Decline Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 The topic titled "Green Literature" started me on this train of thought. I visit used bookstores and have for years. It never really occurred to me that the writers were not getting any kind of royalties for the thousands of books I have bought over the years. Anyone have any thoughts on this subject? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverRose Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I love all of those places- in addition to being low-priced, they're the ideal spots to find books which have been out-of-print or out-of-circulation for years or decades... but no, I'd never thought of the royalty aspect of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizard Adam Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Well then they should make 2nd hand bookstores illegal ~laughs~, so until they do that why should I pay full price for a piece of literature copied 8 billions times and spread across the world?I understand the principle, but I also understand the demonic forces of greed and selfishness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillipe Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Well, that's a horse of a different color...They supposedly got their royalties when the book was originally sold, so they can't expect to collect double or triple the amount. That's just the way the system is set up. In part, that's why the writers went out on strike, because of the pretty-much-eternal quality of Internet and electronic media copies of their work.They're funny things, royalties...depending on how the publisher / your agent come to terms, you might do quite well or you might be eating beans for a few years. One of my last traditionally-published books consistently does better in international sales than domestic, and I get a higher royalty for those sales than I would for domestic ones. Yet, I lose royalties on returns from the bookstores, book-club sales, review copies, etc.That's why I'm getting into self-publishing now - much more control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bro. Hex Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 (edited) Not everyone can AFFORD to worry about whether or not a royalty payment will adhere to a re-sale of a used book. If you are one of the fortunate few who doesn't have to "watch his (or her) nickels and dimes", then you will most likely choose to "treat yourself" to a nice crisp (new) copy of any given text, anyway. You will still enjoy searching the used book stores for those out-of-print or just-not-stocked items that aren't readily available anywhere else. And don't forget the environmental aspect! Buying a used book might save a tree....and besides, used book sellers are usually small businesses, and those folks "need to eat" too. Edited July 22, 2008 by Hexalpa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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