I left the store with only three purchases: a literary fiction novel, a romance novel, and a compilation of strange ghost-hunting cases. I paid $6.70 (TOTAL!) plus tax. The very next day, I read a post by Vicky Rocho at Rambles & Randomness in which she discussed secondhand book sales and their impact on authors and publishers.
She got me thinking. Is it wrong to buy used books? Should I spend my money on full price new books, thus supporting the publishing industry I so badly want to be a part of? Just how much does the secondhand book business cut into profit margins for authors and publishers?
So I did a little investigating.
The newest of the books I bought that day was The Mistress, by Phillipe Tapon. On the back cover is the publisher's price of $12.95. A yellow price sticker next to it displayed the bookstore's selling price of $3.50.
The Mistress is not a recent book. Its copyright date is 1999. At BarnesandNoble.com, you can only purchase the digital, MP3 book for $14.95. The story was the same at Borders.com, with audio cassette and CD available starting at $39.95. At Amazon.com, there are 15 new, traditional book copies available, starting at $1.90 and 76 used copies, starting at $.01.
I don't know if Barnes and Noble or Borders would be able to order the paperback of The Mistress, but next time I'm in their stores I'll ask. In any case, I don't think my purchase of this book has hurt Mr. Tapon or Penguin Books. But what about if I'd bought a newer title, one still available on chain bookstore shelves?
I found an interesting New York Times article entitled, "Reading Between the Lines of Used Book Sales." It ran July 28, 2005, so may be somewhat dated now. However, author Hal R. Varian made the argument that, economically speaking, the secondhand book business did not significantly impact publishing industry sales. His article explored Amazon.com and its new and used book sales statistics, and often waded into economic waters I couldn't easily follow. In the end, though, he says, "...there are two distinct types of buyers: some purchase only new books, while others are quite happy to buy used books. As a result, the used market does not have a big impact in terms of lost sales in the new market." He goes on to say, "Moreover, the presence of lower-priced books on the Amazon Web site, Mr. Bezos [the chief executive of Amazon.com, at the time] has noted, may lead customers to 'visit our site more frequently, which in turn leads to higher sales of new books.'" (Read the whole article HERE.)
What do you think? In an age where the traditional paper book is facing the possibility of extinction evolution, does buying used books feel wrong to you? Should we be supporting the publishing houses, or building our libraries before the good stuff goes away?
41 comments:
Because I want to be an author, I should say yes. But I won't, for two reasons:
1. I am the tighest person in the world. If I'm going to buy a book, it's probably going to be used.
2. The flip side to that is the fact that most books I buy are out-of-print, so, no harm no foul, right?
~JD
I don't mind buying used books at all. I've bought plenty of new ones in the past, and if I love a book, I'll tell enough people about it that it may well generate sales of newer books. Also, it's a question of economics, since I can't afford to buy all new books.
Also, I've bought a whole lot of remaindered books from discount bookstores and the clearance racks, and I know fine well the author doesn't get full royalties for those.
I'd say that making arbitrary gestures like spending extra money on a hardback new book in order to support an industry you'd like to publish through is more a symbolic gesture than anything else. Forget the symbolism. Just promote books and reading to everyone you know. The more readers there are, the more books, used and new, will sell.
I buy both. I most often purchase used books because I like to buy a lot of books and there's no way in -well, you know- that I could feed my habit on my budget.
I will 100% of the time never buy a hardcover though, whether used or new. I prefer reading trades or mass market versions. I take my books everywhere.
I think hardcovers are in danger of being replaced by ebooks but the others are still fairly priced.
I love used bookstores though. You always feel like you can find lost treasure. I prefer browsing in those vs. the new ones.
Yup. What they said.
Most of the time I'll buy a used copy of the first book in a series I'm interested in...and then I'll end up buying the new sequels, so it all works out.
I agree with Hannah, though--no hardbacks if I can help it.
I love all books, used or new or electronic. I'm an equal opportunity book buyer.
On that note, though, I typically buy new books if they just came out, either in print or for my Kindle.
The library I used to work at has used book sales twice a year. All the proceeds go to support the library, so I typically go and get anywhere from 40-100+ books at a time. These books are often books I would never have bought except for the fact that they were cheap and looked interesting enough for me to buy them from $0.50 - $2.00.
So, in the end, I think it is a win-win. If I buy a used book for cheap and love the author, then I'll likely go searching for the author's other books. If they are new, then I'll buy them new. It probably all balances out in the end, I hope.
I think it's fine. We like to rent movies, but we still go to the movies as well. The same for books, I still buy new books even though I also read used books.
I buy new books...if I can find them...but just because that's who I am. I don't like "sloppy seconds" when reading a book, I prefer to feel the freshness of the pages when I turn them.
That being said...I believe what's happening with used books, and even books that are freely passed around for people to share, is the same as what the music industry faces with MP3's and file sharing sites. I use to download A LOT of music from sites like LIMEWIRE and NAPSTER, but not anymore. I purchase the song or album in the store or on iTunes now, making sure the artist receives the monetary reward they deserve. Authors deserve the same consideration. Its it enough to appreciate a GREAT book, if it was borrowed?
I buy both and never think twice about either. If I find a great used book I like, I check out if the author has other books. If there's a new one out, I buy it.
However, there's something about great used books that's very appealing to me.
And really, (if I ever get published), my first goal is to have people read my stories, not to make money. That's a bonus, but I don't care if people read my books by buying them new or used. As long as they're reading them - and enjoying them, I'll be happy.
Whether one buys new books or old, it just makes me, as a writer, happy to know that people still read.
Some days I find myself wondering about that... (Mostly when dealing with "The Dumbest Generation," though.)
Also, I agree with Jaydee's point about wanting people to read my words above making money... Although, I'm not going to turn away any coin I might get in the process!
Hi,
To be fair to new authors I only resort to scouting through second hand bookstores looking for old gems by authors long since dead or a novel that's out of print!
I recently picked up three H.E. Bates and I love his writing. Back then I think books were better edited. Also, years back there most certainly was no bias at romance publishing houses with regards blond heroes!!! Which are seemingly banned at Harlequin Mills & Boon, and has shockingly come to light in respect of discussions with regular authors at HM&B.
I'm conducting a blond hero fest in protest at discrimination against blond heroes on my blog. Please support if you think blond heroes deserve their place in romance novels. And please, pass on the word to other bloggers looking to write for HM&B. Forewarned is forearmed and my prevent a rejection or serious darkening of a hero's har colour.
best
F
This one goes both ways for me. I love to visit my library regularly, after all I don't have all the money in the world to buy all the books I'm dying to read. I also am not guaranteed to like them all so putting them on my shelf to help someone out comes second for me. I read the story and I loved it at the library I'll buy a new or used copy of it. It's my nature.
I love the smell of new books, the fresh print, my copy, only me reading it (and later letting my friend use me as a library) but still I like to buy them on occassion, and I have to if I want the latest and greatest copy. However if I'm looking for an older book the library and used bookstore is the way to go. They've already gotten the love, and chances are if they've written more I'll eventually buy a brand new copy of their latest endeavor.
I have a happy balance, as I think many people do. I don't think it affects the writing world one way or the other.
Look, I think it's perfectly fine to buy used books.
For one, they have already been purchased new anyway, and the likelihood of anything 'NEW' being in a second hand book store is pretty low I imagine.
I buy from both. If I want a particular book, I go to the book store. If I want to browse and see what's hanging around without any particular motive to be there, I go to a second hand store. I really don't see the problem.
I don't think you should either. Enjoy the pleasure of a second hand book store once in a while. How magical is it? I find it magical.
I buy used books all the time. I also buy new, but I have a great used bookstore nearby, and sometimes I find some good books at garage sales.
Sometimes a purchase at a used bookstore will lead to a new book purchase. For instance, a few months ago, I saw Ender's Game at the used bookstore. I'd heard of it, but wasn't sure it was for me, but for fifty cents, I could afford to risk buying it. I loved it, and then bought another book by Orson Scott Card off amazon, paid full price for it.
I also buy lots of kids books at the used bookstore because I want to give my daughter variety and choices. If she never reads the fifty cent book, it's no big deal, but maybe she will, and become an avid reader, thus, becoming a purchaser of new books.
I just can't say buying a used book is a bad thing. It's not like stealing or anything, since someone bought it originally. And as far as the author/publisher losing money because someone didn't buy a hardcopy from a bookstore, at least someone's buying the book. When you get a used copy and you like the story, you want to buy more from that author. Chances are, you'll probably never find that author again in the used bookstore (unless it's someone like Nora Roberts, but she really doesn't need anymore money, does she? lol) so you'll have to get it at a bookstore. I feel like used bookstores are almost publicity in themselves. But I could be looking at it the wrong way. :)
I'm not against used books. I think that used or borrowed books can introduce you to an author you're unfamiliar with, which can lead you to become a fan. If the book is great, the next time this author has a book come out, you'll probably be the first one in line to buy it new, and you're telling all of your friends about it.
I'm torn (kinda like a used book). In the end, though, I have to say that any sales are good sales even if the author doesn't see a royalty. The financial gain may not be met, but the poetic search for immortality is one step closer to achievement ;-)
I enjoy going to used bookstores and buying older books that can't be found in stores or libraries any longer. Libraries are so quick to toss out older books each year that's it hard to find those wonderful books from the 40's to the 80's. I remember growing up in a town where I could browse the shelves and read old mysteries that were "best sellers" when my mother was in her 20's and 30's (born in 1918) as I entered my teens. In the 90's a new librarian was hired and she "made room" for new arrivals. Dorothy Lyons' Silver Birch series, my favorite horse books in junior high, well worn, was gone forever. So many wonderful books I was lucky enough to read out the door.
We've also moved into the fast paced era. Writers are told to jump into the action--no time to describe or dwell in the ambience of delicious language. Everything has to be woven in while the book travels at a fast pace. So, as long as used bookstores exist, I'll be there.
I'm another who will buy used or new. Even the new books at Borders will be reduced in price eventually, especially the hardcovers that don't sell before the paper back comes out. There are so many copies of books out there. Think of all the trees. I feel it would be a waste to ignore a book just becuase some one had read it before you saw it in the used book store.
i used to work in a used book store. The way i looked at it is, if i read a used book i LOVED, then i bought a new copy to support the author.
I have a sort of weird general rule about used books. If the book has been a bestseller or is out of print (duh) then I buy it used. But if the books is by a lesser known author, or it didn't do as well as maybe it should have, then I buy it new. :-P
I have to admit I pretty much only buy new...but mostly because I'm lazy and impatient (a strange combo, I know). I don't have any particularly close used bookstores, so I go to the store closest to me (a Barnes and Noble). Also, I tend to "collect" a lot of authors and have their new release dates marked on my calendar. I usually want to read them right away, so I pick them up the day (or very soon after) it is released. I pretty much only buy used if I'm looking for old/out of print books (like my collection of Nora Roberts's books from the early eighties). But, maybe I shouldn't admit this, I do own a Kindle and now take advantage of the lower e-book prices...
I like new books, but I can't always purchase them. Unless it's a book I must have, I usually borrow from the library. As an aspiring writer, I do feel I should buy new books, but I also buy used because they're what I can afford right now. When I do have a job, though, I do intend to buy more new books to make-up for it.
And I don't think used books is really harmful to new books' sales. Those who buy all used books probably would not have bought the new ones. And there are also those who go on to buy new books by the author whose used book they've sampled. :)
I don't seek used books out, but if I run across one I want, I'm going to buy it. I don't think used books are hurting authors. I read a recent article by an used bookstore owner who says he gets an average of one to three books of a specific title per year. It's not as if he's selling thousands of used books for one title. But I guess that adds up if we're talking hundreds of used bookstores.
I'm an author and I say yes, it's okay to purchase used books. Unless it's a review copy (which is technically illegal) then the author did receive royalties on the first sale. And as you said, many of those books are no longer in print.
Here's something sadder than a used book. Ever been in a Waldenbooks and seen the section where hardbacks are going for $4.99? Those are books that were over-printed and stores returned the original shipments, so the publisher is trying to recoop some of its investment. How much of a royalty do you think an author is receiving from a $4.99 remaindered book? Not much. If any.
I don't see anything wrong with used books. I know there's a big dilemma right now with used eBooks, and I've no answer for that.
Nicole, you did research! I'm beyond impressed...why didn't I do that? (slacker)
I think I agree with Wendy and the "poetic search for immortality". In the long run it's probably better for writers when a book is circulating than it is to have it forgotten on the shelf.
Just my 2 cents.
I generally buy new books, just because I try so hard to read what's currently out there. I've been known to buy used periodically too though. :)
Me too. Combo buyer. No guilt. The day I become a bestselling author is the day I'll start buying all new.
I think a lot of authors rely heavily on library purchases too.
Personally, I rarely buy used books. Not because I'm opposed to the idea, but mainly because I can never find what I want used that's in good condition. But I can't imagine that it hurts the publishing/authors that badly. I mean, the book was purchased new at some point, right? I think it's all good! :)
I can't afford to buy all the books I read! I love used book stores. There's an aura in them - you can feel the past readers in the books. I love my used books - although there's nothing quite like cracking open a brand new book for the very first time :)
I really have to budget myself on buying new books, so I limit myself to authors I love and really want to support and new authors that I want to support because I trust their work is exceptional and I will read the book more than once. I am a frequent visitor of my local library (who I also want to support), and if I read a book from there that I love enough, I will go out and buy my own copy to support the author (I rarely, if ever, think about the publisher). Used books... if my library doesn't have a book I'm interested in, but I don't think I'll love it quite enough to pay full price, I go for it. I've gone back and forth with guiltishness about it, but I do have to watch the spending. You gotta do what you gotta do.
I love the idea that books sort of stay in circulation through used book stores. You can find such hidden treasures there. I buy new books when it's one I want, but I also wander into the new & used store to see what I might have missed years ago.
I usually buy new books-- rarely have I bought a used book unless it was the only way I could obtain a copy. But I wouldn't fault anybody for buying used. Most of us have to watch our expenditures and if it comes down to one new book or five used books -- well hey gotta take care of myself.
Would you buy a used car? A used house? Second hand anything? If it's my pocket book then I have to take that into consideration.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Hm. You know, if you really want to give authors support you could buy an eBook! Because royalty rates for eBooks are generally at least twice as much as for paperback! :)
As for used books, I'm not sure how it works with royalties. If the author has already been paid their royalty the first time around (as accounted for by the distributor)... then I don't think they get paid anything for second-hand books as those kinds of bookstores, I reckon, don't have distribution chains to account for sales, etc.
I usually purchase new books because there aren't many used bookstores around where I live. But I used to work at a consignment shop, and I bought a lot of books there.
In this day and age with the unfortunate rise of eReaders, I say build up your library before the good stuff gets away!
I love LOVE secondhand book shopping, but only for out of print old titles. I like to collect certain editions / imprints - especially for the cover illustration (although the story must be good as well). But I do feel bad for bookshops, so what I do now (past year or so) is buy two full price new books one month - one by a debut author if possible (thus supporting new authors and bookshops) and then the next month (or next time I want books) I buy secondhand (supporting my love for older out of print books). This has worked very well this year, and has also helped extend my reading beyond my comfort zone, which is good!
I buy both new and used books--and rent them at the library quite often, too. In my reasoning, when I buy used books and get them from the library, many are books I would not have bought brand new because I'm not familiar with the author or I'm not sure I want to pay full price. So if I didn't have the opportunity to rent them or buy them used, I'd probably never read the book at all. But if I do like it, I'm more willing to buy new for that author in the future. And I have! So buying used might not initially be better for an author or publishing house, but in the long run it's more beneficial.
Personally, I don't mind used books. I don't believe in being wasteful or throwing away something of value--like a book. So, if someone truly believes they just have too many books (an alien thought to me) then I'm happy to take some of those volumes off their hands.
That said, I think mostly that goes for older books. I'm so into the newest, latest, and greatest on the market, that I end up buying the new stuff far more often than used. And yes, I borrow or check out what I can. A girl can only spend so much of her budget on books. Still, there are certain ones I have to own, even after I checked them out from the library. Books I know I'll love for years.
And I just have to have my own special copy.
I admit, I'm a total book nerd. *shrugs* Whaddayado?
You've got such a beautiful blog!
I buy used books every now and again off Amazon, but I do love going to a bookstore and selecting a brand new book much more than shopping around for a used version online. But if you can't always afford a $25 book, you can't.
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