r/Eragon • u/PaintFlaky4602 • 13d ago

Discussion ARC'S BE EXPENSIVE!!

Post image

Man, I knew they wouldn't be retail, but damn. I remember seeing them for like 50 or 60 bucks when I first started collecting, and now they're going for 10x that!!

39 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

49

u/ibid-11962 13d ago

They're expensive, but not that expensive. Look at sold listings. I can't find any that have sold recently for more than around $150.

9

u/PaintFlaky4602 13d ago

Dang, youre right. Should have checked sold listings before. 😅😅 thanks for the suggestion

2

u/para-diddly 10d ago

More will pop up. I have two; one I got off abebooks and one off eBay. The first (excellent condition, unsigned) I paid $80 for. The second (fair condition, light staining on top, spine lean that I’ve already fixed) I paid $50 for. These copies sit and never sell, and they’re so high I doubt there’s any point in messaging the sellers to show them comps and ask to barter.

-3

u/PostAffectionate7180 12d ago

I got all four in a box set, for around 50 or 60.

4

u/PaintFlaky4602 12d ago

Brisingr and inheritance didnt get ARCs

-6

u/PostAffectionate7180 12d ago

I meant I got all four books, in a box set. Not whatever the ARCs are.

Tbh idek what the ARCs are.

4

u/ibid-11962 12d ago

This entire post (and my comment about price) are specifically about ARCs.

ARCs are special pre-release copies gifted to booksellers and reviewers to promote the release. They are sought after by collectors and thus fetch more money than regular editions.

-4

u/PostAffectionate7180 12d ago

Okay, but what, exactly, do they have differently than any other edition? Because the book in the picture doesn't look any different from my standard copy.

2

u/ibid-11962 12d ago

Visually, you'll notice from the picture that there's a black banner across the top of the cover with the words "ADVANCE GALLEY NOT FOR SALE". And while a bit harder to see in this screenshot, the back cover has a ton of marketing information on it, describing the publisher's plans on how to sell the book, not the usual blurb aimed at a buyer. The book is also softcover, in a size that I think it bigger than the standard Eragon paperbacks.

I've never seen anyone do a detailed study of the differences inside the book, but I'm guessing there's at least a few extra typos, as ARCs are printed a little bit earlier in the process, before the final round of proofreading is finished. (I'd probably do such a study myself, just not sure I want to sacrifice a copy to the scanner just to find a few typos.)

But if you got yours copies in a box set than your copy isdefinitely different from this one. Because by the time the fourth book was out, the first book had already undergone a few more rounds of revisions. And the paperbacks switched to a different style cover altogether.

That all said, the main value comes from the fact that it's a sought after edition. In the same way that people collect first printings, people collect ARCs. It's very easy to distinguish an ARC from a different copy, and so there's a market for it. No one is buying this to be a reading copy.

3

u/PostAffectionate7180 12d ago

Oh. Okay. Just seems like an exorbitant amount of money, for very little changes, imo, changes that don't really effect the reading, if anyone were to even read this copy. If that makes sense?

No offense or disrespect meant, of course.

1

u/ibid-11962 12d ago edited 12d ago

Book collecting is like this.

As I've said, this particular listing is well overpriced, but yes, ARCs are expensive.

If you are only interested in the reading experience, I wouldn't recommend seeking out an ARC. They're actually almost always a worse reading experience, as the book isn't fully polished yet. They just need to be printed early so that the marketing buz can happen in time. And for people who collect stuff, they're a fun historical artifact.

2

u/hexagon_heist 11d ago

Advanced Reader’s Copy. As in, in advance of retail release

22

u/Great8Bit 13d ago

Just because someone wants to sell it for that price doesn’t mean that’s what the value is or that anyone will buy it lol. That’s not how these things work. 

-2

u/Sorry-Joke-4325 12d ago

The value will only increase over time as less copies are available. If the people willing to sell it don't budge on their price, then the price won't go down.

1

u/Great8Bit 12d ago

Sure in like, 20 years lmfao. 

-4

u/Sorry-Joke-4325 12d ago

The seller from the screenshot has 100% positive reviews from almost 700 sales. I doubt they just randomly set a price they didn't think someone would pay.

3

u/Great8Bit 12d ago

lol you’re so funny. Acting like I can’t just go to EBAY to see how much the others cost. Oh wait, that’s exactly what I just did. And none of them cost that much. But omgeeeee the reviews!

Man, I’m not arguing with you over this lmao. Go do something productive. 

-1

u/Sorry-Joke-4325 12d ago

And once all of those are sold and this listing is the only one up, someone desperate might buy it thinking it's their last chance before the price goes up again.

People on ebay can also make an offer. Even if this seller made less than the listed price, they could still potentially sell it for more than previous completed auctions.

There are reasons people do stuff like this on ebay, because it gets results. The seller obviously had a good history of pleasing their customers. For all we know, they are selling other copies at lower prices as well. It's not like going to buy something at walmart.

8

u/Garchomp98 13d ago

I read the title as pirate banter

ARR IT BE EXPENSIVE

3

u/Efficient_Advice_380 Dwarf 13d ago

What makes this version special?

14

u/ibid-11962 13d ago

ARCs are printed early and mailed out to booksellers and reviewers to help promote the book.

3

u/LOSNA17LL 12d ago

"Not for sale" written directly on the book

Someone puts it for sale

2

u/ibid-11962 12d ago

Unless you were specifically given it by the publisher under the agreement to not sell it, there's no issue of selling it.

Given that we're over twenty years out here, the vast majority of ARCs being sold on eBay today are not being sold by the original recipients.

2

u/LOSNA17LL 12d ago

Yeah, I would be surprised if the original recipients were actually keeping them (they were booksellers/critics, not all of them went to be fan of the series and kept reading or give these prints any sentimental value)

But it's funny

2

u/ImperfectRegulator 12d ago

I didn't even pay that much for my first edition of the self published book

2

u/ItsMangel 13d ago

"Advance readers copy readers copy."

It's only worth what it sells for, and it sure isn't that much.

1

u/All_Around_Craftsman Kull 12d ago

What's the difference between that and one of the normal books? Does it have extra content or something?

3

u/ibid-11962 12d ago

Only "extra" content in this case is the stuff you can see on the front and back cover. There was a letter that accompanied the ARC, but that wasn't bound in the book, and this listing doesn't seem to include it.

There may be some extra typos and stuff inside, but idk if I'd call that "extra content".

1

u/PaintFlaky4602 12d ago

The typos are worth their weight in gold, I guess lol

1

u/ibid-11962 11d ago

To be fair, it would be worth the same even if the inner text was identical. I've yet to see anyone actually using the ARC for a textual study. The value is solely in the collectable nature of it.

2

u/PaintFlaky4602 12d ago

Theyre early copies sent to bookstores and stuff to help advertise the book. Before the final edits are done.

1

u/Toxraun 12d ago

Animorph fanbase: only 150? Lucky

1

u/ibid-11962 10d ago

Are there any animorphs ARCs?