Rising Sun by Carol Gilham Jones,
Quilted by Pamela Mayfield, 2002, 56" x 56"
Quilted by Pamela Mayfield, 2002, 56" x 56"
The cover quilt on America's Printed Fabrics is based on a mid-19th century quilt
People occasionally ask why there is such a disparity in prices for some of my out-of-print books. I did a post that mentioned America's Printed Fabric: 1770-1890 recently so I did a web search for it. This combination of reference book on dating quilts and how-to guide on making reproductions was published in 2004. It retailed for $29.95 ( I think!)
I hope you are not the person who paid $273 for a used copy of this book.
So why is there such a wide price range for a book in the online stores?
Some of the online bookseller sites maintain a computer database to price books. As far as I can figure out, the computer checks other online sites and determines how hard to find the book is. The computer then calculates a price based on what others are asking, how many copies seem to be available, etc.
For example: The book Butternut and Blue that Karla Menaugh and I published in 2003 for our little publishing company Sunflower Pattern Co-operative ranges in price up to $118.62. You can tell a computer brain is at work here due to the nice round number (62 cents!) and the fact that you can also buy this book for the original price of $18 by clicking here:
http://www.quilterswarehouse.com/p-6533-butternut-blue-by-sunflower-co-op.aspx
Quilters Warehouse has been distributing our books for years. We've got a ton of Butternut & Blue (it only seems like a ton when Karla has to move the books around her basement.) We or Quilters Warehouse will be glad to sell you a copy for $18.
Blind Man's Fancy by Barbara Brackman, 2003
The pattern is in Butternut & Blue
Why is it priced so high on the online book sites? One reason is because the computers don't know where to look. They do a quick survey of big sources but they don't deal with small publishers like Sunflower Pattern Co-operative well. They even have a hard time accessing information from big publishers like C&T Publishing or Star Books that specialize in quilt books. University presses are another mystery to them. If their search can't find it--- it must be out-of-print and hard-to-find---and thus worth big bucks.
Basket in the Briars by Gretchen Crozier
The pattern is in Butternut & Blue
So as far as the computer program can tell, my books are out of print and worth hundreds. I won't argue with the worth hundreds part, but don't pay hundreds. Do a web search for the title and my name and then check at least 5 sources and compare prices.
Your first search should be at the publisher. If they have it your quilt shop can order it.
Here are my two major publishers:
C&T Publishing
http://www.ctpub.com/index.cfm?siteID=B2C
Kansas City Star Books
https://www.pickledishstore.com/
And here is our distributor for Sunflower Pattern Co-operative patterns
http://www.quilterswarehouse.com/m-228-sunflower-co-op.aspx
I'll post more on the issue of out-of-print books in a few days.
Midnight Garden by Karla Menaugh
The pattern is in Butternut & Blue
Posts
7 comments:
I am glad that you have made people aware of ways of obtaining your previous works at a reasonable cost. I have most of your books and they have been the best source of providing the rich and interesting history of fabrics and quilts in America.
As I have learned more about "fresh,modern" quilting, it is so interesting to me that the block has not died, setting blocks in a grid is alive, string piecing is popular and so are many known patterns such Dresden Plate, nine-patch, variable star, crazy piecing, etc. This is all a continuation of quilting built on quilts and patterns by all the quilters of the past. A continuation of creating variations of known patterns. Making quilting as "fresh, modern" today as the 1850's. Bonnie
Thanks for the wonderful information Barbara. I have often tried to find your book Clues in the Calico without success. I really enjoy reading your blog- there is always such interesting information about the history of quilts and fabrics. I appreciate your willingness to share your expertise and knowledge. It is a generous thing to do.
Regards from a Western Canadian quilter,
Anna
You know you can get a digital copy of my Clues in the Calico. See the box at the top left of this page. You can print it out yourself. Most of it is black and white.
I always check pricing before I buy. I have gotten books that sold for 80, at 10 dollars;) I have a book that is out of print and heard it was going for 350.00 and up, have no idea why, I am sure anyone can buy copies of it for less. I always hunt the thrift stores for books that are out of print, sometimes I get lucky.
Debbie
I understand the post, but I'm confused about the digital copy part. I mean, are we comparing apples with apples?
I suppose it depends on what is the purpose of the "book" to the person buying it? Do they want a real/original for their library? or do they want a digital printout for the purposes of just learning the printed contents?
thanks in advance.
Thank you Barbara for this information. I also do a check in Google or Yahoo to look for books before buying - sometimes we out there in the 'real' don't know who the publisher is, especially if the book has been out for some time and we only read it briefly at a Guild meeting and forgotten where! It is good to know that you are keeping the original prices.
THANK YOU BARBARA! While I believe the information and your effort is worth hundreds, I can not pay those prices LOL. It is so good to know there are places we can find an out of print BB book.
I had once done a search for "Clues" and found it for $350.00 . Glad I had bought mine whenn it first came on the market.
Keep up your wonderful work, gentle ways and thanks again. Love this blog.
Julie in TN
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