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Second-hand blues

A.S. Byatt is one of many British authors crying foul over the number of used copies of their books being sold in stores and through online bookdealers. According to an article on the Times website, the authors are especially angry that many online bookstores post the cheaper prices for used copies of their books next to the prices for new copies. The authors do not receive any royalties on these used books. Byatt is calling on the government to institute new rules to ensure that authors receive some form of reimbursement from the multi-billion-dollar used-book business. The Literary Saloon, a blog on the Complete Review site, has some interesting commentary on Byatt’s proposal, including this retort from an angry bookseller: “During 30 years of new and second-hand bookselling I have fended off the hordes of customers trying to sell back to me last year’s over-hyped, second-rate bestsellers. Authors should refund their royalties on books so soon unloved and discarded.” Scroll down to “Second-hand royalties” to read all of the responses.

Related links:
Read the article on the Times site
Read some responses to Byatt’s proposal on the Literary Saloon

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