Sometimes people aren't as picky and will show their books they plan to donate or give away. They will ask to see what others have in order to make a trade or they will tell the person interested in a title that only shipping is needed to make the trade. That sounds reasonable, right? Well what if people start asking for only new ARCs. And I mean they only want 2017 ARCs for their old ARCs or books. Or what if they only want highly coveted items like certain swag, exclusive editions or even manuscripts? But what if you offer one of their wish list (WL) items and they still prioritize certain WL items over other WL items?
Some people collect ARCs because they love the book so much or because their favorite author wrote the book. People like to complete their collection. Some people have been searching everywhere for an ARC to complete their collection. However, what if they found the ARC they have been looking for but the trader doesn't want to trade because they are looking for something better? Seriously, think about it. Many people are so picky about their trades. Why not give a book to a collector who loves that book that you didn't really care about so much. Why do you need to try to make a better trade? This is not eBay. The tag is not meant to be an auction house to trade the book to the "highest bidder." Why are people so greedy?
In the past I used #booksfortrade more than I do now and I have made so many successful trades. Most of the time I want to unhaul ARCs and books that I either read or don't want anymore. I am usually not that picky about what books I'll trade for because if I don't make trades, I usually will donate the books somewhere in my town. ARCs, swag and finished copies are accepted. Occasionally I will be looking for an item on my wishlist but if the trade doesn't work, it's not meant to be.
I like using the hashtag to trade for books that I want to add to my collection or books that I haven't read yet but am interested in. It's a good way to find out what titles are out there, old and new. I also like to help other collectors out. If I can offer a book to someone that they have been trying to find for awhile, then I will make a trade most of the time. It's a win win situation.
I have been cutting back on using the hashtag because lately because people want things more than they want to give. What happened to spreading the bookish love? If it's an ARC of an unreleased book, wouldn't you want to share it to promote the book and author? If someone is collecting an ARC or book by a certain author, don't you want to help them complete their collection? What happened to giving? Why can't we pay if forward?
What do you think about #bookfortrade? Do you use the hashtag on twitter? I would love to hear your thoughts and comments about what #booksfortrade means to you.
Totally agree. I like to use the hashtag to find books I haven't read and really want to read. But I don't have those magical unicorn Arcs that people are looking for :<
ReplyDeleteYeah. I usually never have highly coveted ARCs. I don't like to hoard my ARCs and try to find people who want my ARCs and books before I donate them.
DeleteIt frustrates me when their wishlist is full of books that don't even HAVE arcs yet. And it's ridiculous when they ask for the most impossible things on their wishlist. I tread carefully and try to find something that someone has if they want to trade with me
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Some books don't have ARCs until a much later date or people are asking for ARCs that don't even exist at all. Not all books are made into ARCs.
DeleteI'm going to be honest, I don't see the problem with people only trading for books they want. If someone has an ARC and they're only willing to trade for something they really want, what's the issue? It's theirs and they can do what they want whether that's hoarding it, donating it, or only trading for something they really want. I am not entitled to an ARC that someone else has, no matter how bad I want it. No, it isn't eBay, but it also isn't a just tag for handouts.
ReplyDeleteTracy @ Cornerfolds
It's more of the fact that some people claim they want to get rid of their ARCs but then they are super picky about what they want for the ARCs that they plan to give away anyways. Also, many people do not have manuscripts of titles. People also want pristine ARCs. An ARC isn't made the same way as a finished copy. The binding isn't as good and the ARC is more prone to have imperfections. It's easy to crease the pages or cover by accident.
DeletePeople use the hashtag in order to get a better deal. If someone has 6 ARCs on their wish list, some people don't let potential traders know that they will only trade a certain ARC for a certain WL ARC. Part of the reason is because of lack of communication that can be misunderstood as greediness. Traders might offer two WL ARCs for one of the ARCs for a trade, but the person will not trade at all because they want a super highly coveted ARC in order for them to trade. However, it was not conveyed to potential traders.
Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a really great job on this post. You make some valid points. You aren't saying people should just give away their books for books they don't want, but what you are saying is for people to be reasonable. I too have seen people asking for "magical imaginary unicorn" ARCs as Ellie mentioned that aren't even printed yet! Like I said to Hannah on Twitter...what's next? The author's brain on a silver platter? This new trend of people looking for book manuscripts and only trading for that is also ridiculous. What normal person even has access to that? Only really top bloggers, other authors and beta readers maybe. Not to mention all those bloggers that take multiple books from BEA or other trade shows (making the rest of us bloggers all look bad)...but that is a whole other can of worms. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on this matter, but I agree with what you had to say.
I was very upset when people were asking for manuscripts. Not many people are able to even obtain one and for good reason. Only selected people are sent manuscripts. Why is the value of an ARC or manuscript higher than a finished copy? It seems backwards to me. ARCs have no monetary value.
DeleteI also agree that some people will take many copies of titles they aren't interested at trade shows. Or they might take several copies of the same title. Why? Many will use them for giveaways or trade. If the publisher said it's okay to take more than one, then it's okay once in awhile but the fact that I see piles of books on the hashtag right after trade show is sickening.
i agree completely. i stopped using the tag for awhile after some of the users who were picky pulled some of their crap. but then i realised, i loved trading and making friends on the tag, so i decided to keep using the tag and ignoring the jerk traders. i'll post what i have for trade, and if they don't like what i have, then no trade happens. oh well.
ReplyDeletewhat i DON'T like about the tag now is people using it to bitch about how nobody has what they want or a trade that isn't working etc. that should be kept to the DM's. save the drama! <3
I do enjoy trading and meeting new friends through the hashtag as well when everything goes smoothly. I totally agree with you how people are getting pissed off because no one has the titles they want. Some of the tweets should definitely be DMs. I think some people don't know when they should DM compare to tweet. The less drama, the better for everyone's sake.
DeleteI *rarely* use the hashtag myself nowadays. I prefer to trade with people I've already traded with tbh. Although, if they're friends of friends/and or possibly have a book I'm excited for, I may oblige. It weirds me out how people are already asking for '17 books, but I understand (but not really), I guess. Even though I'm interested in Caraval and a few others, I kinda just wanna tell these people, "They're not accessible yet, fam???" Having arcs sometimes before their publication date is stressful af. Or worse, they wanna trade for the most nonexistent manuscripts. If I didn't enjoy the book, I don't try to hold onto it. But that's just me.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I see way too many lists asking for titles that don't have ARCs yet. The manuscripts are ridiculous to ask for. I still can't understand why people are asking for manuscripts in the first place. I agree with you about not holding onto a book if you don't enjoy it. I know others will enjoy the book and I like to pass the book to someone who will love it more than I will.
DeleteI love using the tag, and in the few months since I have been using it I have made so many great trades. I've gotten rid of a ton of books I didn't want for ones I love. That being said, I have a hard time getting on board with people's complaints lately about the tag. I have read one other blog post, and a ton of tweets about this lately, and I have to say a lot of times it just makes people seem really entitled. Maybe I am misunderstanding, but from my point of view, if someone is searching for hard to come by manuscripts and ARCS and you either don't have them or don't want to trade, skip past it. If someone posts pics of books they are trading with a wish list they are firm on, and you don't have one of the books on their WL, skip past it. If what that person wants is outlandish, they will realize when nobody tries to trade with them. Completely drama free. I understand trying to complete a collection, and someone posting a pic of the book you need with [a WL of books that you don't have/are hard to come by/is absolute madness and would be an unfair trade] is a bummer, but that book is someone else's possession, and potential traders don't have a claim to that item. In an ideal world everyone would get all the books that they want, but that not being realistic I hope everyone can continue to trade without any more drama.
ReplyDeleteIt's mostly miscommunication between the person who is asking for things on their WL. I have often seen people post photos not saying that certain titles they have will be traded only for certain WL items. Also, I also seen people have a bunch of titles they want to get rid of because of whatever reason but then later claim they will only get rid of them if they can trade for a particular title. If someone is already going to get rid of titles because they have no more space or because they don't want them anymore, why are people so nit picky about what they can get from others?
DeleteI am not saying that people have to take whatever in order to get rid of the books but people should be more reasonable about what they can trade for. Unfortunately, I don't think #booksfortrade will be drama free. There are a lot of instances of miscommunication that I have seen so far and it's been getting worse lately.
THIS SO MUCH!! I have been saying this for weeks. Every single time I see people complaining about how people are too picky with their books, the word "entitled" comes immediately to mind. Why do other people think they can dictate what someone does with something they own? It doesn't matter how badly I want an ARC someone else has. If I don't have something they want too, it isn't a fair trade.
DeleteNicole- I guess I am still confused about what the problem is. I'm sure that miscommunication is a small part of the problem. My question to you is why does it personally bother you if other people want to obtain ARCs and manuscripts? Why is it bad for people to want things that are hard to find? If someone else has something that is hard to find, why shouldn't they trade it for another rare item? Why shouldn't these trades be fair? When I see people searching for hard to find things (that I don't have) I scroll past thinking, I hope they find what they are looking for. If someone is being unreasonable with what they are asking for, why does it personally bother you? I just don't understand that.
DeleteTracy- I know! The amount of people "policing" the tag is getting overwhelming. In a couple instances, I have seen people outright bully someone because of posts they made looking for things. Nobody should be made to feel bad because they want to trade for what they want, and they shouldn't be made to feel bad about not giving their books away just because someone else wants it. If you switched out books for trade in any of these discussions with any other items, I think people would realize how silly this all sounds.
SO MUCH AGREEMENT. I cannot tell you how many times I have had similar things happen. I always feel SO bad if I can't reach a trade with someone, but it's usually just because I have too many books and literally own what they have 😂 but still, I can't help but feel bad. And, I WILL admit that I do like to trade unreleased ARCs for similar dates, but I also don't do that exclusively.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I have had the whole "highest bidder" thing happen to me too- with someone who is a friend, which frankly made me feel even worse- like, I assumed our friendship was worth more than an ARC? Especially when I had been generous in giving books to this person previously, that hurt.
I also don't mind AT ALL when people are upfront- like, I have seen people say "hey, I am really trying to find Rare Book X, here is what I have to trade for it" because it isn't shady. I personally don't do that, but I feel like if people are at least being honest, it makes things MUCH better.
And yeah, sometimes throwing a book someone's way is just an awesome thing to do. You help out a fellow bookperson, and make their day! What a win! Love this post, Nicole!
I don't mind if people have a WL with a mix of old and newer pubs dates. It's the ones that solely want new ARCs and that's it. Some people will list titles that don't have ARCs yet which is crazy.
DeleteI feel bad that you had to go through the "highest bidder" situation. A friendship should definitely be worth more than an ARC. I would think a friend would be more willing to make a trade that will satisfy both parties.
Unfortunately, there are many people who are not upfront that they are only going to trade their pile for certain things. I don't mind people posting the ISO tweets. Those are very straight forward and I love helping people find something they have been looking for. Honesty is so important.
Also, I agree about sometimes giving a book to someone is an awesome thing to do because who knows, maybe one day someone will do the same for you.