How Much Pull Have You Got?

As reported in yesterday's Publishers Lunch, Seth Godin is selling the galleys of his* upcoming book, The Big Moo:

"The galley is the very expensive pre-publication not-quite-paperback version of a hardcover book. The galley is created to give reviewers a chance to read the book before everyone else. I persuaded my publisher to print 10,000 galleys, a huge number. And we're selling them at cost. Here's the catch:...I only want to sell the 50 pack of galleys ($2 a copy) to people who will turn around and give galleys to people in organizations with the will and the ability to pre-order a hundred or more copies of the final hardcover."

Of course, business is one of the few categories, if not the only one, in which such a model could conceivably have the desired effect. (Self-help or health, maybe, but it would have to be a hell of a book...) Still, if it works out, that just means more money for the charities that will be receiving 100% of the author royalties on Big Moo sales. Charities that seek to improve children's lives by building schools, creating sustainable housing, and fighting diabetes. Now, I freely admit that my sphere of influence is essentially limited to struggling writers and underpaid publishing industry professionals, but if you're reading this and you happen to have the juice to make it work, why not give it a whirl?

*...and 32 coauthors who include just about every big name in business book publishing, collectively called "The Group of 33."