Reprinting of dance autobiographies

[soubrette_fan]

I don't know much about the book publishing business, and was wondering - how do publishers decide which dance autobiographies to reprint? Seeing as the University Press of Florida decided to reprint Farrell's autobio, does anyone think that there's a chance they would pick up on Merrill Ashley's? I'm very curious about this, because.....well, on my meager budget as a student, those prices for a used copy seem to run very high (and rightfully so, considering Ashley's status in the dance world.) Nevertheless, I've been wanting to read it for years, and unfortunately I can't find a library in my area that carries it.

Thanks to everyone who replies!

[Alexandra]

I have a book with University Press of Florida and I've spoken with their editors about other titles, so I think I can provide some insight here. UPF is one of the few presses now that seems interested in dance books, and they actively look for books to reprint (as well as new titles, of course). I think some books are suggested to them by their authors or readers, others the editors may well know about on their own.

Why not write, or email them, pretty much what you posted? You can find addresses at their web site (which google can find for you; sorry, I don't have it bookmarked).

[Herman Stevens]

The Ashley memoir is prohibitively expensive indeed, but of course that's not because of her status as a dancer, but because the book is simply very rare, which may well have to do with the number of copies produced at the time. And with the way people tend to hang on to these kinds of books till they drop.

I could imagine Farrell's book is getting a new edition because she wasn't just one of the ultimate Balanchine dancers who was very close to Mr B - it's a great story, so to speak - but she's also quite active these days with a eponymous dance company, and there's the video as well. You can sell copies of the Farrell book in the theatre store when her company's performing. These are a bunch of factors that make a new edition of the Farrell book a more viable venture than the Ashley.

The market for this kind of book is very circumscribed, especially when you're talking about dancers etc from the past. When deciding on a reprint the publisher has to make an educated guess how many people would really want this book. Maybe 10.000 people already have a copy of the original edition, and only 397 people who missed out on that one because they were too young at the time would now actually go to the bookstore to buy a reprint copy. That's a huge risk for a publisher. So I'd keep my eyes peeled at yard sales and used book stores. One day you might get lucky.

[richard53dog]

That's a huge risk for a publisher. So I'd keep my eyes peeled at yard sales and used book stores. One day you might get lucky.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sometimes these kinds of books come up on Ebay, I've bought a number of used "arts" books these.

Another terrific source for used books is alibris.com.

Sites not quite as thorough but still worth checking are abebooks.com and even amazon.com

If you do a google on used books , you will come up with even more dealers

Richard

[Alexandra]

Amazon does link to a network of booksellers, but soubrettefan is right -- this book is expensive! Starting at $39.80 and going up into the hundreds. But if you keep checking, you may find a cheaper one. I keep an eye on "Repertory in Review" (which will never be reprinted, so if you ever see a copy of it that you can afford, grab it!) and it can range from $60 to $300.

Why reprint? (And UPF, as well as Wesleyan and the UK's Dance Books, keep reprinting books). Because there are a lot of people who've come to dance since the initial run was sold I'd still say it's a good suggestion for a reprint. There are a lot of NYCB fans out there, and Ashley is well launched in her second career as a teacher and stager; there will be interest in her views of her training and career.

[kfw]

soubrette _fan, have you tried asking your local library to do an inter-library loan search for that book? Good luck! I was fortunate to find a copy in Harvard Square years ago.

[dirac]

Ashley's book also had a number of wonderful and instructive photographs. Her book would still be interesting without them, but they were very important as explanations and illuminations of the text. That would be an added expense to consider. (Farrell's book had far fewer pictures, and those not especially well chosen, IMO.)

If you have a bookstore specializing in used books in your area, that's a good resource. I recently saw a copy of Ashley's book in fine shape for eight dollars. I didn't pick it up as I already have it, but I'm sure some fortunate person will nab it.

[Herman Stevens]

Ashley's book also had a number of wonderful and instructive photographs.  Her book would still be interesting without them, but they were very important as explanations and illuminations of the text. That would be an added expense to consider. 

A photo section doesn't have to be prohibitively expensive these days. The real cost issue is whether you're going to sell a sufficient number of copies.

[Alexandra]

I think the problem with photographs is paying for the permissions. I know that's a been a problem with reprinting other books.

Anyway, for soubrette fan's purposes, hanging out in old book stores and/or checking back with www.alibris.com or Amazon (handy link at top of board ) is probably her best bet. For the other Ashley fans, I hope they reprint!

[Cliff]

Quite a few books are available from libraries free of charge. Inter-library loan programs exist. I borrowed the Ashley bio from a public library, but not my particular home library. I've also checked out dozens of ballet tapes. DVDs are usually restricted to the local residents.