I’m a novice book collector (very much a beginner) and I’m having trouble finding the answer to what seems like a fairly straightforward question. What does it mean if a book doesn’t have a print run on the copyright page?
Basically, I purchased a hardcover copy of a book that was published by Harper Collins in 2017. On the copyright page, the ISBN is present, but there is no indication of a print run below the ISBN or anywhere else on the copyright page. I haven’t received the book from the seller yet (I do plan to see if it is a BCE once I receive it) but other than that potentially being the case, is there any other way to determine the print cycle/edition of a book with no print run sequence or can someone explain why a book published in 2017 wouldn’t have a print run number?
by A_Girl_Has_No_Name58
2 Comments
I work in comics publishing in the US and can’t say I’ve ever seen print run numbers included in the indicia (copyright info). Certainly in contemporary publishing it’s a bad sales tool – you don’t want to tell the customer base how many you printed unless it’s a specifically limited run – in which case each book is numbered – or it’s a fantastically huge number you can brag about. Telling people you only printed a couple thousand copies might indicate your presale numbers are really low or the publisher isn’t confident in the product, so there’s no benefit to sharing.
We do include the edition number on that page, though. If you print small and sell through you quietly do a reprint.
Work in publishing, literally never publish print runs. There’s no need for it, and it’s nonsense anyway when so many books print differently in different territories.