Book Trade 
Are you a master book finder? Do you love to troll the UBS’s (used bookstores) for that special find? Do you lament the lack of good UBS’s in your part of the country, or do you brag about how you can find anything in the UBS’s surrounding you? Do you have some spare books you wish you could trade in? Well then you are in the right place!
One of CR’s most exciting activities is the Advanced Book Trade and the General Book Trade. It often seems a bit confusing for the first timer, but hopefully the information below will make this years trade more newbie friendly! If you love books (and who going to this con doesn’t!?) then you NEED to be apart of this years ABT and GBT. You would be surprised at some of the hard to find books readers have found for each other. Don’t miss out!
CR has two phases of book trades. The Advanced Book Trade (ABT) starts online a few months before the conference, and the General Book Trade (GBT) happens at the conference on Saturday afternoon.
General Book Trade
Bring up to ten books with you when you check in on Friday night (or on Saturday if you aren’t arriving until then). For every book you bring in, you’ll receive a ticket – either a standard ticket or a classic ticket. Most books will receive a standard ticket unless they’re on our classic list (see below).
The books you bring for the trade must be in good condition. Except for classics (which are books on our “hard to find” list – email me if you’d like a copy), they must be dated between January of 1997 and December of 2006 – nothing older than 1997, and no books from 2007. (This is to be fair to our authors.) The books you bring should be special books – this is a chance for people to read those harder to find books that they might not come across in used bookstores at home, so bring in your favorites that you want to share.
When the book trade is held on Saturday afternoon, bring your tickets. The books will be displayed on tables. For every ticket, you can get one book. The standard ticket can be exchanged for any book except a classic. You can use it for Regencies, categories, single titles, anthologies, etc. Classic tickets can be used for any of the standard books or for one of the special classic books.
Once you’ve selected your books, check out with one of the book trade volunteers. They’ll take your tickets and make sure you’ve received the right number of books.
If you have any questions before the conference, email me at karen@crspring.com
Advanced Book Trade
The ABT starts a few months before the conference – this year, the ABT will begin in December. If you join the ABT, you can request specific books that you want – both older books and newer ones (the only limitation is that no 2007 books can be requested). Other members of the ABT will look for your books, while you look for theirs. At the conference, you’ll bring in the books you found and receive the books that were found for you. We keep track of all this in an online database that lists all the requests and finds. It’s easy to use – and lots of fun! With members across the country (and sometimes around the world), you’ll be surprised at how many of your requests are filled! I always go home with a suitcase or two full of books.
To participate in the ABT, you must register for the conference first. (You can pay later if you’d prefer.) Check the box for “ABT” if you want to participate in the advanced trade. After you register, you’ll receive a user name and temporary password in your email. You’ll use these to access the database. You’ll also receive more detailed instructions on how the trade works and how to use the database. If you already registered for the conference but didn’t check the box for the ABT, email me at karen@crspring.com, and I’ll add you to the database.
We have a special mailing list set up for the book trade. You’ll need to join this list to participate in the ABT. To subscribe just put your email address in the “ABT Mailing List” box on the right side of this page. There are lots of experienced traders on the list who can answer any of your questions. You’ll also find the instructions for the database in the Files section of the booktrade list.
ABT traders from previous years
You need to register for the conference before you can join the ABT this year. You’ll get a new ID and temporary password by email. Check to be sure your subscription to the booktrade list is active – many people went no mail or unsubscribed after the conference last year.
There are a few changes, but most of the trade is the same as in previous years. There’s a file describing the changes in the Files section of the booktrade list, and I’ll also post the changes to the booktrade list. Welcome back! I can’t wait to get started.
Donations
Many times, people bring in extra books as donations. We all love to share our books with other readers! However, at the end of the conference, we’re left with boxes of books that have to be disposed of. There will be a special table for donated books – feel free to bring in donations for this table, and share these gems with your fellow readers! But if you bring in donations, please be prepared to take any extras home with you so we don’t end up struggling to find a place to donate them after the conference.