I know that when you post a book it says the cover picture of your book does not have to match the one brought up with the isbn number...but I always feel a bit guilty (actually has only happened 2 times to me) when I send one thats different.  I need someone to assure me that indeed its okay to send these, or should I PM the people requesting and let them know that its a different picture.  Also, while Im on here,  I will go ahead and ask another question I have about I book Im reading now.  I just noticed that it was an Advanced Reader Copy of the book, isnt that against the rules to post an advanced reader copy?  I didnt noticed it until now and I have already finished the transaction, so I guess Im just stuck with it, and what really sucks is that it is showing up as wishlised now and I could grant their wish, but hohum and sigh.  Is there any way to get my credit back or is it just lost now?

It's probably too late now to get your credit back but you could ask the sender anyway.

You can also post a thread in the book bazaar and ask a credit for the book.  You just cannot post the book and then PM the wisher and ask if an ARC is ok. A lot of people don't mind paying a credit for an ARC but it has to be through the bazaar.

Don't feel guilty about the book covers.  Don't PM. If you PM people and they don't respond then you have to decide to send the book or not. You're just making extra work for yourself.

lol  I feel like you do Robin when the covers don't match.

You could also offer it as a freebie, with an order off your bookshelf (add to your signature or in the red sticky deals thread of whatever genre the ARC belongs to).

ETA: sorry, double post :)

As others have said, if the transaction's been completed on the ARC you got, you're pretty much just 'out' the credit. But I bet that mistake teaches you to look over incoming books more carefully before marking books received from here on out! :)

As to the covers--truly, do NOT worry about a different cover! As long as the ISBN, title, author and format (paperback, HC, etc) matches, you're good to go. As Mary said, PMing about things regarding a book that are perfectly within the posting guidelines only sets you up for problems. For example, what if the book has been on your shelf for a year, someone finally orders it, and you PM to let them know it's a different cover. They decide they want only the cover pictured and ask you to cancel. Well, if you do cancel, you have to re-list the book and would go back to the end of FIFO. If she cancels it and then re-orders, the request is going to go right back to your book until someone else orders it. And as Mary said, if you don't hear back from them and the mailing date comes, what do you do? Mail it, or not? And then what if you mail it, and then they pm you saying, "I don't want it." It gets messy.

If people want something above and beyond the PBS posting guidelines--like, "Cover must match what shows at PBS" or "No ex-library books" or whatever...it is up to THEM to have RC's stated right up front so you know when you get the order if your book qualifies. It's not up to you to chase them down and make sure a perfectly postable book is okay!

Cheryl.

If you feel up to it, it would be good to mail the member and tell them they made a mistake. If they're decent, they might refund your credit. In any case, they should know they broke the rules.

Thanks everyone for the good advice, its eased my mind about the cover thing, and as for the ARC, I think Ill chalk it up as a lesson learned and post it as either a freebie or in the bazaar, havnt decided yet, and still reading it too!  :-)

Robin, I think you should PM the person that sent the ARC.  I received one last month from a new member who didn't even realize it was an ARC when she sent it and she gave my credit back to me.   While it may be too late to receive your credit, the sender may not have even realized it was an ARC or know it was against policy. 

I feel the same way about the covers.  I have one children's book on my shelf by Dan Gutman.  He is a popular author for boys  around 10 and up who love sports stories.  I just recently gave in and posted the book with the different cover.   So, it worries me that if its requested the boy may be looking for the version in stores and not the scholastic cover  I have.  Kids may not be the same as adults.  I'll be nervous when that one gets requested. 

I seriously would not worry about the cover images.  Most people know that many bestsellers are often reprinted with different cover images and it's not a concern.  And if they don't know, no harm in them finding it out:P  What's important is that the ISBN#s match so that it's the "right book".  Whether it's the cover they expected or not, they can look up the ISBN# and see that you listed your book correctly.  As for the ARC, you should definitely let the sender know, because they need to know about ARCs & be watching for them.  Even though it might be possible to post those books in the BB and get the credit for them, that's never an excuse for sending them; they're still unpostable.  I'd truly hate to see members start knowingly sending them out & using that as justification.  Not that I think there's a huge widespread danger of that, but I don't think we should let those slide & not mark  them RWAP because we can possibly get our credits back through posting them in the BB.  Obviously this one is different because you didn't catch it in time, but I'm just saying that for future reference.  If the sender refunded the credit, I personally would offer this particular book as a freebie ordering incentive; free with a book order or something like that, and if they don't refund the credit, then I'd ask for one when I posted it in the BB.  Being a WL book, chances are good you'll find someone who wants it.