Publishing's latest gimmick
Matt Seaton
Tuesday January 21, 2003
The Guardian

The things publishers will do to get their books noticed, part 44. The latest wheeze, from Fourth Estate, is to dispatch David Flusfeder's new novel, The Gift, to literary editors and reviewers with a cover-wrapped slip bearing the legend "Signed first edition". This type of inducement is not without precedent: in 2001, the same publisher printed a limited number of proof copies of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, followed by a large quantity of signed review copies. More recently, Donna Tartt added her autograph to the 500 proofs of The Little Friend sent out by Bloomsbury. The implication is that you, esteemed reviewer, are getting something valuable. In the case of The Gift, you are being given, well, a gift.

Of course, publishers are always coming up with such scams. Literary editors not only receive 400-500 "first editions" (ie review copies) of books every week, but some come with all manner of goodies - sweets, helium balloons, T-shirts. Even the sober academic press, Routledge, sent out Raimond Gaita's new book about our relationship with animals, The Philosopher's Dog, with a cuddly toy mastiff.

But the "signed first edition" of the Flusfeder novel is different: there's no add-on gimmick here, just the planting of the idea that this is a serious novel that's going to be talked about, bought and reprinted ... and, eventually, be worth something (provided you have a signed first edition). After all, signed first editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone go for upwards of £20,000; a mint copy of Fever Pitch will fetch £750; even a first edition of Trainspotting is worth £300. So can a publisher create an instant collectable like this?

"Absolutely," says Robin Harvie, Flusfeder's publicist. But isn't that the same as a bribe? "Of course it is." Oh, right. "This is David's break-out novel," Harvie goes on. "All the lit eds have picked it up, so it's worked."

So how many of these signed first editions are there? "We've done a first run of 4,000. It took him about a month to do - but he's recovered now."

I call Simon Finch Rare Books, who deal in first editions, for a quote. It says £12.99 on the flap, I say, but what will they give me?

"Probably a bit less. But it wouldn't be something we would buy: 4,000 is an awful lot," says Natalie Galustian. "Unless he becomes some kind of through-the-roof phenomenon, I wouldn't hold my breath."

What does the author think of these shenanigans? "I find the whole thing a bit baffling," confesses Flusfeder. "I went through some minor psychosis at the time." To prevent himself going completely mad, he says, he occasionally doodled as well as signed. So if you get one of the three or four copies that contain a caricature of the author, hang on to it. You never know, it might be worth something.

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