A couple of months ago I received a promotional copy of a book at a convention.  It is not an ARC but it does not have an ISBN #.  It is just a free copy.  I had already read the book a year ago but this free copy has an excerpt of the author's latest book in it which is why I took it.   Now I'd like to get rid of it.  Can I post it?  And where do I post it?  I am happy to give it away to anyone who wants it.  I"d much rather do that than throw it away but I live in a small apartment and I don't have the space for many books.

You might want to put it in your sig line and say Free with any order from my shelf.

You cannot post it. 

Thanks.  That's what I'll do.

Why? It's not an ARC. It doesn't say "promotional copy" (I am guessing). It's just a book, like if someone gave you a gift, right? Many books I get have exerpts of the latest authors' books in their back section. This isn't not-allowed. Just from what you've written, it *is* allowed, so you may want to check into posting it. Maybe I'm reading into this incorrectly, but it sounds like any other book, you just happened to have someone give it to you free.

Heather- since she got it from a convention and it has no ISBN, it is more likely a copy of the book BEFORE it was published to promote it when it did go on sale.  Does it have the Library of Congress information inside the book? That lists the ISBN, if it does not have that information then its just an unmarked ARC.

I can go to Lulu or even amazon and request copies of my manuscript bound exactly like my finished book would look but it would not have an ISBN or Proper LC information because it has not been entered there yet. Since anyone can do that, its possible that this is what the person did.  It would not be postable.

Actually, the book was originally published in 2005.  This is a later edition that AFAIK has no changes to the story but has a sneak preview of the author's latest book.  At the time I received the copy (spring 2008) - handed out by the author, herself -  the latest book had not come out yet.  ( FYI - the book is Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon and the preview was for Acheron - which came out a couple months after I received the free copy.) 

Since there was no ISBN number located anywhere in the book and since "FREE" is printed on the back cover, I figured it probably couldn't be traded for a credit.

My bad! I thought it said "It DOES have an ISBN." I get it now!!!!

I see no reason in the world not to post it as a book with no ISBN# and get  a credit for it if someone requests it.  It is not an ARC obviously!  Just because it has a promotional excerpt from her new book is no problem, I think.  There are a lot of books published with a teaser chapter of the next one to come out by that author in it. 

oh man now I want to see this book, could you can a picture of the inside front cover that has the Library of congress cataloging information.

Strange book, but I think because the author recieves no money for the books, (same with an ARC and why they have no money) that would still make it unpostable.

Must make a note to self about putting Not for Sale on any give away books I ever have in the future.  Maybe we need to get authors to put "unpostable on PBS" inside their books..