ARC-fit

From Publisher's Weekly:

Frustrated by the widespread sale of galleys, uncorrected proofs and other advanced reading copies online, the PMA board has unanimously passed a resolution urging all of its members to stop working with the online marketplaces that facilitate those sales. As a result of its action, the PMA has discontinued one of its membership benefits—a discount in the initial fees for selling books through AbeBooks, which lists approximately 200,000 galleys and other ARCs for sale...

. . . Scott Laming, a spokesperson for Abe, said it was unfortunate that PMA decided to end the discount special, but said Abe has no plans to change its policy. Under its guidelines, Abe requires that anyone listing a book for sale on its site has the legal right to sell the title. If a publisher contacts Abe questioning the right of a bookseller to sell a book, Laming said Abe will investigate the issue, “then work with the bookseller and the publisher to either resolve the situation or remove the listing.” But Laming noted that because Abe is a marketplace, it takes a “neutral position” on what its booksellers sell.


Neutral position, my ass - they just want to make money, and they don't care how they make it.

Look, if you want to deal in stolen material, no sweat - just have the balls to say so. My pal J*** does, and I respect him for it. He's sold me many things considerably more useful than advance galleys, and for very reasonable prices . . .

There's more to the article. Here's the URL - I believe this part of their web site at least is free: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6485951.html?nid=2286&source=link&rid=282903023

PMA = the Publishers Marketing Association, which is a group of independent (read, small) publishers. The big publishers have problems with galleys being sold as well, but tend not to pick fights with retailers . . . or anyone, really, except authors. They also tend to lose far more real books than the number of ARCs they give away.

Now if the PMA was actually serious about this, its members would stop giving away so many ARCs indiscriminately . . . and make sure their own people weren't the ones selling them out the back door . . . or at least print the words "not for resale" in type bigger than 6 points on the very back of the cover.