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Book Club

Ink Tue Aug 19 2008

Paid for Secondhand

Should authors receive a share of sales from used books?

- Alice Maggio

Comments

Veronica B Wed Sep 03 2008, 12:48PM +

You know, I always wonder about whether my penchant for used books takes away from authors' livelihoods. I think I would be okay with authors getting some part of the second-hand profits, especially if it's a book I ended up liking. I'm not sure why the people who commented in that article are so against the idea - after all, we do pay so much more to actors who no only get money from the initial showing of their movies, but also from DVD sales. If I'm not paying any more for the books from the used bookstore, than I don't suppose I'm too terribly concerned with where the money's going (as long as it's not, you know, to some organization that kicks puppies or something).

C-Note Wed Sep 03 2008, 7:57PM +

Veronica:

You would have to pay more in order for the author to get a share of the profits. You can't maintain the same price and create a new share of the profits, unless you're suggesting that the bookstore should just take a hit and split their profits with the authors, which obviously couldn't work. Also, many of the authors are dead. Moreover, not many authors would actually get the money; the publisher, on the other hand, generally would.

The movie/DVD sales situation (two products) is like apples and oranges from the book resale situation (one product).

On the other hand, if the authors want a share, tell them to put that in their publishing contracts and find a way to enforce it, by, for example, getting the US Congress to pass a law requiring that book resellers keep track of the books they sell and remit a share to the publishers. Otherwise, it's an idle question. The easier solution is for you, the consumer, to send money directly to the author. Who needs a middleman?

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This Month's Selection:

January 2009

A Raisin in the Sun

by Lorraine Hansberry

A Raisin in the SunLena Younger's husband has passed away, and as Lena and her family wait for a $10,000 life insurance check, they dream of leaving their tiny Chicago apartment and starting new lives. This groundbreaking play won a New York Drama Critics Circle Award when it was first produced in 1959.

Meet & Discuss

Join us at The Book Cellar at 4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave. (map) to discuss the book. We'll meet on Monday, January 12, at 7:30pm. New members are always welcome!

Upcoming Books

January 12
A Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry

February 9
A River Runs Through It
by Norman Maclean

March 9
The Book of Ralph
by John McNally

April 13
Then We Came to the End
by Joshua Ferris

May 11
Passing
by Nella Larsen

June 8
Cat's Cradle
by Kurt Vonnegut

July 13
Every Crooked Pot
by Renee Rosen

August 10
La Perdida
by Jessica Abel

September 14
The Echo Maker
by Richard Powers

October 12
Lords of the Levee
by Herman Kogan and Lloyd Wendt

November 9
Travel Writing
by Peter Ferry


Past Books


About the GB Book Club

The Gapers Block Book Club is a reading group dedicated to reading fiction by Chicago area authors and nonfiction works about our city. We read a new book every month, and new members are always welcome.

In Person
The book club meets on the second Monday of the month at The Book Cellar bookstore in Lincoln Square (map).

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To get in touch with Alice and Veronica, the book club moderators, email us at bookclub{at}gapersblock.com.


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