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This is a bit of a newbie question, but how do you sell manuals to get extra copies? I'm trying to maximize my character this time around and I've read that you can sell the manuals you find to buy two copies, which would really help. I have the 1.2 patch if that makes a difference.

You can sell them to one of the merchants, like Trip. Then, you buy one copy back and use it, and then another copy.

My father tried it with the sneaking manual and for some reason it didn't work. We narrowed it down to his not buying a copy back immediately. I'm not sure if it was a fluke or not but make sure to have sufficient cash onhand to do it when you try.

Going through the required steps:

1 - take the manual to one of the merchants (I usually use Trip, he's now my favourite bookshop. I'm not sure if this will work with Larry, see below).

2 - Sell the manual to the merchant.

3 - Buy the manual back.

4 - Exit the puchasing function of the merchant.

5 - Do not leave the merchant's location (hence why I am unsure how Larry works, as he does not have a dedicated location which loads independently).

6 - Read the book.

7 - Buy another copy of the book.

8 - You can read this second copy whenever you wish.

As such:
a) make sure you have enough money available to buy two copies.

b) you need your characteristics to be good enough to use the book when you are in the merchant's. Therefore, do not do this until you are able to read the book.

Hope that clears it up.

Well, that answers that. Thanks Confuzzled.

Yoiks. Simple. Do this:
Go to Trip.
Sell the book.
Buy the book back.
Exit the transaction.
Use the book.
Enter the transaction.
Buy the book.
Use the book.
You're done.

I noticed that Larry keeps the books that you sell him in his inventory, even if you exit the LA Downtown hub.
For the others, I'm fairly sure that they loose the books you sell them when you exit their shops.
Anyway Larry seems to be the least risky for selling books to.

Trip also retains copies of the books I sell to him, even after leaving his shop. Perhaps one has to buy a copy for this to 'work', I normally follow the sell-buy-read-buy-read cycle, just to be on the safe side.

That's what I'm thinking. You need to buy it right back after selling it to him.

Thank you everyone. It seems like I should have been able to figure it out. Better safe than sorry.

[QUOTE=Lady_Lithium]Thank you everyone. It seems like I should have been able to figure it out. Better safe than sorry.[/QUOTE]
Ahh, don't beat yourself up about. I missed it the first three times. The connection isn't that obvious.

[QUOTE=yrthwyndandfyre]Ahh, don't beat yourself up about. I missed it the first three times. The connection isn't that obvious. [/QUOTE]

lol, i doubt i would have worked it out for myself at all if i hadn't seen the posts about it on here. never even considered selling the books and buying them back lol

Tips

Larry is cool about books - use Trip for the first ones and then Larry who is Mr Reliable. Always make sure that you are not over-qualified for a book before re-buying it.
also think abuot the timing - with Nines to hand and with Tung and Beckett - timing can be important. it is not much fun to pass over a 25 point increase through bad timing.
If I wasn't so lazy, I would do a skills walk-through to say how to maximise use of skills/books.
go figure.

Spoilers:

It's not that hard, keep dodge, stealth, computers and firearms at 0 during creation. Buy the books ('computers for grandma' and 'shooting things') from trip twice and let him copy the stealth manual. Result (around Sabbat Warehouse fireworks) is stealth, computers and firearms at 2.

Keep brawl and melee at 0 or 1 so that Nines can train a point in both, then raise them to 2 if neccesary and use the Kendo and No-means-no manuals (early downtown quests) to raise them to 4. Use the Circus (dodge) manual from the Grout mansion to raise doge to 2

Trickiest is Beckett at the museum, who can give you the third point in scholarship. So, start off with 2, which probably means you will not have persuade > 4 (unless you up charisma) until after the museum quest. Several downton quests require persuade 5.

Add 1 scholarship yourself (9XP) and raise int to 2 (4 XP) raises research to 6, which may not be all that usefull anymore, but you can use the Security manual (found in the museum) and (later) the Finance Manual

Fat 'Oh, god' Larry can then train you a free Finance point, add one point and use the manual from Jezebel's room to up to 4. Haggle is not that important though.

Romero will train you a third firearms point in Hollywood and Becket may have another training late in the game.

Other manuals require research 8, 9 or 10 to raise Dodge, Computers, Melee and Firearms to 5. And the Melee manual requires lockpicking 10 (security 5). Probably not worth the effort, gain 4 * 12, but spend 12 (scholarship 5)+36 (Intelligence 3-4-5)+12 (security 5) to raise research from 6 to 10.

[QUOTE=CaptRory]Nines will raise your melee skill even if it is at 4. So get it to four before you have him raise it.[/QUOTE]

yeah, i worked out that he will happily raise melee to 5 but he won't raise brawl past 4. just kept telling me it would take too long to teach me any further fighting skills if i try it with brawl of 4.

I've never managed to get Nines to raise my melee skill at all, and I'm pretty certain I haven't upset him at any point. Can someone let me know the point in the game when you need to visit him for it? Thanks in anticipation.

It's after he raises your Brawling skills but I don't recall when you need to see him exactly.

Most likely anytime before doing Grout's Mansion.

Brawl > 2 didn't work for me at least, first time I had brawl at 3 and he would raise it (would take to long). Curious how others managed to get him to do it?