Recent grab bags? Opinions

[bookworm 1]

The one thing to watch with Subterranean Press is their half price sale. I have picked up some really great stuff. Even Volume 3 in the Philip K. Dick set. As well as a couple of Lansdale books.

[Sock Monkey]

I've only purchased grab bags from CD and I've always been happy. I'm starting to steer away from them as I buy most of what CD offers so the ratio of duplicates has increased. That being said, I have been getting in on the lettered grab bags. I am anxious to see what I get from the Two Lettered Edition grab bag that was offered a little while back.

Sub Press's grab bags are too expensive for me to gamble on as I don't have an interest in a lot of the science fiction and fantasy they publish. I would be all over a Centipede Press grab bag, though!

[slayn666]

I've only ever bought one grab bag, and it was from another publisher, but I can't say I was particularly pleased with the experience. However, that was no fault of the publisher's, I simply already owned most of the books I received. As I recall, I purchased the grab bag as a gamble to get a particularly rare book they were tossing in randomly, and the gamble didn't pay off for me.

[ClydeUmney]

Those are all really cool scores and Taverns of the Dead is a nice book, too!

[bookworm 1]

I've had my fill of grab bags and find it tough to imagine a scenario that's not an automatic 'pass.' Although I'm waiting for the First Forthcoming Grab Bag of 2014, and a forthcoming grab bag could influence my overall take... that's a bit different.

Like mhatchett I tend to purchase the things I'm most interested in as I go, which makes it extremely hard for a grab bag to contain things that really excite me. Not that they're not cool, but I'm not a seller so these result in bags that are great deals but still not for me. I think I've only done CD and SubPress grabs, and the SubPress was extremely expensive but contained a lot of stuff. All of which I'd decided weren't really for me at cover price, and even at the reduced price it's debatable.

Bottom line, just as CD has pointed out in some of their mailings, grab bags are excellent for beginning collectors looking to jump-start a collection, they're great for those who also sell so you can swap out for what you need, they're good as speculation for someone who may have missed a sold-out item that can't be found and they can't live without (and are willing to throw the Hail Mary), and they're great for publishers to clear space for other stock without taking a big hit.

I've seen it happen, one of the monster members on this forum received a PC Lettered The Exorcist from Lonely Road in a grab bag, and that book is no laughing matter. It's the greatest score I've yet seen from one of these, and hats off to him for the Hail Mary pass and CD for making it happen.

That was me who got the pc lettered edition. One of a few really cool scores. I have also received a copy of Looking Glass from a grab bag and a long out of print copy of Taverns of the Dead. I have given up on Sub press grab bags as they are expensive and I have only kept about 5 of the ones I have received in grab bags. I do purchase McCammon books and Lansdale books from them.

[ClydeUmney]

Yes, there's always the temptation that you'll get something neat that you don't have to make your collection even nicer. And obviously I don't hope for duplicates, but those can always be traded or gifted during the holidays if I already have it. I've purchased DRP grab bags before, and they've been good, but I agree, I probably wouldn't buy a grab bag through crowdfunding. I'd rather just pay a set price and buy it directly from the publisher's website rather than crowdfunding.
I'm hoping though, that one of these days I get a lettered book in a CD grab bag, even if that's the entire grab bag and a PC copy would be fine! I suppose part of the fun of a grab bag is kind of like bidding on a storage locker filled with unopened boxes(although I've never done that), because you never know what you're going to get (which kind of sounds like Forrest Gump.)
And yes, agreed, Early Reader's Club is also a great value, and I like to read things early!

[TJCams]

I have purchased a couple grab bags from CD (nobody else yet), and was happy with what I received. One was even an "Other Publishers Grab Bag" (I think), and got some neat books. The CD grab bags I got were even better - although one time I got a duplicate of Pork Pie Hat, but that's fine. I think I received a CD mag, maybe an ARC, plus other books that I may not have purchased otherwise. I have considered GB from Dark Regions, although I don't like the way they do them. I don't want to do through crowd funding.

Really though, for me, any of their grab bags, or like an Early Readers Club are great value for what you get out of them. I had to pass on the last couple though, and I kind of regret it even not knowing what other people are bound to get.

[frik51]

Well....in spite of living in Europe, and paying through the nose for shipping (not CD's fault, I hasten to add) I purchased this grab bag. I just couldn't resist as I was curious to see what I would receive. I sort of regret this decision now, as the books I am interested in I already purchased anyways.....
Who knows.....CD might surprise me yet with a treasure I overlooked....

sk

[ClydeUmney]

Oh, and it was a set like this, more or less if anyone is interested. (Not my books, though, FYI, as I'm not the one selling these.) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Biting-Dog-P...gAAOSwT6pVy9bU

[ClydeUmney]

I should probably have made it clear the Biting Dog Press books came in a Cemetery Dance grab bag!

[ClydeUmney]

I've received some neat things in Cemetery Dance grab bags, but never a PC lettered The Exorcist, which I think would be very cool, so you just never know. A book like that would make my day. I figure if I get duplicates I can always trade for stuff that I want in most cases or get trade credit somewhere if the book is already in my collection.
I also get most of the books Cemetery Dance publishes, so it's always nice to get cool books from other publishers, since CD seems to get a lot of books from other publishers and ARC proofs are always nice.
One year around Christmas I received a set of matching #d signed books from Biting Dog Press with books from Jeff Strand, John Paul Allen and Kealan Patrick Burke, and it was a set I wouldn't have probably picked up, since I don't know that press, but the books were all good!

Although I would say getting a Cemetery Dance grab bag is kind of like Christmas, because you honestly have no idea what you're getting until you separate the books from the box.
I think you can find value in the Sub Press grab bags too, but it depends on what you're reading. For instance I tend to like mystery and horror, and Sub Press publishes those genres, but they publish a lot more science fiction and fantasy, so it depends on what you like to read. And I've never ordered a grab bag from PS Publishing, so it's good to know what others experienced there.

[bugen]

I've had my fill of grab bags and find it tough to imagine a scenario that's not an automatic 'pass.' Although I'm waiting for the First Forthcoming Grab Bag of 2014, and a forthcoming grab bag could influence my overall take... that's a bit different.

Like mhatchett I tend to purchase the things I'm most interested in as I go, which makes it extremely hard for a grab bag to contain things that really excite me. Not that they're not cool, but I'm not a seller so these result in bags that are great deals but still not for me. I think I've only done CD and SubPress grabs, and the SubPress was extremely expensive but contained a lot of stuff. All of which I'd decided weren't really for me at cover price, and even at the reduced price it's debatable.

Bottom line, just as CD has pointed out in some of their mailings, grab bags are excellent for beginning collectors looking to jump-start a collection, they're great for those who also sell so you can swap out for what you need, they're good as speculation for someone who may have missed a sold-out item that can't be found and they can't live without (and are willing to throw the Hail Mary), and they're great for publishers to clear space for other stock without taking a big hit.

I've seen it happen, one of the monster members on this forum received a PC Lettered The Exorcist from Lonely Road in a grab bag, and that book is no laughing matter. It's the greatest score I've yet seen from one of these, and hats off to him for the Hail Mary pass and CD for making it happen.

[Martin]

All good input!

I've come across posts in other places stating the same thing about the value of Sub Press's grab bags. I've never purchased one from them, or from PS. PS doesn't have books that interest me very often, and while some of what I own is nice, they don't rate as nice as editions from other publishers.

I don't buy a ton of stuff from CD (although my pre-order list might disagree with that statement,) so I don't anticipate many, if any, duplicates.

Still I'm a bit excited to see what I get. Might find a new author to obsess over because I always "need" more of those.

Great point about the new authors. I have discovered several great authors from my CD grab bags. Kealan Patrick Burke, Ray Garton and Edward Lee to name a few!

[TacomaDiver]

All good input!

I've come across posts in other places stating the same thing about the value of Sub Press's grab bags. I've never purchased one from them, or from PS. PS doesn't have books that interest me very often, and while some of what I own is nice, they don't rate as nice as editions from other publishers.

I don't buy a ton of stuff from CD (although my pre-order list might disagree with that statement,) so I don't anticipate many, if any, duplicates.

Still I'm a bit excited to see what I get. Might find a new author to obsess over because I always "need" more of those.

[mhatchett]

I rarely buy grab bags, since I usually purchase as I go. Also, as some of you know, I don't typically purchase "horror" novels. I have purchased some scratch/dent things from CD and was really pleased. Lots of people seem to like the sales and it works for the publishers, so a win-win is always good.