…and I want to be very clear: I have absolutely nothing to do with it.
If you’re interested in buying any of my books, whether digital or physical copies, you can go over to Amazon.com and you’ll find all my stuff in this convenient little nook I’ve made for myself:
Today, I went over there just to see how things were going (always am on the lookout for reviews… whether good or bad), and I find the listing for the physical copy of my graphic novel The Dark Fringe (it is available for digital download for a mere $4.99, free with kindle unlimited), is being sold by someone for… $619.13.
That’s right: Six hundred nineteen dollars and thirteen cents.
Here’s the proof:
Now, as I said at the start of this post, I have nothing at all to do with this. Indeed, at this point in time I have nothing at all to do with the physical copy sales of this graphic novel. The books being sold are copies originally released some 10 years ago and are still circulating within comic book stores and/or used bookstores.
Anyway, once I picked my jaw back up from the floor, I investigated who exactly was selling my book for that much. Here’s what I found:
As you can see, there are four listings from which one can buy a physical copy of The Dark Fringe. However, if you look closer, you see that despite the four listing, the book is being sold through two companies. One listing, the very reasonable $10.00 one (the book originally sold new for $9.95 when it was initially released), is from Comics4Less and they ship from Illinois. The other three listings are for a company called Red Rhino which ships from North Carolina.
Frankly, all three of their prices, from $69.73 to the outrageous $619.17 (which, strangely, is different from the $619.13 listed in the first graphic) are… well… outrageous. Especially considering the fact that the “cheapest” copy on that list, for $69.73, is the one that’s listed as “like new” and the subsequent copies are “very good” ($74.52) and “acceptable” (Big Bertha at $619.17).
I… don’t get it.
Again, I have no affiliation with Red Rhino. I have no idea what type of company they are, though the nearly 7500 reviews do paint them in a very positive 91% approval light.
Perhaps this is some kind of typo?
Given there are three prices, I somehow think not.
Regardless, I’m posting this because I don’t want anyone to think I’m somehow behind the pricing of these books through this company.
Mind you, I’m well aware of the collector market and I know older publications can become “hot” and command high prices, especially if they’re rare (and given the limited print fun, physical copies The Dark Fringe TPB are indeed fairly rare).
I personally would love to think my older works are worth that much but… I don’t think so. At least not quite yet.
Maybe someday.