Quote:
Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks
I do realize that however a reader finds a book it can lead to additional sales. However, I do not agree that ebooks should be "resold" as used. Many of them are so cheap in the original form, I think it benefits writers to encourage readers to buy the books new--it really is important from a data standpoint, from an income standpoint and even a morale standpoint. While I know that not all authors want to care about the business end, I do value knowing which books are being bought the most. Reviews also tell me which are being read the most. If an ebook is sold used, it may someday lead to another sale for me, but I still lose some of the data and I definitely lose the morale boost that comes with sales. And a used book sale may not happen until later down the line when I've already decided it's not worth writing another book in a particular series because of low sales. One of the main reader benefits to "used" is a low price--but a lot of ebooks already offer that type of pricing and even trad publisher take advantage of pricing by providing lower pricing or the occasional drop in price of older books. The used model in ebooks can do far more harm than good. Cutting the author out is never a good answer because most of us need the income and the data (whether it comes via the publisher or not).
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My philosophy on buying books is that I only buy out of print books used. If I like an author, then I want that writer to keep writing. The best way that I can work towards that goal is to buy their books in a manner that ensures they get money from it. I have quite a few books where I bought the hardback when it first came out, then the ebook later and finally the audiobook. There are some Baen bundles where I bought the bundle with the ebook in it, the hardback and eventually the audiobook when it became available.
I will say that I rarely if ever buy dead tree books anymore, for a number of reasons. But I will still buy both the ebook and the audiobook and I don't mind paying hardback prices to get it when it first comes out. I realize that not everyone is in a position to do that, but I've had way too many authors that I liked give up writing because they couldn't make a living at it. Good writers are hard to come by.