Nope…I’m a slacker again this month. However, I want to pose a question to this group. I posed it on BookObsessed.com and was disappointed by the lack of reaction. Although, the reaction I did get was pretty positive. Since this is a wild release question, I thought I’d post it here…if it’s not appropriate, please let me know.

First, let me say that I’ve never used Controlled Releases. I just always either released a book into the wild or given it to someone that I “know” so I used the JE. I’ve checked BC and TexasWren’s site to see if there is a definition of “wild release”...but didn’t find anything helpful. Examples of release locations include cafes and other public places. TexasWren suggests that if a release is made to someone you know using a JE is recommended.

Here is what I’ve always used as a definition of a “wild” release (or a “release into the wild”) in my own tiny little brain: If the release is somewhere “public” where someone could randomly stumble across the book or someone monitoring a release location could go hunting for the book.

Having said that, it has now occurred to me that there are some other release locations (besides Country, State, City, Location) that would quality as “wild releases.”

Here is where I want your reaction…
If I offer a book on PBS, TitleTrader, Bookmooch, etc., that is making the book publicly available and I’m not yet sending it directly to someone that I might know. Someone who is not a BookCrosser could stumble upon the book and pick it up. In addition, as a BookCrosser, I could monitor the release location and go hunting for a book.

Now that I’ve started thinking about it…I like the idea of monitoring one of the trade sites for possible releases. There are lots of books I might not know yet that I want that are being “released” on these sites. And I might want to go “hunting” for them!

Bottom line is…I’m starting to think that “releasing” a book to a trading site is a true “wild release.”

What do others think?