The First Christmas Guilt Trip

[BookBint]

Had an author ring up this morning asking for copies of his book. As per the contract, he had been sent 12 author copies free when the book came out. He had given these away, as most authors do. About a month ago he rang begging for more copies. I kindly sent him another free copy (he said it was for his dying mother/grandfather/fox terrier).

This morning he rings again, and asks for another free copy for some distant relative. I tell him that I'm sorry, I can't authorise another freebie since he has already had one over the contractual limit, but that as an author he has a 25% discount on our website or via our sales team.

His response? 'But it's nearly Christmas and I wanted to give him a copy of my book! How am I supposed to now? They're expensive!'

Well, I have three responses to this whine:

1) Christmas is a month away. There is time to buy one from an online retailer, a process which would probably deliver the book to you quicker than our company could.

2) The book is not expensive, it is £12.99. I know for a fact that you are an accountant when not moonlighting as an author, so I'm sure you have money enough for this.

3) Your book is very dull. I imagine your relative would prefer a nice Amazon voucher or a kick in the head.

Bah.

[KingOfAllSocks]

Tell him if he waits a week or so it'll be remaindered and he'll be able to either grab a copy from the pulping bin or from every dollar store in his area.

[C. Cecil Ivanish]

...and anyway, it looks quite cheap to give away your book/CD/whatever as a Christmas or birthday gift.

[BookBint]

...and anyway, it looks quite cheap to give away your book/CD/whatever as a Christmas or birthday gift.

Damn straight!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Bet if this guy were a college professor, he'd make his own book the required text.

[PepperElf]

Would that even be legal? I could see someone arguing that point but... I am sure there are those who would do that just to gain a lil extra money from their students.

...and anyway, it looks quite cheap to give away your book/CD/whatever as a Christmas or birthday gift.

well... that depends on who the author is. I mean... If Neil Gaiman wants to send me a book for my birthday I'd be tickled pink. But if the author is Blue Boringers McBoringers... yeah I'll pass.

[BlaqueKatt]

...and anyway, it looks quite cheap to give away your book/CD/whatever as a Christmas or birthday gift.

I was ecstatic to get my cousins books for my birthday(yes they're signed), he writes about machine guns and the beloved M1 Garand.....*Sigh*

[Sapphire Silk]

Bet if this guy were a college professor, he'd make his own book the required text.

Tell me about it.

[Teskeria]

Would that even be legal? I could see someone arguing that point but... I am sure there are those who would do that just to gain a lil extra money from their students.
.

actually it is very common. and the sad part is, those professors are able to take the most exciting events and make them boring to the point of tears. They just change a few words every few years to 'update' them. being 'published' is important in academic circles. even stupid little articles matter to them

[taxguykarl]

Bet if this guy were a college professor, he'd make his own book the required text.

Would that even be legal? I could see someone arguing that point but... I am sure there are those who would do that just to gain a lil extra money from their students.

Back in my Champaign days (early to mid '80's), that was quite common. The problem was that some of the worse offenders for overpriced, under-used texts were the instructors. If a book was printed by the 'University Press' I would not buy it, but photocopy the needed chapters. This was precisely why I learned not to buy 'til I saw the syllabus and found out how much of the text would actually be used.

[MoonCat]

This guy is dumb! He should be BUYING those books so he can pump up his sales numbers!

[flyingember]

Would that even be legal? I could see someone arguing that point but... I am sure there are those who would do that just to gain a lil extra money from their students.

I had a textbook that was written by the department head. I kept finding and using real-world examples as to why true false questions from the book on my homeworks were neither true or false

[PepperElf]

They just change a few words every few years to 'update' them. being 'published' is important in academic circles. even stupid little articles matter to them

in order to force students to buy new books
it's not just them... my calculus professor said they were trying to get the college to keep the old calc book vs forcing students to get the new one but... he pretty much said the same thing. even though calculus itself is not going to change any time soon, the publishers / authors had to change the books a little in order to make people buy them again.

[Captain Trips]

Bet if this guy were a college professor, he'd make his own book the required text.

Been there, done that, used the book as a dishrag.

Seriously, he didn't even bother having it published -- he just took the quarter's lecture notes and xeroxed them. In his own illegible scrawl. He even went so far as to tell us that, if we were having problems understanding it, he would be available during office hours to help. So I went. His help? "It's all in the lecture notes."

I dropped the class the first time around.
I stuck it out the second time.
I EARNED the "F" I got in that class. I tried to understand things. I attended all lectures, sections, etc. I was able to answer the first part of the first question on the final, the rest was all gobbldie-gook to me.

I took the class the next year with a different professor, didn't take notes, didn't do homework, didn't study, and earned a B+ in the class. The difference? A professor who actually cared about teaching his students, instead of one pissed off that he didn't get tenure.

If you find yourself in a class that the required text was written by the professor (or, in the case of another class I took, written over 80 years ago) drop the class, find a section taught by a different professor, or take it again when a different professor is teaching it.

[Solumina]

There are exceptions to that rule, I did have one professor that selected his own book for the class, it also happened to be used by many other professors, and not just those at my school.

Still the guy wanting a free book to give as a gift sucks.