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  • Re: (ReacTor) Five Reasons to Explore a Used Bookstore

    From Michael F. Stemper@michael.stemper@gmail.com to rec.arts.sf.written on Wed Feb 25 16:38:14 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 17/11/2025 11.25, James Nicoll wrote:
    Five Reasons to Leave the House and Go Explore a Used Bookstore

    The sights, the smells... the savings!!!

    https://reactormag.com/five-reasons-to-leave-the-house-and-go-explore-a-used-bookstore/

    Another reason that authors shouldn't worry about used bookstores is that
    they provide a secondary market. I will be more likely to try a book by Rock Hardnose, knowing that, if I don't like it, I can always sell it to Uncle Hugo's.

    If that option didn't exist, I'd be less likely to gamble on Rock Hardnose.

    (Actually, that was a hypothetical "I". In reality, I did buy that first one, and keep it. I now have everything he's published except for _Andy and His
    Star Turnip_. Anyone wanna sell theirs?)
    --
    Michael F. Stemper
    This sentence no verb.

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to rec.arts.sf.written on Wed Feb 25 22:40:56 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:38:14 -0600, Michael F. Stemper wrote:

    Another reason that authors shouldn't worry about used bookstores is
    that they provide a secondary market. I will be more likely to try a
    book by Rock Hardnose, knowing that, if I don't like it, I can
    always sell it to Uncle Hugo's.

    The same argument is made for piracy.
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Paul S Person@psperson@old.netcom.invalid to rec.arts.sf.written on Thu Feb 26 08:25:30 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:38:14 -0600, "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
    On 17/11/2025 11.25, James Nicoll wrote:
    Five Reasons to Leave the House and Go Explore a Used Bookstore

    The sights, the smells... the savings!!!

    https://reactormag.com/five-reasons-to-leave-the-house-and-go-explore-a-used-bookstore/

    Another reason that authors shouldn't worry about used bookstores is that >they provide a secondary market. I will be more likely to try a book by Rock >Hardnose, knowing that, if I don't like it, I can always sell it to Uncle Hugo's.
    When I had read everything in the Kids section of the local branch
    library (somewhere in the 5th or 6th grade, I think), and could not
    talk them into letting me borrow books from the Adults section, I
    discovered the used book store.
    I would go down and buy about three feet worth of books. But, except
    for the first trip, I would first sell back the books I bought last
    time and decided not to keep. I think this worked mostly because I was
    a kid -- and a kid that /read/. Adults back then wanted to encourage
    reading by kids.
    When I discovered the SFBC, of course, the pattern changed ... but
    slowly.
    When I was going through my books to complete the authors I wanted to
    keep, I did start with the "real" book stores but when they proved dry
    I went back to the used book stores. This was long before eBooks, of
    course.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2