, i'll find gems in the cheap rack. I bought the nomad, a darksun book i would have paid upwards of $20 online, for $0.50, and its in near perfect condition. I imagine people are more willing to take a chance on a book if it costs them $2.00. I know that this has led me to become a fan of quite a few FR authors, which led to me spending around $1000 at chapters last year. Well, i was also buying dragonlance, eberron, warhammer and warhammer 40K. Its a bit like getting your music promoted via illegal downloads. |
www.myspace.com/deathsheadmusic - If you have a myspace account and are into this "heavy metal" and "punk rock" thing the kids are listening to now, check out my band. |
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Kalin Agrivar
Senior Scribe
Canada
956 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 19:20:09
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unfortunately you don't find much RPG D&D material at used book stores...at least in good condition..
a friend of mine long ago baught about 75% of the 1st Ed. AD&D hardcovers that were in a box at a yard sale for $20 (one of those "every thing in the box" sales" |
Kalin Xorell El'Agrivar
- High Mage of the Arcane Assembly
- Lore Keeper of the Vault of Ancestors
- 3rd Son of the Lord of the Stand |
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fmacdonald
Acolyte
Canada
33 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 19:23:14
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| You just need to find the right places to search for the old RPG material. I live in toronto, and there are 2 places that are stocked with old RPG books. There's a comic store with a room in the back with all of the ravenloft, darksun, spelljammer and 1st and 2nd ED rulebooks. There's also a place called the hairy tarantula but you have to know the owner for him to take you into the back. |
www.myspace.com/deathsheadmusic - If you have a myspace account and are into this "heavy metal" and "punk rock" thing the kids are listening to now, check out my band. |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 19:26:17
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| Well I would not liken it with illegal downloads of music as it is the further sale of a product already bought legally; it is more like selling the original album again. To bad most modern books, as cd's don't have the life expectancy of older books and vinyl. |
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Kalin Agrivar
Senior Scribe
Canada
956 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 19:26:37
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| that sounds sweet...I'v looked everywhere east of Belleville to the Quebec border and found nothing like that...any old editions I want I have to online for... |
Kalin Xorell El'Agrivar
- High Mage of the Arcane Assembly
- Lore Keeper of the Vault of Ancestors
- 3rd Son of the Lord of the Stand |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11830 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2006 : 16:15:05
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| I look at used books stores like this. They often have the old books that I'll never find that lead into a series that an author is currently putting out. For instance, I had never read the Chronicles of the Deryni, but I picked up the first 3 books in a used book store. Now, everytime I find that that author has a new Deryni book, I pick it up without a thought. I also find that of the RPG books, most folks won't part with a book unless its one that wasn't exactly treasured..... so, if its not exactly great writing, but I want to read it... I look at it as the guy already got his money on the first person. Plus, I hate it when I find a used book store that's closed down because people don't show up anymore. If you want it available, you have to shop at them (which reminds me, its probably been 3 years since I've visited one... I need to make sure the one in Slidell is still open since the storm.) |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36805 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2006 : 17:31:02
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| I used to frequent used book stores almost exclusively... But then I got my own transportation and money. Between that and getting most of the older stuff I wanted, I stopped going to used book stores altogether. I was, in fact, surprised to see that the one I always used to go to had closed its doors. |
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Foxhelm
Senior Scribe
Canada
592 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2006 : 17:52:36
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You have to remember with used items that unless it was stolen, the creators/inventors did get their money at some point. It is like Library books, unless donated someone paid for it using funds and fines. And even donated books may have been paid for by the bookstores or the donator.
Most writers do not mind this chain cash as they will get their moneys worth from the first sale of the used item. And the possiblity that a used book might lead to the reader getting a first hand sequal or a reprint so they can get all of the books. I was given some used copies of Realms books and this lead to me buying many first hand copies of other books.
Also remember that Ed was once a librarian, so he might be more forgiving for used books and reading in a library. |
Ed Greenwood! The Solution... and Cause of all the Realms Problems! |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2006 : 18:41:23
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In my opinion, used bookstores have nothing in common with online piracy and illegal downloads. As others have pointed out, a used book has been sold and the author and publisher were paid for that copy. Any future transaction, as long as it deals with that one, physical copy, only concerns the original book buyer and the person to whom he resells the book. The comparison to a used auto and GM was, I think, a good analogy.
I love books. I believe they should be read and enjoyed. We all buy novels that we read once, and don't intend to read again. Even some that we MIGHT want to read again might not find a permanent home on our shelves. If you read dozens, or even hundreds, of books each year, you can't keep every book you read. What should we do with them, if not donate them or drop them off at a used book store? Toss them out? Run them through a paper shredder to create garden mulch or hampster litter?
There's a very nice used book store a couple towns over that is very selective about what books they'll take. The condition of the books are usually very good to excellent, and the prices are reasonable. I takes books there by the box. What they can't use, they donate to nursing homes, daycare, schools, and other age- and topic-appropriate audiences. If they keep a book, you can elect to get paid in cash or store credit. I get store credit, and while I might never use it all myself, it's great fun to turn my mother or my aunt loose on the place when they visit. :)
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2006 : 18:59:24
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I agree with Elaine. Nothing wrong with your average used book store.
But please don't buy paperbacks with the covers ripped off. That book was never sold as a new book, the author never received royalties for it, and thus it's not legal or ethical for someone else to be selling it now. |
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turox
Learned Scribe
USA
145 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2006 : 19:06:05
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Until I got back into reading Forgotten Realms books the only author I read before that was Terry Goodkind. I won't just go buy a new book based on what the cover looks like and hence don't know who is a good author and who isn't. Used book stores can help as I'm much more willing to part with a couple of dollars to see if an author is good (in my opinion) then pick up new ones they have put out.
Also downloading music from the web would be like going to a website that had brand new released books on pdf for free. |
Turox Antas Dragonslayer -
"People will believe anything they want to believe, or fear to believe."
Wizard's First Rule: Chapter 36, Page #397, US Hard Cover (revealed by Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander).
Explanation by Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander: "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People’s heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool."
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DragonReader
Senior Scribe
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2006 : 19:31:50
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I tend to buy used books only if the book is out of print or if it is an author I am unfamiliar with and I want to check them out before spending on a new book. Personally I love books and prefer to buy them new (in fact, I prefer to buy hardcovers and do so whenever practical). But as I say, if a book is out of print I have to go for used.
Also as I mentioned I sometimes (not always) go for a used book of an author I don't know. Generally if I like that author I will go out and buy more of his or her work. So in these cases the used book store helps the author since I will go out and buy new copies of their books.
Finally, I will occassionally go to used bookstores to re-buy books. In particular, I like to have series in the same format. So if I buy book 1 in paperback and really like it so I am unable to wait for the paperback of book 2, I will go buy the hardcover of book 1 at the used bookstore so that I can get book 2 in hardcover. |
Edited by - DragonReader on 06 Oct 2006 19:32:38 |
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Mazrim_Taim
Learned Scribe
341 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2006 : 02:53:21
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I buy most of my books on ebay, and a lot of those are used. So long as it was purchased at one point then I don't think there should be a problem with buying the book used.
If I really like a book, ie a book that I can re-read over and over, I'll buy it new. As I have done with several Forgotten Realms novels. |
And if the PCs DO win their ways through all the liches to Larloch, “he” will almost certainly be just another lich (loaded with explosive spells) set up as a decoy, with dozens of hidden liches waiting to pounce on any surviving PCs who ‘celebrate’ after they take Larloch down. As the REAL Larloch watches (magical scrying) from afar. Myself, as DM, I’d be wondering: “Such a glorious game, so many opportunities laid out before your PCs to devote your time to, and THIS fixation is the best you can come up with? Are you SURE you’re adventurers?” -Ed Greenwood
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Beirnadri Magranth
Senior Scribe
USA
720 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2006 : 04:24:44
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| I agree with jorkens...in fact if you reverse your logic, buying it firsthand as a pdf is more like illegal downloading since it opens up the possibility of illegal filehsaring the source. IMO buying is better than downloading. |
"You came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory... instead you will die with a whimper."
::moussaoui tries to interrupt::
"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."
-Judge Brinkema |
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AlacLuin
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2006 : 02:21:11
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
<snip> What should we do with them, if not donate them or drop them off at a used book store? Toss them out? Run them through a paper shredder to create garden mulch or hampster litter? <snip>
At least Wooly could get some use from it.
Everyone send your old books to Wooly |
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EytanBernstein
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
704 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2006 : 16:39:19
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| I LOVE used book stores. I also like the little area of most public libraries where you can buy something for a dime or a quarter. Part of it is just wondering what you might find there. I like to collect classics, not only to have them, but also to be able to do thorough references. Unfortunately, I move around a lot and haven't, as yet, had a place to put most of my books besides my family's garage, but my dream is to one day have a two story library. |
http://eytanbernstein.com - the official website of Eytan Bernstein |
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acro
Acolyte
USA
16 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2006 : 14:10:13
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| I currently go to used book stores because I 1)can't afford new books every couple of days and 2)I do read close to a hundred books a year. So to agree with elaine cunningham it is not ilethical to go to a used book store. And also I just got my first job at minimum wage and i'm 18 so don't start with ethics and what not to me. Sorry if I upset anyone. Bye now. |
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Delzounblood
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
578 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2006 : 14:35:03
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Has anyone else noticed that the Time Continuance is shockingly broken upon entering these " Secondhand Book Stores ".
I myself have lost many hours in these strange and other worldly places. I have a theory that all secondhand book stores are in secret "That type of store!" (Terry Pratchet has a lot to answer for read his two first books from the diskworld series)
But seriously I love these stores I am currently looking for another store with a DND / RPG section.
Long live the strange little shops!
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MerrikCale
Senior Scribe
USA
947 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2006 : 02:38:08
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| Used book stores are great, although they usually are not well stocked in FR books. I did some old Matzica books from one recently. |
When hinges creak in doorless chambers and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls, whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still, that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight. |
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used books - ethical?
