As I wait in line as number 200+ on the wish list for some books, I'm generally a big fan of FIFO.  But I have a series of 5 books that are all wish listed, and I can see the appeal of sending them all to one person rather than to five different people.  I was thinking I would list the first book and PM the wishlister once they accepted to see if they want the rest of the series, which seems like a compromise of sorts.  What do people think is the best way to handle this?

That's what I do.  It works really well.  Bottom line is, it's good for both parties involved.  Saves you $$ and they don't have to wait forever and a day to read more than 1 of a series.

Or just put them on the WL thread & say you only want to send to 1 person if possible.

As much as it saves you $$  I'm not sure I'm going to be listing anymore more books to the WL thread.  I've listed quite a few but have never been able to get one.  Gets a bit frustrating when you participate in providing books but never benefit by getting any.  I wish there was a way to handle that, but I guess there isn't.  So for at least the next month or so I'm just listing in the FIFO system and doing what Christine is thinking, seeing if the 1st person it goes too has any of the other books on their WL.

I've done it both ways, and I was able to send a trilogy to someone.  I posted the least WL book in the series to try to maximize the chance that the person had others.  I've also had good luck w/ the WL thread.  For sending, it's more of a sure thing, because you can choose to send to someone who wants multiples.  On the other end, I certainly don't get every one I want, but I have managed to check at the right time.  Best of luck whichever way you decide to go.  :)

I usually have more than one in the series on my wl or I'm willing to add them if someone emails me asking if I'm interested in the others they have.

I would post them here in this forum under the wishlist thread. I send very few books through FIFO that are paranormal, mystery or romance (since each of these genres have a wishlist thread we can post to) since I just get so darned tired of waiting for someone to finally accept it. I have one science fiction one that has been sitting and switching people for days now. It drives me crazy.

But if you wanted to post them to FIFO then your suggestion is what I would do. I've had people do that to me before and I've been immensely appreciative!!

Sam, the way I look at that thread is not that I'm going to eventually get some wishlisted books myself, it's that I get my own accepted very quickly and they don't sit and run through FIFO over and over with people not accepting or letting them time out (and to send multiples to one person). That's why those threads were started to begin with not to get wishlisted books. It's a crapshoot  and getting books is just a fringe benefit if it works out and you're in the right place at the right time. 

Sam -- if you watch the wl thread, and have them email you when they have a new post you have a better chance of getting their first to get the book -- of course, now that I have told everyone my secret I am screwed :0

I do, I'm subscribed to the thread but I can't be online 24/7.  As someone once said on the thread it's a "give and take."  Well, I've given but never have I had the opportunity to take.  I'm sure I'm not the only one.  It appears to me that the same people seem to get 75% of the books listed.  I maybe wrong, but that is my perception.   It seems vastly unfair.  Part of the reason I'm always telling everyone how great PBS is because of the FIFO system.  A lot of the other sites seems so cliquey and unless you are active and know everyone you greatly minimize you chance of getting books.  So at least for me, I'm embracing why PBS became my favorite book trading site and I won't be listing anymore books to the wishlist thread (at least for awhile).

I also have a buddy now that we like the same kind of stuff and we just kind of box-o-books each other.  Gives us more time to read our stuff and things of that nature.  We plan on, okay, I got these 4 for you and vice versa, we'll send them next week.  Stuff like that.  It's awesome.  We can even plan on buying new releases and sharing.  The book buddy system ;-)  Then when we've both read something we can post it on the WL thread. 

Thanks for the great suggestions.  I did check my buddies' wish lists but apparently all of my paranormal buddies have read these books.  I'll see what happens with the request for the first book and go from there....

I post in that thread to off load what I want to send out right away but I have only gotten books from it once. I don't have time to stalk the thread so I don't mind getting everything from the WL but it does get frustrating when there are a lot of wishers, you are in the middle of the list and they get posted there.

Before I realized the forums had wishlist threads that's exactly what I used to do with series, list the 1st one and than email the person letting them know I had the rest of the series if they wanted.  I hate reading series books in drabs, unless the new one is coming out.

As for getting books from the wishlist thread, I figure it's hit or miss.  I can't be on all the time but it does help move my books out the door sooner.  I also use my buddy list A LOT!  Since I tend to buy new releases right away I go through my buddy list before listing them.  I don't always go to the same person but mark off who I offered the last book to and start with the next person on the list, this way I'm not playing favorites with buddies. :)  Sam, you can add me as a buddy and see if that helps you too.

Off to order the next batch of new releases ;)

Kelli

I don't want to come off as sounding bitter, I'm really not.  It's just the few times I attempted to get a book I didn't and it was frustrating.  As I said it seems to be the same folks over and over.  So that got me thinking and I decided that I'll send to my buddies or list into the FIFO system.  I have a pretty big TBR so it's not a huge deal to miss a book, but ultimately the reason this site works is the FIFO system IMHO/ 

Whenever I checkout somebodys WL and I see a book that's on my TBS I use the note feature to write something send to so and so.

When I get ready to post a post and it has a note attached to it I can post it to that person directly. Sometimes they will look at my WL and post a book to me too but I don't expect it.

I  do check the wishlist thread quickly almost every day but miss most because I'm usually not online until late at night and they are already taken (darn I say, lol), but that's okay, every now and then I catch one and appreciate it.  You never know when you might look at the right time and be first, so I'd keep looking.

Christine, often someone will email to ask if I need others in a series when I get a book, so that's a good idea.  Have now done it myself a few times and found yes the person wanted others.  I'd also list in the threads here like suggested, you can specify you want to mail all to one person if possible, and wait and see.  Maybe someone only needs 3 or 4 and you might be willing to do that.  Often I'm catching up on series and filling in holes, so maybe already have the first  or maybe even a later one, but need most of the others.

I post the first book through FIFO....when that person accepts I usually find the other 2 or 3 on their WL.  If not I would PM them and tell them what isbn I have and to add it if they want me to send it to them.  It saves me on shipping.  I figure this way its fair because someone waiting gets their turn and I in turn can choose to send the other books to them if they would like them.  I suppose that if they really didn't want them I would have to send them individually, but I haven't had one person turn me down for them yet.

When posting offers to the wishlist thread, can one state that preference will be given to someone in our Paranormal community wanting the book AND reciprocating by posting a wishlist book to me?

It is generally not accepted to ask for WL books.

The best way to get WL books posted to you is to be active in the forums. Many people will offer books to their buddies first.

In this situation where you have 5 books from the same series, I would recommend posting them to the wishlist thread for best results in sending them together.

I, myself have always posted by way of FIFO. However, since I have been on the site for little bit now I do appreciate the advantages of posting to friends and trying to save on postage if you have a lot of books to send out.

I feel your pain Sam. Before i even came tot he Discussion threads I just listed my books in FIFO and I've foudn that I send out waaay more books than I get back. My WL is at 200 and it rarely moves because all the paranomal books seem to be the most wanted. Its the system and thats all we've got. Once I started looking through the discussion threads I had someone send me 2 books that were on my wish list but that was a total fluke and has since not happend again.

I'll look at your WL and see if I've got anything you are waiting on.

Reporting back, I've now done this both ways.  I think it helps to have a "please respond by" date in the email when you offer additional books in the series.  In some cases, when I have posted one book through FIFO and asked if they wanted others, I have ended up posting and mailing each book individually, which is what I was trying to avoid.  But then, you don't always guarantee in the threads that someone wants multiple books.  I'm not sure which system works best, but I do still like the idea of using FIFO at least for the first book, my bad luck that it hasn't been successful so far.

Sam W.,

I read tons of paranormal and I post them all to FIFO. (although with a series, I do post just the earliest, and then see if I can offer the rest to the same person once they accept).

I've never had a problem with a WL book being accepted ... once in a while, it cycles thru a person or rwo, but that doesn't really bother me.

I'm with you, love FIFO! No offense to you guys who like the WL threads, I just think that FIFO is a great, fair to everybody system, so that's what I do.

I also thank everybody else who is posting to FIFO, since you guys must be the ones sending me WL books :) 
(I'm pretty sure all my WL books have been offered to me thru FIFO).

Sara P.

Sorry  for asking a silly question but what is FIFO? I've only recently started investigating the forums.

FIFO: first in, first out  (sending the book to the first person in line  waiting for it :)