You are here: Home > Resources > Ask John! > Signatures > Some signed first editions come with a sticker on the front of the book saying "signed copy" and it seems those copies are signed on a blank page. Why?

Dear John: Some signed first editions come with a sticker on the front of the book saying "signed copy" and it seems those copies are signed on a blank page. Are these books signed for large distribution? Is your Clive Cussler Trojan Odyssey signed on the title page?" (Dave, New Jersey) John responds: The sticker that you refer to is placed on the book by the publisher simply only to indicate that the book is signed. Typically, they are signed on a blank page (referred to as a tip-in) that the author signs in bulk, and the publisher inserts them in at the bindery. There is some controversy as to whether this type of signed edition holds the same value as a book that has been signed on the title page. VJBooks does receive some books signed in this fashion from various publishers. However, Trojan Odyssey is signed directly on the title page by Clive Cussler . Ask John at: [email protected] Read articles about book collecting Read John's answers to book collecting questions Receive our Book Collecting PDFs and newsletters Sign up for our Book Club Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Watch our Videos