@RUTGERS.ARPA:jcr@mitre-bedford (02/21/85)
From: jcr@Mitre-Bedford Wilson Harris (harris@nrl-aic) writes the following, concerning the SF book club: > my membership does not require returning the monthly announcement if I > do not want any books. If I do nothing, no books are sent. It's only > when I check off or list books on the form do they send me anything. Thanks! I stand corrected. --- Jeff Rogers jcr@Mitre-Bedford
@RUTGERS.ARPA:zeus@AEROSPACE.ARPA (03/05/85)
From: Dave Suess <zeus@AEROSPACE.ARPA> I have seen two kinds of postings on the SF Book Club in the many that I've seen lately: 1. poster is quitting, books now cost too much. 2. poster is active, but continuously re-joins so as to obtain offer designed to attract new members. I'm in a third category (long-time member, sad that prices are going up but intending to remain a member) and was wondering if *everyone* else is in the other two. If so, I can extrapolate that I, too, will someday be driven out; I'd hate that, since the postage on the reply forms is well worth the bargain I pick up (admittedly mostly on older titles) a few times a year. I enjoy even a mediocre-quality hardback much more than the smaller, can't-prop-up paperback. Am I the only "chump" in my category? Dave Suess zeus@aerospace.ARPA Anecdote: Once (I haven't checked lately) I even wrote in to ask if it were OK to *overpay* my balance, expecting to order more shortly. The SFBC wrote back to say if I kept a credit balance (and it was very low - $10, I think), I could get a 10% discount on orders. I did, and continued for quite a while before getting too busy -- and I assume that this service no longer exists, considering the not-so-slow rise in prices.
mjn@panda.UUCP (Mark J. Norton) (03/06/85)
> I'm in a third category (long-time member, sad that prices are going up but > intending to remain a member) and was wondering if *everyone* else is > in the other two. If so, I can extrapolate that I, too, will someday be > driven out; I'd hate that, since the postage on the reply forms is well > worth the bargain I pick up (admittedly mostly on older titles) a few > times a year. I enjoy even a mediocre-quality hardback much more than the > smaller, can't-prop-up paperback. Am I the only "chump" in my category? > Dave Suess zeus@aerospace.ARPA I am another long-time subscriber to the sfbc. In the twelve or so years I've been buying books from them, I've been occationally stuck with books I didn't want. I've seen the prices slowly creep upwards. I've had arguments over whether I paid a bill or not, etc. On the other hand, I have many collections (such as Zalazny's Amber Chronicles) which have appeared no where else. Many times I've seen a sfbc edition of a new book come out before trade hardcover (Pohl's Heechee Rendezvous). I like the fact that my bookclub editions seem to stand re-reading better than paperbacks. I like the choices and new selections I see every month. I buy about 12-16 books a year from them. Starting with sfbc editions, I've become intrested in collecting hardcover sf books. I have many old sfbc selections. I've also branched out into first editions (trade) and specialty publishers (such as Gregg editions). I general, I am pleased with the book club and will continue to be a member. I've had my problems, but most of them were my fault or were worked out with them.