Being an aspiring author, the subject of used books tends to be fairly touchy in some of my social circles. For a great many published authors, used books are Evil Incarnate. A recent article on AOL suggesting that buying new books is a waste of money single-handedly raised the ire of an entire gaggle of romance writers on an email loop I'm on.
I don't object to their opinion. I understand why they're upset. Royalties are their livelihood. Many of these women's entire paychecks come from nothing but the sale of their books, and, let me tell you, it's not easy to get rich on royalties, unless you're Nora Roberts. And even she had to work up to it. So I get where they're coming from.
What I do object to is accusing used book buyers of being immoral, scum-sucking, penny-pinching pirates. Buying used books is neither immoral nor illegal, no matter what it does to an author's royalty statement.
Here's why it's not illegal: When you buy a book, you are buying the physical book: paper, ink, covers, step-back covers with sexy half-naked men... oh. Ahem. Right. Where was I? You are buying the book, not the words. You are not buying a license to read those words. Ask any lawyer. That will hold up in a court of law. (Ebooks are a whole different kettle of fish, and I don't like kettles of fish, so I won't go there, but anyway.) So, when you buy the book, you are free to do anything with that book that you so choose, including selling it used for a whole lot less than you bought it for. And that means the people who buy your used books are also well within their rights.
Now, in my opinion, here's why it's not immoral and here's why, when I am published, you will never hear me squawk about my books being sold used: new readers. Simple as that. The more people I can get to read my books, whether they get them new or used or traded or bookcrossed, the better off my career will be. Each new reader has the potential to become an uber-fan, and uber-fans are an author's best friend. They buy all your books, they chat you up to their friends, they turn other people into uber-fans. And that means, ultimately, more sales. (It also means creepy stalkers, but hey, we're looking on the bright side here.) Yes, royalties are important, but it seems to me that a writing career is more important, and the more readers you have long-term, the better a career it will be.
I'll conclude by saying I've reformed my book-buying ways since I realized how important royalties are. I buy new (though discounted if possible... hey, I'm still cheap), especially from authors I know. Still, I would never, never hold buying used against someone. To do so seems unfair and, really, unworthy of my annoyance, when there are so many other more important things I could get annoyed about... like who the heck stole my tape dispenser off my desk again. I'll find you, tape dispenser stealer. Be warned.
You are currently browsing the monthly archive for November 2006.
My life is super stressful at the moment. I know, wah wah, poor me. But it's totally true. And it seems as if most people in my life are trying to make it more stressful, whether on purpose or not. It could, I suppose, just be that I am seeing the world through jerk-colored glasses. But, people in my life (who most likely don't read this blog because I know and like just about everyone who does read my blog), stop being jerks if indeed you are actually being jerks, ok?
Here's your excerpt from yesterday, on which I wrote like a mere 1200 words, but all were poured out with blood, sweat, and tears. Man, writing was easy at the beginning of the month. Stupid middles-of-books-that-are-hard-to-write. Anyway, excerpt:
Also, join me, minions. If you're doing NaNoWriMo and you're way freakin' behind like me, join me in 10k Friday. I may not make it all the way to 10k because I've got to do at least a leeettle shopping and also I have to cook, but I'm going to give it a good try. Maybe I can still finish by November 30!
Last Year In The Life Of Sonja: Purdy, NaNoBlehMo
Here's your excerpt from yesterday, on which I wrote like a mere 1200 words, but all were poured out with blood, sweat, and tears. Man, writing was easy at the beginning of the month. Stupid middles-of-books-that-are-hard-to-write. Anyway, excerpt:
Only then did Jude turn again to look at her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’d been hoping that this time when she looked at him he wouldn’t freeze in his shoes. His heart wouldn’t stop. His breath wouldn’t come quick. But when her big hazel eyes turned to look up at him and he saw the impish grin covering the fear and the gratitude and the apology and the host of other emotions swimming in her, he was helpless before her.
Also, join me, minions. If you're doing NaNoWriMo and you're way freakin' behind like me, join me in 10k Friday. I may not make it all the way to 10k because I've got to do at least a leeettle shopping and also I have to cook, but I'm going to give it a good try. Maybe I can still finish by November 30!
Last Year In The Life Of Sonja: Purdy, NaNoBlehMo
Ok, you didn't think I could top those search terms from the other day, did you? But, lo and behold, the other night I came home and checked my sitemeter only to find the search phrase "fat hairy butt pictures" in my reference links. Does anyone actually WANT to see fat hairy butt pictures? Really, I sincerely hope not, but I suspect there's a kink for every soul out there, and some unfortunate person found himself staring at a frou-frou red rose instead of a picture of a fat hairy butt. So, fat hairy butt picture searching guy, sorry.
To my normal, non-hairy-butt-picture-looking readers, I have a request of you: I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house for the first time ever this year and I want it to be nice (despite the fact that at least half my guests will be eating off a folding card table and/or patio furniture). What's your special Thanksgiving extra thing? Is it a recipe passed down for generations? A traditional game of Scrabble after dinner? An appetizer that you always have to have? A craft? Share please. I want ideas for making a tradition of my own.
And since I'm asking you to give, I'll give too. I'm giving you my mom's recipe for sweet potato casserole. It's really delicious, I promise:
Serves: 6
2 17oz cans sweet potatoes, drained & mashed (OR 4 large sweet potatoes cooked, skinned, and mashed)
1/4 C. margarine (or butter), melted
1/4 C. orange juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
15 big marshmallows
Mix everything except the marshmallows. Place in 1-quart casserole. Top with marshmallows. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Et voila.
Last Year In The Life Of Sonja: Counting to a Billion, Find Your Sexy Name
To my normal, non-hairy-butt-picture-looking readers, I have a request of you: I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house for the first time ever this year and I want it to be nice (despite the fact that at least half my guests will be eating off a folding card table and/or patio furniture). What's your special Thanksgiving extra thing? Is it a recipe passed down for generations? A traditional game of Scrabble after dinner? An appetizer that you always have to have? A craft? Share please. I want ideas for making a tradition of my own.
And since I'm asking you to give, I'll give too. I'm giving you my mom's recipe for sweet potato casserole. It's really delicious, I promise:
Serves: 6
2 17oz cans sweet potatoes, drained & mashed (OR 4 large sweet potatoes cooked, skinned, and mashed)
1/4 C. margarine (or butter), melted
1/4 C. orange juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
15 big marshmallows
Mix everything except the marshmallows. Place in 1-quart casserole. Top with marshmallows. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Et voila.
Last Year In The Life Of Sonja: Counting to a Billion, Find Your Sexy Name
The best search terms people have used to find my blog in the past few weeks:
"Give yourself permission to suck"
"she punched him in the balls"
Seriously, people, if you find my blog when you're searching for something like that and you go, "woohoo that's JUST what I was looking for," you have bigger problems than a lack of search engine common sense.
Also, I'm going to tell you a secret: The easiest way to make me cry is to tell me that you are disappointed in me. It doesn't matter if you are the biggest butthead in the entire world, I hate your guts, and I know you're wrong. I'll still cry. Because somewhere in my little self-centered heart, I truly believe that if every person on the planet does not like me, all is not right with the world. I kind of need to get over that, huh?
And get over it I will, with some novel therapy. Hooray for novels that need to be done reallyreally soon and which I'm still reallyreally behind on. Halfway? Ha! I laugh in the face of you people who are on schedule. It's no fun if you're on schedule anyway. Where's the danger in that? Where's the thrill? Where are the glorious Last Days of Cramming? So, yeah, I'm behind, but that makes me the underdog and that makes me cooler than all of you. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Off to novel.
"Give yourself permission to suck"
"she punched him in the balls"
Seriously, people, if you find my blog when you're searching for something like that and you go, "woohoo that's JUST what I was looking for," you have bigger problems than a lack of search engine common sense.
Also, I'm going to tell you a secret: The easiest way to make me cry is to tell me that you are disappointed in me. It doesn't matter if you are the biggest butthead in the entire world, I hate your guts, and I know you're wrong. I'll still cry. Because somewhere in my little self-centered heart, I truly believe that if every person on the planet does not like me, all is not right with the world. I kind of need to get over that, huh?
And get over it I will, with some novel therapy. Hooray for novels that need to be done reallyreally soon and which I'm still reallyreally behind on. Halfway? Ha! I laugh in the face of you people who are on schedule. It's no fun if you're on schedule anyway. Where's the danger in that? Where's the thrill? Where are the glorious Last Days of Cramming? So, yeah, I'm behind, but that makes me the underdog and that makes me cooler than all of you. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Off to novel.
Excerpt: All his white teeth gleamed at Jude and he fought the urge to shade his eyes.
Check me oooout, people. Imagine me doing a diva twirl for you because that's what I'm doing, all decked out in my new colors thanks to Phat Mommy (pictured left). Thank you so so much, Phat Mommy, for the beautiful banner! I'm all red now and it makes me happpppy!
On another note, any of you Blogger Beta gurus know how I can get my blog to look more like my homepage? I figured out the background up top, but I'd love to have it do the same sort of thing in my post section without losing the functionality of the upgraded template with the widgets and all. So if you have any tips, give 'em ta me, yo. (I have a hunch that I'm just using the wrong template and that another CSS arrangement would solve the problem somehow, but it's just out of my grasp.)
Also, for any of you struggling with Blogger Beta hacks (like me), check out Beta Blogger for Dummies. Normally, I shun anything with "for dummies" in the title because I am pretentious, but I'll forgive this one since it actually really does have some useful tips and hacks. Thank you BBFD, even though I refuse to admit that I am a dummy.
Last Year In The Life Of Sonja: Bull-Headed
Check me oooout, people. Imagine me doing a diva twirl for you because that's what I'm doing, all decked out in my new colors thanks to Phat Mommy (pictured left). Thank you so so much, Phat Mommy, for the beautiful banner! I'm all red now and it makes me happpppy!
On another note, any of you Blogger Beta gurus know how I can get my blog to look more like my homepage? I figured out the background up top, but I'd love to have it do the same sort of thing in my post section without losing the functionality of the upgraded template with the widgets and all. So if you have any tips, give 'em ta me, yo. (I have a hunch that I'm just using the wrong template and that another CSS arrangement would solve the problem somehow, but it's just out of my grasp.)
Also, for any of you struggling with Blogger Beta hacks (like me), check out Beta Blogger for Dummies. Normally, I shun anything with "for dummies" in the title because I am pretentious, but I'll forgive this one since it actually really does have some useful tips and hacks. Thank you BBFD, even though I refuse to admit that I am a dummy.
Last Year In The Life Of Sonja: Bull-Headed
About
My name is Sonja Foust. I’m a romance author and internet dork. More?