By now, you've
read about Amazon
deleting your books.
Feel angry about someone stealing your property and then leaving you some cash to compensate?
Well, you've come to the right thread.
Before we get started, let me say something to all those who can see Amazon's point on this matter. You're wrong. Amazon's defense could be that they "lease" the book to you until such a time when they end the lease contract (a bit more complicated than that perhaps, but it will suffice for now). Well, I just went back to Amazon's site and behold! They
sell you the book.
That wording is legally binding, and Amazon cannot claim a "typo" defense on this case, since they have always advertised selling those books, and they have a very large legal department to avoid such errors.
So, they sold you the book. That means that any average person (or a jury of their peers) will understand that the buyer has ownership of said book. Therefore the buyer can attribute any value for that book he or she wishes. I have a collection of hardcover editions of English Classics which I bought for 15 euros. I will not sell them for less than 200 euros. I get to state my price now. They're mine.
You get the picture.
So, Amazon just accessed your "Library" (could it be a "typo"?) and took some books out of there and paid you what
they thought the book was worth. They did not ask you about it, they did not even inform you that they were going to do it.
You could have been almost finished with the book. You could have made annotations to it. Your annotations that have value to you. You could have emotional attachments to it. It could have been a gift from a loved one. They don't care.
Taking all of these aspects into account, I think Amazon is due some punishment and their customers some compensation.
Get organized, ask for advice, fight it in the press, fight it in the courts, but get them to stop. And get some compensation out of them. May this thread be the first step towards a less dystopian future.
Disclaimer: I cannot legally own a Kindle, since I live in Europe, so I'll step aside to let our American friends once again fight for freedom and justice (and reap the rewards). Though I wouldn't mind 1% of the total amount paid in punitive and compensatory damages. Just kidding. Unless you're serious.