Home > FAQ Main Page > Cemetery Dance Books Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

How do the authors actually autograph these books?
What's the difference between your "Trade", "Limited" and "Lettered" Editions?
What exactly is a slipcase? A traycase?
Why do your Lettered Editions take longer to produce?
Do you prefer me to purchase your books directly from Cemetery Dance?
What's the difference between your edition and the one I can buy at any chain bookstore?
What is an ARC or galley?
What is a Publisher Copy (PC)?
Why is Cemetery Dance one of the few publishers who still continue to release major horror/suspense anthologies?
What exactly is the Cemetery Dance Publications Novella Series?
What exactly is the Cemetery Dance Publications Signature Series?
How do I submit a story or artwork to you?

Autograph sheet before being trimmed and bound.

How do the authors actually autograph these books?

This is how our books are signed: first, we print specially-designed autograph sheets, featuring the title of the book, the author's name, and often times a piece of artwork. These are printed as oversized pages which are later trimmed down to book size by the printer. We then send a box of these pages to the author and he or she spends a couple of days signing their autograph on each and every page! When the author is finished, they mail the pages to our printer; the pages are then trimmed and actually hand-bound into the finished book at the very front of the edition. And that's it. It's a time-consuming and costly process, but well worth the effort to make your book a true collectible!

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What's the difference between your "Trade", "Limited" and "Lettered" Editions?

Our "Trade" hardcover editions are not signed and have no pre-set limitation as to the total number of copies available. The first printing of a specific Trade edition may be as low as 600-700 copies or as high as 3,000 copies. It varies from book to book. And once these Trade copies are sold, we have the choice to either consider the title out-of-print or go back to the printer and print additional copies, which are then marked as a "Second Edition" and offered for sale. Our Trade editions sell in the $20-$30 price range. (Note: All our Trade Hardcover editions feature top-notch production standards, with acid-free paper, full-cloth and smyth-sewn binding, full-color dust jackets, etc).

There are no second printings when it comes to Limited or Lettered Editions. These are very special editions and once they are sold out, they are gone forever. A "Limited" edition is signed by the author(s) -- and/or sometimes the editor(s) or artist(s) -- and has a pre-set number of copies which will be offered for sale. Our Limited Editions generally range from 250-1,500 signed copies. Sometimes the Limited Edition is slipcased, but we have found that we can offer these special editions at a much more affordable price if we sometimes remove the extra expense of the slipcase and add other touches to the book, such as additional interior artwork, illustrated endpapers and autograph pages, heavier cloth stock, etc. Many of our Limited Editions are also individually numbered (example: This is number 231 of 500 signed and numbered copies); others simply state that they are "One of 750 signed First Edition copies." Our Limited Editions are widely-considered the finest in the genre; they are produced with only the highest-quality materials and sell in the $35-$300 range.

Our "Lettered" Editions are even more lavish in presentation, featuring such additions as extra full-color artwork inside the book, special autograph pages, full-leather binding, a satin ribbon page marker, and all our Lettered editions are protected inside gorgeous fully-enclosing traycases (some featuring embossed artwork on the cover)! Our Lettered editions are available in print runs of either 26 signed and lettered copies (hand-lettered from A-Z) or 52 signed and lettered copies (hand-lettered from A-ZZ). They are among the finest books produced in the genre.

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What exactly is a slipcase? A traycase?

Great Ghost Stories and its traycase.

Slipcases and traycases are designed to protect and showcase special edition books. A slipcase is a form-fitting case bound in cloth, which encloses the majority of the book, exposing just the spine.

A traycase is a true box -- picture a very fancy cigar box or jewelry box! -- with a lid and hinges, created for a specific book and sized appropriately. Usually bound in either a fine cloth or leather.

All of our slipcases and traycases are hand-made (as opposed to mass-produced on a binding-machine).

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Why do your Lettered Editions take longer to produce?

There will always be some delay between the release dates for the Limited Edition and the Lettered Edition because the traycases have to be custom fit to the books so they're good and snug. That means the traycase manufacturer--who often does all of the work by hand--needs a finished copy of the book to get started. Also, sometimes the Lettered Edition books need to be hand-bound in a different material, and that takes time, which further delays the start of the traycases. Finding a traycase manufacturer and a binder who can provide top-notch quality and reliable turnaround times has gotten very difficult in the last few years, but we think we've found a team that will do what we need in a timely manner while providing the level of quality our collectors have come to expect. We're working hard to catch-up on the older Lettered Editions, and once we're caught up, we hope the new Lettered Editions will come out just a few months after the Limited Editions.

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Do you prefer me to purchase your books directly from Cemetery Dance...or can I find them in a store? Which is better for your company?

Well, when it comes to the hardcover books, it's probably a safer bet to recommend that you buy them directly from us here at Cemetery Dance for a couple of reasons.

First, we work hard to give you more personal attention, meaning that if you receive a book with slight damage or a torn dust jacket or a dinged slipcase, all you have to do is call us and we'll replace it. These are expensive books and we feel that they should always be sold in fine condition. You can't count on that kind of treatment from most retail outlets. Also, if you have special requests, such as matching limitation numbers for a specific author's books (for example, you might want #350 for each of the Koontz titles), we can help you with this, where most stores cannot.

Also, by purchasing directly from Cemetery Dance, you are added to our exclusive Customer List -- as a result, you can be notified before anyone else in the world about upcoming titles and are also offered frequent specials, such as big sales and savings coupons.

Also, our hardcovers are often very difficult to find in retail outlets. Many times, by the time a specific store has placed an order for one of our titles, it has actually already sold out, and you are out of luck. This happens each and every time we release a new book -- dozens of readers are left without their copy of the book! The store might promise you they can get a copy, but that is just not always the case.

Finally, there is the issue of price. Many stores will sell our hardcover titles for higher than the actual cover price of the book, and they justify this by referring to its Limited Edition state or saying it's a very difficult-to-find book or claiming that our discount to stores is a small one. These are all good reasons, but you still shouldn't pay more than you have to for a book -- we never sell our books for more than the original cover price, which is printed right on the dust jacket.

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You published Stephen King's novel From A Buick 8, as well as several Dean Koontz books, as deluxe signed editions -- what's the difference between your edition and the one I can buy at any chain bookstore?

Our three different editions of From A Buick 8

There are many differences, but let's start at the very beginning: with the print runs. They are limited to only 750 signed copies. The print-run for the mass-market editions found in all the bookstores is over a million copies. The Cemetery Dance edition is truly a "limited" edition. Also, our copies are not only signed, they are also numbered or lettered, depending on which edition you purchased. We also sometimes issue a "gift" edition that is printed on the same paper stock and features a hand-made slipcase, but not a signature page. Even this edition has a tiny print run compared to the trade edition published by New York.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is the presentation of the book itself. The Cemetery Dance edition is completely different than the mass-market edition you find in the bookstores. Completely different in every physical aspect of production. A fancier page design, heavy acid-free paper stock, lots of interior full-color artwork and exclusive dust jacket artwork, many of our editions are bound in full-leather, with smyth-sewn binding, satin ribbon page-marker, handmade cloth slipcase or leather traycase, illustrated autograph page ... the list of lavish production values goes on and on.

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What is an ARC or galley?

Several different review copies from over the years.

ARC is an abbreviation for Advance Reading Copy or Advance Reviewer Copy. These early editions are also often referred to as galleys. They are usually produced three to nine months before a book is actually published -- in perfect-bound paperback format, or sometimes in a spiral-bound format -- and then sent out to various book reviewers around the world. This is the earliest form of the book, and often contains minor errors which are fixed before final printing. The print run of ARCs varies -- we usually produce anywhere from 20-40 copies for most of our titles, while some major NY publishers will print hundreds or even thousands of copies.

What is a Publisher's Copy (PC)?

The printer always prints a few extra copies of every title for the publisher. These copies are NOT sold as "regular" Limited Editions and are not part of the stated print run. Printing a few extra copies of any book is a standard practice in the business because these extra copies are meant to replace "regular" copies damaged in transit or misbound, etc. They also provide the author's copies, the artist's copies, and copies for the publisher's personal collection. Sometimes these extras are also used for reviewers or other promotional purposes. If there is a numbering or lettering line on the signature sheet, it should have the letters PC written in. Sometimes these copies do not have signature sheets. These "No Tip" copies are never sold as Limited Editions, but can be used for the author, artist, and publisher's promotional offers.

Why is Cemetery Dance one of the few publishers who still continue to release major horror/suspense anthologies?

For the most part, anthologies are very expensive and time-consuming to produce. Without fail, more problems seem to arise on anthology projects than single author books. Multiple authors to deal with, dozens of stories to pay for, rights issues for reprints, layout issues for the designer -- all these issues factor into making anthologies a tough haul. Add into this the general publishing belief that anthologies "don't sell"...and it's pretty easy to see why most publishers stay away from the expense and hassle.

So then why do we publish so many anthologies? Because we love them as readers, and feel they are important to the continued health of the genre! Pure and simple. For us, they are still worth the extra effort and expense -- and many times -- the long wait.

What exactly is the Cemetery Dance Novella Series?

You can find out all about these books on the Novella Series page.

What exactly is the Cemetery Dance Signature Series?

You can find out all about these books on the Signature Series page.

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Many of your hardcover books are sold out -- can you help me find these out of print publications?

We often help customers locate out-of-print Cemetery Dance books at a fair price, so don't hesitate to email or call us and ask.

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If I send you a letter for one of your writers/artists, will you forward it to them?

Sure, we're always more than happy to pass along reader feedback. But please remember, the best we can do is promise to forward your correspondence, we can't guarantee you a response. Send your letters to Cemetery Dance, c/o Author's Name, P.O. Box 623, Forest Hill, MD 21050.

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How do I submit a story or artwork to you?

Please visit our Guidelines page for more information.

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