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I have been asked by countless authors over the years why they didn’t get paid when someone on Amazon (or Ebay, or elsewhere) sold a used copy of their book. The emails always go something like this:
“My neighbor bought a used copy of my book from someone online and I’m not seeing that sale in my royalty figures.”
Yes, I really have had to explain this MANY times over the years!
When the first copy of a book is sold, the author earns royalties. If that customer then sells that book later online, at a garage sale, to a used bookstore, or anywhere at all, nobody gets any money except the customer who purchased (and is then selling) that copy.
In Episode 39 of the WritersWeekly Podcast, Brian came up with an analogy. If he sold his car to someone, and they then sold it to someone else a year later, Brian wouldn’t be entitled to any money from that sale. Anybody who buys a product, and resells it later, is not required to pay the original seller anything. I’ve seriously wracked my brain trying to think of any circumstance where that would happen. I can’t. Let me know if you can!
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- New and Used Copies of Books on Amazon
- “Should I get rid of the paperback edition of my book since the hardcover makes more money?”
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You don’t even get royalties when Amazon sells a book by a publisher other than Amazon, you know — because you got your royalty when Amazon bought the book from your publisher at a wholesale price.
That’s true!
Angela
A songwriter receives royalties every time his song is played, or is at least supposed to.
The logistics involved in keeping track of used book sales is mind-blowing. I guess it’s just a lack of familiarity with publishing that leads to questions like that.
Nobody keeps track of actual used book sales. It would be impossible because mostly private citizens resell books.
Angela