Novelist in Paradise said:
I started this new thread topic and deleted it at least three times because I was afraid (considering recent posts) that readers would think I am asking this for selfish purposes. Then I realized I was self-censoring myself, which is often the most insidious form of censorship. This is something that I've followed across various boards and sources for awhile, something I am truly interested in and may write an article about (if only to clarify my own thinking on this, which is quite tangled and mixed).
For example, yes, no question people who love reading are a writer's best friend. There is indeed a general atmosphere of loving books and reading that is so very important. But if we consider a specific first time novelist (and please forget about me, this is NOT about me) who needs to earn out her advance, then each sale of a *used* copy is jeopardizing her career. Shouldn't we, as writers, be supporting her career?
And most importantly of all: my teenaged sons are coming home from boarding school tonight for Christmas break. Hurrah!
No doubts you'll get arguments on both sides of the question; some well-reasoned, some emotional.
Here's some more wood for the fire: What about other items. Cars, for example. If someone buys a used car that mean the car maker and auto workers don't receive anything because of your purchase. Or houses. If you buy an existing home that means the builders and construction workers don't get any additional income (or the engineers--my field). I realize intellectual properties are somewhat difference than these examples (in that they can be "consumed" by the original purchaser, then passed on), but books are bought and sold just like anything else.
If someone wants to only buy new books because they feel it's the right or best thing to do, great, but I personally don't feel a moral imperative to always do so. This is just my opinion; I'm not trying to change anyone else's. In the grand scheme of things, I don't think people buying used books are on the top of the list of problems that writers have.
Another question, what in the world are people suppose to do with all the used books? People die, move to smaller homes, lose interest in a particular subject, grow up, etc., leaving a bookcase full of books. Donating them to a library doesn't help the writer or publisher either (and most library only shelf a few of the books donated to them; the rest they . . . sell). What is someone suppose to do with them? Take them to the landfill?
