I agree that it's not a good idea to sneak BC-registered books into the new-book section of bookstores - if the book itself looks new the staff may think that some BCer tagged one of the store's own books without paying for it first, and even if that isn't true it would cause bad feeling among the staff against BC.
Furthermore, any book that winds up on a bookstore's shelves is going to be considered for sale by the staff, so if a book-hunter tries to walk out with it without paying that, too, could cause an uncomfortable misunderstanding. [Some bookstores do have a "free book" or "take one/leave one" box or shelf, in which case you can freely release BC books there. But leaving huntable BC books on the shelves among the store's stock, or anywhere inside the store where a customer may have set down any of the store's own books, could be very confusing.] Now, I should add here that there's no BC rule against BC books winding up for sale in secondhand bookstores; I consider a bookstore to be part of a book's natural habitat, and would love to find a BC book while browsing among secondhand books. But I'd expect to pay for it. [Some BCers prefer that their books not be sold, but frankly, it's impossible to prevent; even lots of "NOT FOR RESALE" stickers may not help, as such messages are not legally binding.] Anyway: if you want to release BC books inside bookstores *as stock for sale*, that's quite all right - but in that case it would be a good idea to specify that in your release notes: "You can find this book for sale in MyFavoriteOldBookshop, for a very nominal price!" and maybe add "Tell 'em BookCrossing sent you!" (Same goes for books donated to charity sales or library book sales; I always note that there will be a small charge for the books, so people don't just walk off with them.) If you do want to donate or "shop-gift" BC books to a store for sale, you may want to check with them about the book's condition; some bookstores (and some charity shops) routinely remove bookplates and other identifying information from previous owners, which can of course prevent future journal entries. I like to write the BC web address and the book's BCID on a couple of inner pages in addition to the bookplate, just in case... I'm not trying to ruin anyone's fun here, just offering some reasons why it might not be good for BookCrossing's image or for potential book-hunters if you try to release free-for-the-taking books inside bookstores. -GoryDetails Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at: http://bookcrossing.com/friend/GoryDetails Have you told a friend today? http://bookcrossing.com/tellafriend Archives and email list settings: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BookCrossing Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BookCrossing/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BookCrossing/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
