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Dear Members,
Happy 2012! Well, we have some bad news and some good news for you.
Bad news: PBS Book Credit prices are going up. A single Book Credit is going up from $3.45 to $3.95.
Good news: You can SAVE if you buy 3 credits or more at a time. The price per credit will then be $3.79.
Extra Good News: We're getting rid of the Kiosk 50 cents transaction fee!
Bad news: USPS Postal Rates are going up on January 22, 2012. You'll pay 6 cents more to send a single, typical (less than 1 lb) book Media Mail rate.
Good news: USPS will now include DC with Printable Postage at no charge, so you'll end up paying a little bit LESS to send a shipment with PBS Printable Postage.
Bad news: Our fee for Printable Postage is going up to 55 cents.
Good news: If you use Printable Postage, you'll now pay postage + 55 cents (overall, slightly LESS than before) to send a shipment. If you use PBS Delivery Confirmation, you'll pay about 13 cents LESS than before to send a First Class package - since the USPS charge for e-DC on First Class packages will have been eliminated and we are not increasing our Quick Credit fee of 27 cents.
We don't want to raise credit prices, but it's no longer avoidable. Since credit prices here are tied to postage prices - basically, they represent the cost to us to replace a book in the system (each credit needs to "stand for" a book - so any credits we generate must be "backed" by real, shipped books, or the money equivalent) - that means that if postage prices go up, credit prices should also. USPS has raised postal rates nearly every year, and we haven't raised credit prices since 2007.
Not too bad, right?
The changes go into effect on Jan 22, 2012. We're also working on some great stuff that we hope to release very soon...stay tuned!
Have a great month,
The PaperBackSwap Team
Did you miss these popular books? They're all are available to order right now!
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The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner. Jim Beckett was everything Tess had ever dreamed of... But two years after she married and bore his child, she helped put him behind bars for savagely murdering ten women. He vowed he would come after her and make her pay. Now he's escaped -- and the most dangerous game of all begins...... See other thrillers currently available for swapping. | |
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The Man Who Listens to Horses by . Monty Roberts is a real-life horse whisperer who has shown that between parent and child, employee and employer, and abuser and abused, there are forms of communication far stronger than the spoken word - and that they are accessible to all who will learn to listen. See other Biographies and Memoirs currently available for swapping. |
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Heartbreaker by . In the still shadows of the confessional, a madman tauntingly reveals his plan for a murder he is going to commit, pulling Father Thomas Madden into a twisted game by disclosing his next intended victim: Tom's sister, Laurant... Browse all suspense books currently available for swapping. |
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Get With the Program! by . Yes, it's January and time to make a change. Bob Greene is here to help! He knows that you're not going to stick to an eating plan if you're bored or feeling deprived, so he's developed a program based on balance, moderation, flexibility, and variety. Browse other cookbooks currently available for swapping. | |
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Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Picking up twenty years after Pride and Prejudice left off, Mr. Darcy's Daughters begins in the year 1818; charming, full of societal intrigue and romantic high jinks, Mr. Darcy's Daughters is a tale that would please Austen herself. See other historical fiction books currently available for swapping. |
You know you want them...Try one of these newly published books, available in the PBS Market.
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Softies Only a Mother Could Love. With little more than needle, thread, and scraps of fabric, readers can make their own softies. There are quick and easy sewing projects for beginners, as well as more advanced designs for those looking for a bigger challenge. Browse other crafting books currently available in the Market.
Retail Price:
In the PBS Market (Paperback): $8.59+1 credit (save 49%) or $11.99 (save 29%) |
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Nameless by In the in between are the Nameless, living in the Nameless realm between being saved and being destroyed. One Nameless spends his time watching humans in New York City and becomes intrigued by a drunk named Aurick Pantera. One day Aurick is about to be killed and Nameless possesses his body to save his life. He then decides that he rather likes being in a human body, and the chance to fulfill all of his wildest earthly dreams ... See more Science Fiction and Fantasy new releases currently available in the Market.
Retail Price:
In the PBS Market (Paperback): $7.59+1 credit (save 49%) or $10.99 (save 26%) |
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The Sentry by Robert Crais. After Joe Pike saves a man's life, the man's family seems oddly resentful. Maybe because they're not who they seem to be-including the seductive Dru. But it's more than a charade-it's a trap. And Pike's already been hooked.... See other Thrillers currently available in the Market.
Retail Price:
In the Market (Paperback): $5.09+1 credit (save 49%) or $8.49 (save 15%) |
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Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger's Syndrome and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband by .David is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, and he embarks on an ambitious journey to understand and rein in the symptoms of the disorder which have wreaked havoc on his marriage. Wickedly funny, The Journal of Best Practices offers proof that a true heart can conquer all - even the brain. See more memoirs currently available in the Market.
Retail Price:
In the PBS Market (Hardcover): $12.79+1 credit (save 48%) or $16.19 (save 35%) |
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Songs for the Missing (Unabridged Audio Book) by . When popular high school student Kim Larsen suddenly disappears one summer day, it sends shockwaves through her close-knit community... Browse other audio books currently available in the Market.
Retail Price:
In the PBS Market (Audio CD): $1.49+1 credit (save 96%) or $4.49 (save 88%) |
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Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families by From James Beard Award-winning chef Art Smith comes a practical, indispensable book that America's busy families can turn to every day of the year, with more than 150 of Smith's delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes. See more books on Cooking, Food and Wine currently available in the Market
Retail Price:
In the PBS Market (Paperback): $2.59+1 credit (save 86%) or $5.99 (save 68%) |
NEWS:
You did it! Thanks so much for your generosity in November's Books for Schools donation campaign. We were able to send 25,000 new books to needy elementary schools all over the country. As the Library Media Specialist at Linwood Elementary said, "These books will be cherished, hugged, and read over and over!" Pat yourselves on the backs for a job well done! You can read more thanks from the schools here.
You've asked for more...and here it is. The Top 50s have now become the Top 100...Wishes, Posts, Requests, Swappers and Referrers. Now you can see more of what's going on clubwide. Check out the new list in its old place, under Community at the top of any page on the site!
Have you missed the Book Grab Giveaways on the PBS Blog? It's an easy way to get a free, brand-new book from the list of Top 100 Wished for Books in the club. We've given away Unbroken, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Catching Fire, A Stolen Life, and others. It's so easy to enter the drawing - just reply to the blog post within 24 hours. You never know when a Book Grab is going to happen, so keep an eye on the Blog!
PBS Local Chapter News
New Local Chapter Leader:
- Kristi J. - kizzy5481 - Quad Cities area, IA/IL
The North Texas Chapter will be going to the movies on February 12th - they're going to see "One for the Money", the film based on the Janet Evanovich book. Check out their facebook page! Contact Shellie (aylamonster) for more information.
The Laveen Arizona Chapter will be discussing Before I Go to Sleep in February, and Dead Until Dark in March. Contact lisaparks for more information about the chapter, and check out their facebook page!
We'd love to share your Chapter news - if you have some, please submit it to us!
If you want to be a Local Chapter Leader for PBS, you just need to have a PBS Nickname, a viewable public profile, and some organizational skills...check the Local Chapter Leaders Forum List of Official Chapters to see if your area already has a local Chapter. If not, and you want to do this, just contact us. There are no formal guidelines for being a Chapter Leader. All of the information is in the Local Chapter Leader Discussion Forum topic. If you are an official Chapter Leader and want us to include your upcoming meetup in the Newsletter, send in a message to us with the date, at least a week before the end of the preceding month.
MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Sara P. (sarap)
Sara P. has belonged to the club for three years - in fact, January 17th is her "PBS-aversary!" Ever since we started the Member of the Month feature, we've been getting nominations for Sara. She's a calm, helpful presence in the Discussion Forums - she embodies the helpful spirit that is the best of PBS! Some of the nominations we got said:
"She's kind, thoughtful in her [forum] replies, and usually posts relevant reference information. She's one of the members I always read on a controversial or complex subject thread. "
"She has helped many new people get started, myself included! :) D."
"She knows PBS well and always there with an answer to your question...Thank you Sara for your contribution to make PBS a better place!"
Sara, they love you - they really love you! You are Member of the Month for January. Congratulations!
DEAR LIBRARIAN
Dear Librarian - I just do not understand why you need to raise Book Credit prices. I mean, they don't cost you anything, right? Please help me figure it out and I am not a math major, so take it easy on me, please-- Wassup in Washington
Dear WaWa,
We feel your pain! The ins and outs of the "credit economy" can make our non-economist heads hurt. We invented this whole thing of swapping for credits on the Internet (we even have a patent on the process!), so we're creating new ground all the time. The simplest explanation we can give you is that for the system to work, Book Credits need to remain a strong "currency" on the site. Each one has to represent an actual shipped book - too many "unbacked" Credits will cause currency devaluation. To keep the system strong, we "back" each "unbacked" credit with the monetary equivalent of a shipped book. We generate a lot of unbacked credits in the form of startup credits and referral credits, and also the Guaranteed Credits we give to good senders if they have a book lost or misdelivered using Printable Postage or PBS-DC. The credits you buy in the Kiosk are "unbacked" - they do not represent a shipped book - so we have to charge for them. We also have to limit how many can be generated in a month (that's why we have the 30 purchased credits/month per person limit).
And that's about as detailed as we can get before our heads start to spin! Buying credits is good in a pinch but remember that it's usually less expensive to send a book to earn a credit - plus you're also sharing a book when you swap, which is what the club is all about!
Dear Librarian - I am a Gold Key Member and I love it! I bought it because of the expanded Wish List and the ability to order multiple copies of a book at one time (I'm a teacher and I get books for my students), but I have to admit that the free Transaction Fee every month was great, because I use Printable Postage. Now you are getting rid of the Transaction Fee for the Kiosk - what does that mean for Gold Key members like me? - Just Checking in Chancellorsville
Dear Chance,
We're glad you're enjoying your Gold Key membership, and we're happy to say it will only get better once the Kiosk fee is gone. Gold Key members will now get a free Printable Postage fee per month, instead! That means as a Gold Key user, you can send one shipment a month with Printable Postage for exactly the same cost (postage) you would pay at the PO - with the convenience of mailing from any outgoing mailbox, and the added benefit of Instant Credit. All that and no more Kiosk transaction fees - what's not to love?
The Last Word:
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As always, don't forget to start your Amazon shopping from the link at the top of the PBS site - when you do this, a small percentage of your purchase amount comes to us. So whenever (and whatever) you plan to purchase on Amazon, start from the Amazon link at the top of the PBS site. It's an easy, free way to support the club! -
See your name in print! Be a Blog Contributor! Contact blog@paperbackswap.com to find out more.