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Technically we don't owe the author (at least not directly). We pay the bookstore, who pays the publisher, who pays the author. At least that's the traditional model. With ebooks it can be more direct. I agree that the author owes the person who bought the book something though. A well written and entertaining story in exchange for the $$ that the reader has spent to acquire a copy of their book. If the author expects payment for their labors it's only fair that the purchaser get at least that in return. If I buy an ice cream cone from a vendor I expect to enjoy the experience of eating it. Something like that should happen with books too. If I buy a book and don't enjoy the story, if it turns out to be very badly written, I won't buy the next effort that they put out for sale. Who wants to buy a piece of junk?
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