"Hollywood Remains to Be Seen: A Guide to the Movie Stars' Final Homes" was first published
in October 2001, and you might still be able to find it on the shelves of a few bookstores. Officially, however, the book is out of print.
The original publisher -- Cumberland House Publishing -- has gone out of business, but not before selling out the entire first press run. Which,
I suppose, is a good thing.
Cumberland House passed the rights to publish the book on to Turner Publishing Company, which decided it wasn't interested in publishing an expanded, second edition, or even in printing more copies of the first edition. (My one goal in life is to prove to them what a horrible mistake they made.)
So, if you're looking to buy a copy, where does that leave you? Unfortunately, without a lot of good options.
Some online booksellers are offering copies at pretty high prices. If you go to Amazon.com, for example, you can get
a copy starting at about three times the original cover price, on up to $250 for a signed copy. (Heck, for $250, I'll come to your house,
sign it, and read it to you. And I'll wash your car, too. Would Stephen King do that? Or even Anne Rice? I don't think so.)
Barnes and Noble is offering a used copy for about $100. Books-A-Million currently has copies for $20.95, but I'm not sure how long that's going to last, since I'm planning to buy everything they have and sell it on Amazon.com for $200.
Even the current listings on eBay start at $56, and go all the way up to $114. And, again, for that price, I'll come to your house and read it to you, and walk your dog, too.
(And, in case you're wondering, not only do I have absolutely nothing to do with those outrageously inflated prices, but I don't get a penny from them, either. Someone was just smart enough to buy a copy or two when the book was available, and is now trying to re-sell it, now that it's out of print. All I can say about that is, if you're smart and a new edition becomes available, snap up as many copies as you can carry. It might pay off better than your 401(k).)
And, unfortunately, I don't have a stockpile of books at home to sell to you, or I certainly would.
But there's possible good news at the end of this dark tunnel. I've been in contact with a couple of interested publishers, and there's a good chance that there might be an all new, revised and expanded second edition hitting the bookstore shelves next year. Keep your fingers crossed, and I'll certainly keep you posted.
And if that happens, I don't have to tell you what to do. I'd suggest running down to your local bookstore with a shopping cart. If I can just convince just a few million of you to buy the next edition, I think I could turn this into a publishing empire. Imagine the possible sequels: "Chicken Soup for the Dead Person's Soul," "Who Moved My Coffin?" or even "Oprah Presents: Regular People Just Like You Who Tapped Into Their Hidden Spirituality and Found True Meaning In Their Lives By Being Dead." It's all up to you !