Open up the book and look through the first few pages, paying special attention to the left-hand side of the book. Publishers usually list the printing date on the inside cover. Look at the title page to see if you can find a date.
How do I find out what year a book is?
Date published can most usually be found on the copyright page of a book . That page will tell you when the work was copyrighted – and if the book is a first edition, the copyright date will be the same as the date published. If it is a later edition, the date will be different.
What do the numbers on the copyright page of a book mean?
Also known as a “printer’s key” or “publisher’s code,” the number line is a string of numbers printed on the copyright page, and it is used to indicate the print run for the book . ... With each printing of a book, the publisher instructs the printer to remove the lowest number that indicated that run.
What do the numbers at the start of a book mean?
Thanks! The number line, or printer’s key, often seen on the copyright page of books is simply a method of record- keeping that helps identify the book’s printing and, for some, year of printing a specific book, which may or may not be different than the original copyright date listed elsewhere on the page.
What is the average print run for a book?
That said, the average for a hardback for a debut author is from 3,000-7,000 and a paperback from 20,000-60,000. Trade paperbacks are a coin toss. Usually somewhere between–I’ve heard as low as 9,000 and as high as 40,000.
What is the number line in a book?
The printer’s key , also known as the number line, is a line of text printed on the copyright page (often the verso of the title page, especially in English-language publishing) of books, used to indicate the print run. Publishers began this convention about the middle of the 20th century.
What’s the difference between first edition and first printing?
A first edition is the first printing of a book. It’s true that a first edition may have one or more printings and that a second edition will normally be noted only if there are actual changes, usually major, in the text. But for a collector, a first printing is the only true first edition.
What first edition books are worth money?
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997), J.K. Rowling.
- The Cat in the Hat (1957) Dr. ...
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), Arthur Conan Doyle.
- The Bible (1600 – 1630)
- The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book (1894-1895) Rudyard Kipling:
As we can see from many authors and agents the average first time author is projected to earn around $10,000 for their new book. After you pay your agent and invest in promotion, there isn’t much left over.
How many books are usually in a first printing?
A printing is one print run of a book. So if you ask the printer to print 10,000 copies of a book and then you sell them all and go back and ask for another 7,500 copies, the first 10,000 copies was the first printing; the next 7,500 copies was the second printing. Those two printings are in the same edition.
What is a good print run for a book?
When quizzed by me, a high-powered literary agent said these days a good hardcover print run is in the neighborhood of 15,000 to 25,000 copies .
What if a book has no number line?
Book collectors expresses this as “no additional printings.” This simply means that the copyright page of a book is free of any number lines beginning with a 2 or statements to the affect of “Second printing .” Viking Publishing used this method during the 1980’s, for example. ... The first printing is the first edition.
How do I read print run numbers?
A series of ascending numbers where the first number is indicative of the print run. This indicates the book is from the first printing. A series of descending numbers where the last number is indicative of the print run. This indicates the book is from the second printing.
What does impression mean in books?
Printing and impression are generally synonymous and refer to the copies of a book printed at the same time from the same plates . ... The second impression would be those books printed from a second batch, which would be separated from the first batch by a period of time (weeks, months and sometimes years).
How can you tell if its a first print?
The publisher may actually state the words ‘first edition’ or ‘first printing’ on the copyright page . Another common method of identification is the number line – that’s a line of numbers on the copyright page. Usually, if a one is present in the line then it’s a first edition.
Are first editions a good investment?
You may expect that first edition books are always a good investment , but actually, later editions can be surprisingly sought after, especially if they contain additional illustrations or amendments. ... Slipcases can protect books further, and particularly fragile tomes can be rebound by a specialist.
