Book Fairs and Science Fiction Author Signings Not Dead Yet
October 22nd, 2006 by Alan Chudnow
Those of us who are concerned about the demise of the book fair in this country need not fear. New York Times travel writer Beth Greenfield reports on a number of book fairs happening around the country and apparently their numbers are continuing to grow.
“There are now 35 statewide celebrations, and that has gone up tremendously in recent years,” said John Y. Cole, director of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. Mr. Cole arranges for authors to appear at the annual National Book Festival, which drew 100,000 literature lovers to the National Mall in Washington last month. The center also helps organizers put together local book fairs.
The article lists a number of fairs happening next month in various cities across the country including Miami, Las Vegas, Chicago and Wooster, Ohio. Wooster, Ohio? Who am I to quibble? The Miami fair alone, reports Greenfield, draws about 300,000 people for its weeklong event. Not bad for a bookish crowd.
Along a similar line Science Fiction and Fantasy author signing events are also alive and well. Locus magazine list 38 author appearances between now and this time next month. Notables include Peter Beagle, Spider Robinson, Ellen Kushner, R. A. Salvatore, Harlan Ellison and illustrator Syd Mead among many others.
Hi,
My Husband and I have acquired quite a large collection of science fiction paperbacks and all kinds of ufo stuff.His father just passed away and we’ve been going through his library.We’ve met with a book seller from Pennsylvania who came out to maine at the house to take a brief once over.He seemed very interested,but is not coming back util end of october.would it be fair to have more then one person bid on the entire collection?? Its about 15,000 books and is a massive collection of magazines and all kinds of different subjects.Alot of math and science as he was a math teacher.I would appreciaye yor comment.We are book lovers as well.Thank you,Barbara
Barbara,
Having more than one book seller appraise or bid on your library is absolutely acceptable. Just as getting several opinions of the value of a piece of jewelry or a painting is good practice, so is getting more than one opinion on the value of a book. There are certainly guidelines that professionals follow when determining the value of a book or library but it is no means an exact science and each bookseller will judge the value slightly differently.
Did the Pennsylvania bookseller give you an appraisal of what he thought the library was worth or did he offer a bid to buy the books from you? If he actually offered to buy the books at a particular price and you agreed to sell then your ethical dilemma is whether you think it’s fair to change your mind and cancel the sale if you find a better offer. If you didn’t actually commit to selling him the books then I don’t see any problem with getting one or more bids. Think of it like an auction, you don’t have to take the first offer you get.