First Editions Club

First Edition Book Clubs Gain Fans

by Judith Rosen -- Publishers Weekly

To help launch new fiction titles, more publishers are aggressively working to get booksellers to feature their works in book clubs for signed first editions. These clubs, which typically offer one hardcover novel a month, many by first-time authors, can generate sales of as many as 1,000 copies for a single title per store.

While established writers at mainstream houses, like Richard Russo, whose Bridge of Sighs appeared on several first edition book club lists this fall, may not need the extra attention, for debut novelists it can have a significant impact. This fall, for example, Unbridled Books got what its sales director Steven Wallace called a "grand slam," when four clubs adopted Margaret Cezair-Thomson's first novel, The Pirate's Daughter. "The book has been on a lot of booksellers' minds, but this helps move it to the next level," said Wallace. The book was the #1 October Book Sense pick.

The clubs benefit not only publishers but bookstores as well, since modern signed first editions typically sell at full list price and often appreciate in value. With the recent movie release of Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men, members of Denver's Tattered Cover club have seen the value of their first-edition copies increase ninefold, to more than $250. In addition, noted Charles Stillwagon, events manager at Tattered Cover, the clubs are a way to keep in touch with customers who have moved away from the area.

At Tattered Cover, Stillwagon is one of several voracious readers who help choose books for the club. Most stores rely on an informal selection committee, which generally includes the owner, the events coordinator and a buyer. Newtonville Books in Newtonville, Mass., is one of the few stores to offer two or three books every month and to give club members discounts, not on their selections but on other store purchases.

Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Mass., which has one of the largest such clubs-260 members-in the country, will select only books by authors in its reading series or who are within a two-hour drive of the store. "Last December, we didn't choose a book," said Darcy Lambert, who directs the club. "We notified customers that we couldn't find anything we could stand behind, and sent out a catalogue of the first edition collectible books we have in the store."

Some would rather bend the rules than pass on a selection. That's the case at Book Passage in Corte Madera, Calif., which uses its club to spotlight emerging writers. "The members are mostly collectors, and we've gotten a lot of feedback saying we introduce them to writers they wouldn't have known," said club coordinator and buyer Mary Benham. Even so, the store made exceptions this year for two novels by well-known short story writers, Away by Amy Bloom and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz.

At Square Books in Oxford., Miss., Slade Lewis puts aside signed first editions in the fall when a lot of authors are touring and uses them months later, during slower tour months. If he can't get a good signed first edition, Lewis will wait and send out two the following month. Unlike other stores, Square Books offers two levels of membership-one with 12 books a year, the other with 18. Those who have been in the club for six months receive a free bonus book at Christmastime and can refuse two selections during the year. It's a tribute to the strength of its selections and the loyalty of its customers that membership has held steady at 200 members for many years.

Both Square Books and Lemuria Books in Jackson, Miss., heavily promote signed collectible books in their stores and on their Web sites. And the clubs are an integral part of who they are as booksellers. Bookseller Joe Hickman at Lemuria takes pride in creating a collectible first edition bookstore within a regular retail store. But even more significant, he said, "is knowing that one little guy in Mississippi can help out. You're either helping out a first novel or a first book-and you're helping an author. Authors definitely love it."

Ackerman, Karl – DEAR WILL
Alarcon, Daniel – LOST CITY RADIO
Albert, Elisa – THE BOOK OF DAHLIA
Albert, Elisa – HOW THIS NIGHT IS DIFFERENT
Almond, Steve – THE EVIL B.B. CHOW AND OTHER STORIES
Almond, Steve – MY LIFE IN HEAVY METAL
Almond, Steve – (NOT THAT YOU ASKED)
Almond, Steve and Baggott, Julianna – WHICH BRINGS ME TO YOU
Alvarez, Julia – IN THE NAME OF SALOME
Ansay, A. Manette – BLUE WATER
Atkins, Linda – JAMAICA AND ME
Atwood, Margaret – THE PENELOPIAD
Bacon, Charlotte – LOST GEOGRAPHY
Bacon, Charlotte – A PRIVATE STATE
Bacon, Charlotte – THERE IS ROOM FOR YOU
Badami, Anita Rau – THE HERO’S WALK
Baggott, Julianna – MISS AMERICA FAMILY
Barkan, Josh – BLIND SPEED
Baxter, Charles – SAUL AND PATSY
Belle, Jennifer – HIGH MAINTENANCE
Belle, Jennifer – LITTLE STALKER
Beller, Thomas – THE SLEEPOVER ARTIST
Bellows, Nathaniel – ON THIS DAY
Bender, Aimee – AN INVISIBLE SIGN OF MY OWN
Bender, Aimee – WILLFUL CREATURES
Berg, Elizabeth – THE DAY I ATE WHATEVER I WANTED
Berg, Elizabeth – DREAM WHEN YOU’RE FEELING BLUE
Berg, Elizabeth – OPEN HOUSE
Berne, Suzanne – PERFECT ARRANGEMENT
Bialosky, Jill – THE LIFE ROOM
Bissell, Tom – GOD LIVES IN ST. PETERSBURG
Blais, Madeleine – UPHILL WALKERS
Blake, Sarah – GRANGE HOUSE
Bloom, Amy – AWAY
Bloom, Amy – A BLIND MAN CAN SEE HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU
Bohjalian, Chris – BUFFALO SOLDIER
Bohjalian, Chris – THE LAW OF SIMILIARS
Bohjalian, Chris – SKELETONS AT THE FEAST
Boice, James - NOVA
Boyle, T. C. – THE INNER CIRCLE
Boyle, T.C. - THE WOMEN
Bragg, Rick – AVA’S MAN
Brown, Carrie – THE HATBOX BABY
Brown, Carrie – LAMB IN LOVE
Brown, Carrie – ROSE’S GARDEN
Burroughs, Augusten – MAGICAL THINKING
Butler, Robert Olen – HAD A GOOD TIME
Byler, Stephen Raleigh – SEARCHING FOR INTRUDERS
Bynum, Sarah Shun-Lien – MADELINE IS SLEEPING
Busch, Frederick – A MEMORY OF WAR
Busch, Frederick – NORTH
Carey, Lisa – EVERY VISIBLE THING
Carey, Peter – JACK MAGGS
Castellani, Christopher – THE SAINT OF LOST THINGS
Chabon, Michael – THE YIDDISH POLICEMAN’S UNION
Chang, Lan Samantha – INHERITANCE
Chen, Pauline W. – FINAL EXAM
Clark, Robert – MY GRANDFATHER’S HOUSE
Clarke, Brock – AN ARSONIST’S GUIDE TO WRITERS’ HOMES IN NEW ENGLAND
Clarke, Brock – CARRYING THE TORCH
Cline, Rachel – WHAT TO KEEP
Cohen, Leah Hager – HOUSE LIGHTS
Connelly, Michael – THE NARROWS
Conroy, Pat – MY LOSING SEASON
Cooper, T – LIPSHITZ SIX, OR TWO ANGRY BLONDES
Coovadia, Imraan – THE WEDDING
Coupland, Douglas – HEY NOSTRADAMUS!
Craze, Galaxy – BY THE SHORE
Crouse, David – COPYCATS
Dahlie, Michael – A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO GRACEFUL LIVING
De Gramont, Nina – GOSSIP OF THE STARLINGS
De Gramont, Nina – OF CATS AND MEN
Delbanco, Francesca – ASK ME ANYTHING
D'Erasmo, Stacey - THE SKY BELOW
D’Erasmo, Stacey – TEA
De Witt, Abigail - LILI
Diamant, Anita – LAST DAYS OF DOGTOWN
Diamant, Anita – THE RED TENT
Diaz, Junot – THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO
Dickey, Christopher – SUMMER OF DELIVERANCE
Dillen, Frederick G. – FOOL
Doig, Ivan – THE WHISTLING SEASON
Donoghue, Emma – LIFE MASK
Drury, Tom – THE BLACK BROOK
D’Souza, Tony – THE KONKANS
D’Souza, Tony – WHITEMAN
Dubus III, Andre – THE GARDEN OF LAST DAYS
Dufresne, John – DEEP IN THE SHADE OF PARADISE
Durham, David Anthony – PRIDE OF CARTHAGE
Earley, Tony – SOMEHOW FORM A FAMILY
Ebershoff, David – THE 19TH WIFE
Egan, Jennifer – THE KEEP
Egan, Jennifer -  LOOK AT ME
Ellis, Bret Easton – GLAMORAMA
Ellis, Bret Easton – LUNAR PARK
Enright, Anne – WHAT ARE YOU LIKE?
Erian, Alicia – TOWELHEAD
Eve, Nomi – THE FAMILY ORCHARD
Flanagan, Richard – DEATH OF A RIVER GUIDE
Flanagan, Richard – GOULD’S BOOK OF FISH
Foer, Jonathan Safran – EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE
Franklin, Tom – HELL AT THE BREECH
Franklin, Tom – POACHERS
Franklin, Tom – SMONK
Freudenberger, Nell – THE DISSIDENT
Furst, Alan – DARK VOYAGE
Gaige, Amity – O MY DARLING
Gautreaux, Tim – THE CLEARING
Gay, William – PROVINCES OF NIGHT
Gessen, Keith – ALL THE SAD YOUNG LITERARY MEN
Gilbert, David – THE NORMALS
Gilchrist, Ellen – FLIGHTS OF ANGELS
Gilmore, Jennifer – GOLDEN COUNTRY
Glass, Julia – THE WHOLE WORLD OVER
Goldberg, Myla – BEE SEASON
Goldberg, Myla – WICKETT’S REMEDY
Goldhagen, Shari – FAMILY AND OTHER ACCIDENTS
Goldstein, Naama – THE PLACE WILL COMFORT YOU
Graver, Elizabeth – AWAKE
Graver, Elizabeth – HAVE YOU SEEN ME?
Graver, Elizabeth – THE HONEY THIEF
Graver, Elizabeth – UNRAVELLING
Greer, Andrew Sean – THE STORY OF A MARRIAGE
Griesemer, John – NO ONE THINKS OF GREENLAND
Griesemer, John – SIGNAL AND NOISE
Gross, Gwendolen – FIELD GUIDE
Guterson, David – EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS
Haigh, Jennifer – BAKER TOWERS
Haigh, Jennifer – MRS. KIMBLE
Hannah, Barry – YONDER STANDS YOUR ORPHAN
Hardy, Edward – KEEPER AND KID
Harleman, Ann – THE YEAR SHE DISAPPEARED
Harrison, Jim – TRUE NORTH
Hart, Joe Ann – ADDLED
Haruf, Kent – EVENTIDE
Hearon, Shelby – ELLA IN BLOOM
Hermann, Nellie – THE CURE FOR GRIEF
Hershon, Joanna – THE OUTSIDE OF AUGUST
Hershon, Joanna – SWIMMING
Heti, Sheila – TICKNOR
Hilderbrand, Elin – A SUMMER AFFAIR
Hill, Robert – WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
Hoffman, Alice – THE ICE QUEEN
Hoffman, Alice – THE THIRD ANGEL
Homes, A. M. – THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Homes, A. M. – THIS BOOK WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE
Hood, Ann – DO NOT GO GENTLE
Hood, Ann – AN ORNITHOLIST’S GUIDE TO LIFE
Horn, Dara – THE WORLD TO COME
Houghteling, Sara - PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Hunt, Samantha – THE INVENTION OF EVERYTHING ELSE
Hughes, Mary-Beth – WAVEMAKER II
Iagnemma, Karl – THE EXPEDITIONS
Iagnemma, Karl – ON THE NATURE OF HUMAN ROMANTIC INTERACTION
Ireland, Perrin – CHATTER
Iribrine, Matthew – ASTRONAUTS AND OTHER STORIES
Jackson, Shelley – HALF-LIFE
Johnston, Wayne – THE CUSTODIAN OF PARADISE
Jones, Edward P. – ALL AUNT HAGAR’S CHILDREN
Jones, Edward P. – THE KNOWN WORLD
Julavits, Heidi – THE USES OF ENCHANTMENT
Kalotay, Daphne – CALAMITY AND OTHER STORIES
Kennedy, Pagan – THE FIRST MAN-MADE MAN
Kent, Kathleen - THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER
Kessler, Brad – BIRDS IN FALL
King, Lily – THE ENGLISH TEACHER
King, Lily – THE PLEASING HOUR
Kingsbury, Suzanne – THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO GRACEY
Kohler, Sheila – CRACKS
Krauss, Nicole – THE HISTORY OF LOVE
Lane, Patrick – WHAT THE STONES REMEMBER
Leavitt, Caroline – COMING BACK TO ME
Leavitt, David – THE INDIAN CLERK
Lee, Janice YK - THE PIANO TEACHER
Lee, Don – COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
Lee, Don – WRACK AND RUIN
Lee, Don – YELLOW
Leegant, Joan – AN HOUR IN PARADISE
Lehane, Dennis – CORONADO
Lehane, Dennis – THE GIVEN DAY
Lehane, Dennis – MYSTIC RIVER
Lehane, Dennis – SHUTTER ISLAND
Leithauser, Brad – A FEW CORRECTIONS
Lennon, J. Robert - CASTLE
Lent, Jeffrey – IN THE FALL
Lent, Jeffrey – LOST NATION
Lerner, Eric – PINKERTON’S SECRET
Lethem, Jonathan – YOU DON’T LOVE ME YET
Lightman, Alan - REUNION
Litman, Ellen – THE LAST CHICKEN IN AMERICA
Livesey, Margot – BANISHING VERONA
Livesey, Margot – THE HOUSE ON FORTUNE STREET
McCorkle, Jill – CAROLINA MOON
McCorkle, Jill – CREATURES OF HABIT
McCorkle, Jill – FINAL VINYL DAYS
McLarty, Ron – ART IN AMERICA
McPhee, Martha – GORGEOUS LIES
McPhee, Martha – L’AMERICA
MacKinnon, Amy - TETHERED
MacLeod, Alistair – ISLAND
MacLeod, Alistair – NO GREAT MISCHIEF
Mamet, David – WILSON
Mason, Bobbie Ann – MIDNIGHT MAGIC
Matson, Suzanne – THE TREE-SITTER
Matson, Suzanne – A TRICK OF NATURE
Mattison, Alice – IN CASE WE’RE SEPARATED
Maazel, Fiona – LAST LAST CHANCE
Medwed, Mameve – HOST FAMILY
Medwed, Mameve – HOW ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING SAVED MY LIFE
Medwed, Mameve – OF MEN AND THEIR MOTHERS
Meek, James – THE PEOPLE’S ACT OF LOVE
Melnyczuk, Askold – AMBASSADOR OF THE DEAD
Menendez, Ana – LOVING CHE
Millet, Lydia – OH PURE AND RADIANT HEART
Mirvis, Tova – THE LADIES AUXILIARY
Minot, Susan – EVENING
Moody, Rick – THE BLACK VEIL
Moody, Rick – THE DIVINERS
Moody, Rick – THE ICE STORM
Moody, Rick – RIGHT LIVLIEHOODS
Morris, Willie – THE GHOST OF MEDGAR EVERS
Naslund, Sena Jeter – AHAB’S WIFE OR, THE STAR-GAZER
Nesbitt, Marc – GIGANTIC
Nissen, Thisbe – THE GOOD PEOPLE OF NEW YORK
Nissen, Thisbe – OSPREY ISLAND
Nissen, Thisbe – OUT OF THE GIRLS’ ROOM INTO THE NIGHT
Niven, Jennifer – THE ICEMASTER
Noel, Katharine – HALFWAY HOUSE
Nordan, Lewis – BOY WITH LOADED GUN
Oates, Joyce Carol – THE GRAVEDIGGER’S DAUGHTER
O’Brien, Tim – JULY, JULY
O’Brien, Tim – TOMCAT IN LOVE
O’Connell, Jack – THE RESURRECTIONIST
O’Dell, Tawni – BACKROADS
O’Nan, Stewart – EVERYDAY PEOPLE
Orner, Peter – THE SECOND COMING OF MAVALA SHIKONGO
Packer, Z.Z. – DRINKING COFFEE ELSEWHERE
Paine, Tom – PEARL OF KUWAIT
Paine, Tom – SCAR VEGAS
Parks, Tim – DESTINY
Parrish, Tim – RED STICK MEN
Pearl, Matthew - THE LAST DICKENS
Pelecanos, George – HARD REVOLUTION
Pelecanos, George – HELL TO PAY
Pelecanos, George – SOUL CIRCUS
Perrotta, Tom – THE ABSTINENCE TEACHER
Perrotta, Tom – JOE COLLEGE
Perrotta, Tom – LITTLE CHILDREN
Phillips, Jayne Anne - LARK AND TERMITE
Phillips, Jayne Anne – MOTHERKIND
Pitlor, Heidi – THE BIRTHDAYS
Pruett, Lynn – RUBY RIVER
Pywell, Sharon – WHAT HAPPENED TO HENRY
Rabb, Margo – CURES FOR HEARTBREAK
Rankin, Ian – FLESHMARKET ALLEY
Rash, Ron – THE WORLD MADE STRAIGHT
Rice, Anne – PANDORA
Rice, Christopher – A DENSITY OF SOULS
Rice, Christopher – LIGHT BEFORE DAY
Rickstad, Eric – REAP
Robinson, Lewis – OFFICER FRIENDLY AND OTHER STORIES
Robinson, Lewis - WATER DOGS
Robinson, Peter – PLAYING WITH FIRE
Robinson, Peter – STRANGE AFFAIR
Robinson, Roxanna – COST
Rosenfeld, Lucinda – WHY SHE WENT HOME
Rushdie, Salman – THE ENCHANTRESS OF FLORENCE
Russo, Richard – BRIDGE OF SIGHS
Salter, James – LAST NIGHT
Saunders, George – IN PERSUASION NATION
Saunders, George – PASTORALIA
Schmais, Libby – THE PERFECT ELIZABETH
Schickler, David – SWEET AND VICIOUS
Schmidt, Heidi Jon – THE BRIDE OF CATASTROPHE
Schmidt, Heidi Jon – DARLING?
Scholz, Carter – RADIANCE
Schrank, Ben – CONSENT
Schulman, Audrey – A HOUSE NAMED BRAZIL
Schwarzschild, Edward – RESPONSIBLE MEN
Scibona, Salvatore – THE END
Scott, Holden – SKEPTIC
Sedaris, David – DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUORY AND DENIM
Sedaris, David – WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES
Sedgwick, John – THE DARK HOUSE
Senna, Danzy – SYMPTOMATIC
Sessums, Kevin – MISSISSIPPY SISSY
Shaara, Jeff – RISE TO REBELLION
Shapiro, Jane – THE DANGEROUS HUSBAND
Shepard, Karen – THE BAD BOY’S WIFE
Shepard, Karen – DON’T I KNOW YOU
Shattuck, Jessica – THE HAZZARDS OF GOOD BREEDING
Shonk, Katherine – THE RED PASSPORT
Shreve, Anita – FORTUNE’S ROCKS
Shriver, Lionel – THE POST-BIRTHDAY WORLD
Siegel, Robert Anthony – ALL WILL BE REVEALED
Singer, Katie – THE WHOLENESS OF A BROKEN HEART
Slater, Lauren – LYING
Sohn, Amy – MY OLD MAN
Stace, Wesley – BY GEORGE
Stace, Wesley – MISFORTUNE
Steinke, Darcey – MILK
Straight, Susan – A MILLION NIGHTINGALES
Strauss, Darin – MORE THAN IT HURTS YOU
Strout, Elizabeth – ABIDE WITH ME
Styron, Alexandra – ALL THE FINEST GIRLS
Sullivan, Mary – SHIP SOONER
Suri, Manil – THE AGE OF SHIVA
Suri, Manil – THE DEATH OF VISHNU
Svodoba, Terese – A DRINK CALLED PARADISE
Taylor, Benjamin – THE BOOK OF GETTING EVEN
Tilghman, Christopher – THE WAY PEOPLE RUN
Tinti, Hannah – THE GOOD THIEF
Toibin, Colm – THE MASTER
Torrey, Joanna – HE GOES, SHE GOES
Tripp, Dawn Clifton – MOON TIDE
Tripp, Dawn Clifton – THE SEASON OF OPEN WATER
Trynin, Jen – EVERYTHING I’M CRACKED UP TO BE
Tsukiyama, Gail – DREAMING WATER
Updike, John - THE WIDOWS OF EASTWICK
Urquhart, Jane – A MAP OF GLASS
Wagner, Erica – SEIZURE
Wallace, Daniel – RAY IN REVERSE
Ward, Amanda Eyre – FORGIVE ME
Ward, Amanda Eyre – HOW TO BE LOST
Watson, Brad – THE HEAVEN OF MERCURY
Westmoreland, Timothy A. – GOOD AS ANY
Wilson, Jonathan – AN AMBULANCE IS ON THE WAY
Wilson, Jonathan – A PALESTINE AFFAIR
Wilson, Wayne – EDDIE AND BELLA
Winer, Delsa – ALMOST STRANGERS
Winthrop, Elizabeth Hartley – FIREWORKS
Wolitzer, Meg – THE POSITION
Zigman, Laura - HER