An Editorial from Nora ...

Amazon's new policy of advertising the sale of used books directly on the author's new title page is, for authors an appalling insult.

While I have no problem with readers buying or selling used books, with bookstores selling them, with them being sold on line, to encourage customers to buy used--particularly when the title is readily available new--to do so by using the page where the same title is displayed new, sinks to a very low level.

We who write make our living off the sale of our books. That's how we live, how we are able to continue to write the books. There is no income for the author on the sale of a used book. I've always felt, continue to feel, that the author made his or her royalty on the book the first time it was sold. But this new policy will, without a doubt, cut into new sales and into subsequent print runs, income and so on. Particularly for the new author.

Many of us who write expressed our concerns and objections by e-mail to Amazon. The responses to these concerns were virtually identical. Cookie-cutter answers that basically said, hey, we're doing it, we feel it caters to our customers.

Perhaps they do, but they've forgotten a good portion of their customer base is the author.

I hope readers will think twice before making use of Amazon's new and injurious policy.

Nora

Comments from Sue:

Why should YOU, a reader, be concerned about Amazon's practice? We cannot deny that an author like Nora is established; however, what about those authors you are just discovering? In order to make a living writing, they need the royalties from every book sold.* But more than that, they need to be able to demonstrate to their publishers that they are developing enough of a readership to continue supporting their writing.

This won't happen if a business such as Amazon is allowed to push used books along with brand new releases.

Think of the latest author you just discovered. How long has she been getting published? If she is a relative newbie, the practice of Amazon encouraging you to buy USED -- especially when the book has just been released -- could potentially damage her career before it even gets a fair chance to grow.

If you feel as passionate about this issue as Nora does, contact Amazon.com - feedback@amazon.com - and emphasize to them that you are a READER - and that even you understand how potentially damaging this can be to a new writer -- or even an established writer like Nora -- who has a set print run that needs to sell through (and make the bestseller lists!).

*Remember, the only time an author and her publisher make money from the sale of a book is when the book is brand new. Also, used book sales DO NOT factor into bestseller lists.