“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(I asked Jane to hold this session so that we could get information on two questions: 1. The sales of her books, both hardcover and paperback. 2. Her status concerning her symptoms.)

Now, you mentioned some important issues pertaining to the books yourself this evening, having to do with their particular nature.

When you publish a paperback of ours, this is like publishing a new book for the first time. I am speaking of our books only—not, for example, of novels or other “occult” tracts.

If you remember, it took a while for The Seth Material, with Prentice, to do well. It was distributed to bookstores and areas specifically involved with the conventional occult field. Even though such people are familiar with the general area of our work, still the book did not fit into a general mold. It took a while, then—though not too long— before the book began to sell well. The other books quickly followed with, to that degree, a now built-in sales advantage.

The general public, however, has been obviously largely ignorant of the books. Publishing them in paperback presents a different picture. Again, they do not fit into the overall occult picture as even the general public understands it. There is no position, no God from the mountain top, and no dumb or docile medium to be taken advantage of by the spirits or otherwise. The work is not simplistic.

As you mentioned, you are outside, not fitting into any acceptable mold. The general public, moreover, in those terms does not know how to respond. Many, picking up those paperbacks, do so on impulse, and are unfamiliar with any such books. They cannot laugh the matter off. The books require personal questioning. Some people are frightened. They are also intrigued. But many put off spending more money, say, for a hardcover book, because this would involve a commitment involving the ideas themselves.

The books are immediate in a way, for example, that the Castaneda books are not. Castaneda speaks of what is really exotic behavior from your cultural viewpoint. We are saying that changes can be made from within the culture. You do not have to be an Indian guru, or appear and disappear at will, so the books invite instant challenge. People do not feel silly buying such a paperback, but many of these people, in the general public now, have to make certain mental adjustments before they will spend more. Spending more means that they consider the ideas to be worthwhile.

The three paperbacks are like balloons sent up with news items written upon them. While there is a lag, therefore, the overall picture is as I have given it in the past. (That the books will do well. RFB.)

The paperbacks are important, regardless of sales values, because they appear in the ordinary marketplace, out of esoteric cubbyholes. You have a loyal core of readers who were already acquainted generally with “occult” books—but to a larger overall extent, that is a steady but dead-end road. It can be counted upon, may grow slightly, but will not affect the overall culture to any considerable degree.

Many of these people also are generally not book readers. Ruburt (Jane) mentioned that. Many are not culturally advantaged. They do not naturally go into bookstores—but they will.

The paperback Personal Reality will be highly important in the ultimate changes that do take place. You are in an in-between period. If you went out in a grand manner, publicizing the books, appearing on shows, you could indeed quicken the pace—but in so doing other intangibles would also be altered. There is a great difference between keeping the people always in mind, and playing to the crowd for whatever reasons, but there would be a tendency for purposes to be altered.

I have nothing against bestsellers, and as I predicted the books will succeed financially beyond anything you would have thought—but over a period of time, in a dependable fashion, and in a way that will also best be suited to the temper of the times. That is, the books will have a strong active part to play over the period of your lifetimes, rather than for example selling in the millions in a year or two, then vanishing from the scene.

To be an overnight financial sensation, however, would present a reality that does not fit into your joint plans and purposes. This does not mean there is anything wrong with such an overnight sensation. Most likely, Ruburt will do some teaching in the future, not immediately, with a different format entirely. Your purposes and the purposes of the three publishers all mix and merge, with unconscious knowledge of the importance of the books, and the ways in which they are to be presented—not that there won’t also be some “natural” misunderstandings here and there, also.

The immediate money resulting with the contracts served as financial reinforcement at a time when you and Ruburt needed it. This was more important than you seem to remember. (Although I do keep this in mind. So does Jane, I think.) Ruburt was worried about money in the bank then—not six months or a year hence with royalties. Prentice wanted to set up a paperback mass connection, for to them this means that a book is good and has value financially. They also wanted quick cash. It was a poor year financially speaking for them. They also needed financial reinforcement. You and Ruburt also wanted the books to be in the general market.

The paperbacks have not cut down the occult market that you had secured. Those people have already read the books, and are waiting for more. There would have been a lag in sales until the next book, which then triggers the loyal to pick up any of the others they might have missed along the way.

The paperbacks in the meantime are .picking up new readership that will broaden your base. Saleswise, then, you would more or less be in the same position now, whether or not the books had been sold to mass markets. The advantage, however, has not yet shown; for the people are still immersed in the books they have.

The books require far more on the part of the reader than most books. Therefore our readers feel a sense of accomplishment when they are done.

On the other hand their ideas are so challenged that it takes them a while. They read one book several times. “Unknown” Reality will do far better than even Personal Reality did.

Prentice knows that the hardcovers will continue to do well over the years. They also understand that the general market paperbacks do not last—that is, they come apart. The people who really enjoy these books will buy Prentice editions as their own wear out, using hardcovers to make notations, etc.

Many also will not spend money for a hardcover unless they have first found the book valuable enough through reading the paperbacks.