What’s the fuss
I don’t understand the fuss authors are making about Amazon.com’s growing used book sales. Apparently nearly new books are a booming part of Amazon.com’s business, and authors, of course, don’t receive royalties from the secondary market in their work.
There have been attempts in other markets (France tried it in fine art) to ensure creators get paid from secondary sales. And in the UK, there is a public lending right system where authors receive payments for library lending of their works. But it seems short-sighted for authors to kvetch at any book sales, whether new or used. If people want to buy once- or never-read copies of books, they will do so. Impeding Amazon.com is irrelevant.
Personally, as an incurable bibliomane, I’ll continue buying new books new and old books old. For some reason nearly new books hold little appeal to me.
To only take a ‘femosecond’ of everyone’s time – the issue of Amazon selling used books, with the AAP’s strong rebukes, is but a small reminder of how badly the publishing industry is broken. No industry in the world sells on consignment and takes back 35% of its product from retailers for destruction or sale as remainders – how can it exist. Royalties are based as a percent of ‘suggested’ retail prices, which have no relevance to what the product ultimately sells for.
As the large mass retailers demand higher margins, more stock turn, bigger freight allowances etc etc., a perpetual doom loop continues. When a completely innovative, yet legal, solution appears to the problem of getting more books to more people for less money, the traditional establishment rebels. In this case, instead of it being a revolt led the publishers, it is being led by authors, then joined by the publishers.
It is ironic that the authors are suggesting migrating to BN.com, when BN has been the major cause of the demise of the bookstore in the first place. Only when the industry accepts the inevitable need for a major overhaul will a totally legal solution which allows more people to read more books for less money be embraced.
Michael