Quote:
Originally Posted by Tarana
My sister has NEVER purchased a book that financially benefited the author. All she does is buy used books.
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I'm not sure this is totally different from what happens to the author when you buy a new book.
Most trade authors get all their authorial income from advances. So buying a brand new book usually does nothing directly for the author. True, it may help the author get more money for their next book, but that's also true of a used sale:
If I buy a used book, I get the cheapest copy at
www.bookfinder.com. After I buy it, the cheapest available copy is now more expensive. And that makes a new copy more likely to be purchased, and at a higher price. It's just like how high resale value makes new cars of that brand sell for more.
There are exceptions. It you purchased a used American Motors car in 1988, you didn't financially benefit AMC because, I believe, they stopped making cars in 1987. Somewhat similarly, it the author won't be writing any more books, buying a book, new or used, is unlikely to help the author.
There are similar considerations with library borrowing.