What does "cover" mean here?

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Context:

The sale of this book without its cover has not been authorized by the publisher. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that neither the author nor the publisher has received payment for this “stripped book.”

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Type: Question • Score: 4 • Views: 797 • Replies: 13

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View best answer, chosen by oristarA

@oristarA,

It refers to the actual physical binding of the book.

1 Reply

@Lustig Andrei,

Physical binding ???
....no, the illustrated removable paper wrapping aka "the dust cover".

1 Reply

@fresco,

You're wrong, and Andrew is right. A book which has been stipped has had the cover and the page with the publishing information--crucially including the copyright information--removed. That allows an unscrupulous individual to sell the book much more cheaply (and the book is almost invariably stolen merchandise), because, of course, they aren't paying any royalties. It's in fact a dodge first dreamed up in the UK, where there was a loophole in the law which would allow the sale of such "stripped" books without fear of prosecution, unless a police investigator could prove the seller had been the receiver of stolen goods.

That's why the notice Oristar has posted is printed on the title page, so that it is visible even if the book has been stripped.

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@Setanta,

Setanta wrote:

You're wrong, and Andrew is right. A book which has been stipped has had the cover and the page with the publishing information--crucially including the copyright information--removed. That allows an unscrupulous individual to sell the book much more cheaply (and the book is almost invariably stolen merchandise), because, of course, they aren't paying any royalties. It's in fact a dodge first dreamed up in the UK, where there was a loophole in the law which would allow the sale of such "stripped" books without fear of prosecution, unless a police investigator could prove the seller had been the receiver of stolen goods.

That's why the notice Oristar has posted is printed on the title page, so that it is visible even if the book has been stripped.

　　　What I don't understand is that if " the book is almost invariably stolen merchandise," the illegal sellers don't need to strip the cover. Because whether stripped or not, the book is a stolen property, which is banned by law to be sold or bought. The sellers should be put into prison or be punished.

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@oristarA,

As i understand the loophole, given that the guilt of the accused must be proven, and they are not obliged to prove their innocence, a stripped book, with no copyright information, is not prima facie evidence of a crime.

From Wikipedia, this is the description of a stripped book:

Quote:

A stripped book is a mass market paperback that has been stripped of its cover in order to be pulped and recycled as a result of lack of sales. The covers are returned to the publisher as evidence that the books have been destroyed and the books are discarded or recycled into paper or cardboard products. However, many stripped books end up back on the marketplace, and are sold at places like flea markets. As a result, beginning in the 1980s, most publishers of mass market paperbacks insert a warning on the copyright page, often containing the note:

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this "stripped book."

Hardcovers are usually disposed of as remaindered books rather than stripped books. A few hardcover titles, such as Angus Oblong's Creepy Susie, carry the above warning, though hardcover books are generally returned whole, not just the cover itself.

Since the covers can be returned to the publisher, the publisher has not been paid for those copies of the books, and the author has not received any royalties. When they are then resold, they have effectively been stolen, as the publisher cannot bill for books if the covers have been returned to them.

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@oristarA,

Quote:

What I don't understand is that if " the book is almost invariably stolen merchandise," the illegal sellers don't need to strip the cover.

The illegal sellers aren't the ones who strip the book, Ori. This is done by retailers/bookstores holding said books. It's done to avoid the cost of shipping back the whole book.

1 Reply

I got 5 paperbacks for $1 at the Salvation Army - "junkers" I call 'em. They all had their covers.

One of them was Last Car to Elysian Fields by James Lee Burke. I loved it.

I just paid $16 for his paperback, Rain Gods.

I have never seen paperbooks without covers at any store or even at a flea market.

.

2 Replies

@PUNKEY,

Quote:

I have never seen paperbooks without covers at any store or even at a flea market.

People, especially criminals, don't usually want to put up signs that say, Look at me, I'm a criminal! Buy your stolen goods here!.

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@PUNKEY,

The problem of stripped books seems largely to be located in the UK. I've seen stripped books on a few occasions, and they were always books which has been printed in the UK. Believe it or not, the experience of life in the United States is not an infallible, universal guide.

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@JTT,

JTT wrote:

Quote:
What I don't understand is that if " the book is almost invariably stolen merchandise," the illegal sellers don't need to strip the cover.

The illegal sellers aren't the ones who strip the book, Ori. This is done by retailers/bookstores holding said books. It's done to avoid the cost of shipping back the whole book.

This hit the point.
Thank you.

0 Replies

Basically, what frequently happens ia this: a bookseller has sold a number of copies of a certain book (or perhaps he has sold none). The ones left over are not selling so he calls the publisher's representative and says he wants to send them back. Publisher's rep says, "Just destroy them but send me the covers as proof that these are unsold and have been destroyed." This works particularly well with paperbacks because the publisher can't try and sell a paperback as a new book when it's obviously been handled by other hands. To mail back all the left-over books would be expensive. To mail a bunch of covers, representing the whole book, is far less expensive. This kind of arrangement between seller and publisher has been standard operating procedure for years and years. The problem arises when some unscrupulous sellers don't actually destroy the books after ripping off and mailing in the covers. They simply sell them for a small fraction of their worth at another venue. The author, printer and publisher are all losers in such a transaction. The only one who makes any money on the deal is the unscruoulous bookseller.

(Btw, if you run across a pile of such coverless books at a flea market or whatever, such a stack is known in the trade as a 'remaindered pile.' These books have been 'remaindered' although they have been officially listed as 'destroyed.')

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@Lustig Andrei,

Thank you Lustig.
I wonder the cost of the process of publishing-transporting-selling. Supposed you've written a book titled 'The Secret behind the Cover" and your publisher has published it. Now a bookseller wants to sell this book, will he pay some money to the publisher because of the cost of printing and transporting the book? Loyalties is of course something the seller has to pay after having sold the copies. It seems unlikely that the publisher would give the seller copies without any charge.

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@oristarA,

Usually there are agreements between publishers and authorized sellers whereby the books are shipped 'on consignment.' That means no money changes hands until books are sold. Unsold books are supposed to be either destroyed or returned to the publisher who will destroy them. The publisher stands to make the largest profit, therefore is expected to take the larger risks. Royalties on sales are a matter between publisher and author and do not involve the book-seller in any way.

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What does "cover" mean here?

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