Publishers Weekly has published an article about the possibility of Amazon's plans to sell used e-books. Whether is speculation of the part of Publisher's Weekly or the story is based on actual hard news I have no idea.
I do believe if this comes to pass, it will change the world as self-published authors know it, particularly in the Kindle market.
In addition to reading the article, I would take the time to read a few of the comments as some of these give a little insight into whether or not this would be legal piracy on the part of Amazon.
It appears Amazon has been granted a patent that would allow Amazon to have the means to sell used e-books. This seems to imply that authors whose work has been sold in Kindle format would lose the ability to collect royalties on their works.
This seems to all hinge on the results of a lawsuit currently in the courts that will define this issue as it pertains to digital content.
Here is the link once again:
I'm hoping this is a proactive, preventative response to the DeRigi lawsuit and that Used Digital copies don't come to pass. At the very least, Amazon should ensure that if the license for a digital copy trades hands, the author or publisher should be reimbursed. I willnot sign an agreement that allows transfer of my license without compensation, and can't imagine anyone else will either. Although people happily give away free copies of their work, the idea is that building an audience leads to future sales. if it won't, what's the point?
ReplyDeleteLou,
DeleteThis story unnerved me a bit when I read it. This practice would hit non-fiction authors as well as authors of fiction.
I agree with you that it is my choice to give away free copies as a marketing ploy but selling my book with no compensation seems like a questionable legal issue.