Amazon & Used Books II: Bezos Strikes Back

theodp writes: "Last week's call for authors to de-link Amazon from their sites has reportedly prompted Jeff Bezos to fire off a letter to all Amazon Marketplace sellers, asking them to help out by sending e-mail on Amazon's behalf in response to the Guild's call for Amazon to stop placing prominent used book ads on each title's main web entry and soliciting new books purchasers to resell their books through Amazon shortly after purchase. Bezos wants everyone to be 'super-clear' that Amazon.com is supportive of and good for authors, indicating that Amazon's steep discounting of new titles and royalty-less sales of used books are two examples of how Amazon helps the book industry and authors. Good to see Jeff's found a new cause, since it looks like he's done with up patent reform."

heh

[Joe the Lesser]

No used books? Just imagine if the car industry was going through the same thing.

Everyone, not just the rednecks, would have used cars sitting on their lawns.

Re:RIAA all over again?

[ProfMoriarty]

If this keeps up, we'll simply start trading books

You know ... I have an idea ... we could collectively buy books and place them in a storage area, where anyone could browse and borrow books.

Hmmm ... I think I'll call it a library.

Re:You are an idiot, sir.

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you get creeped out by the used car lot?

Yes, indeed - don't you?

Re:Resale value

[nosferatu-man]

Underpants?

(jfb)

Amazon sells used books?

[The Slashdolt]

WOW, look how much money I can save! Thanks to the authors guild for bringing this excellent service to my attention!

Re:RIAA all over again?

[ConceptJunkie]

Hmmm. I smell DCMA violations all over the place. That idea'll never fly. The media companies and book publishers will never stand for it and rightly so.

Why it's communist in its very nature: sharing things! Next you'll expect the government to finance and run the thing. Go back to Beijing, Pinko!

Re:heh

[richlb]

Sir, you look like an intelligent man. Why would you spend all your hard-earned money on a brand new book. It's just going to lose its value the moment you crease the binding. Why, over here we have a previously owned copy of Stephen King's novel. It's a classic. You know, they don't make books like this anymore. Just check out that leather binding. And I tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to throw in the dust jacket for only $2 more. What's that? You have to talk it over with the wife? Well, who wears the literary pants in this family.

who cares?

[poemofatic]

I think my responsibility to ensure an author's income is the same as the author's responsibility to do the same for me. Zero. If I can't afford to buy his book, then he doesn't get my cash. If he can't afford to make a living on selling copies, then I don't get his works. Simple stuff.

Why do we always have to justify or excuse exercising our first sale rights on the grounds that this will be good for the industry?

According to this logic, if someone can show publishers are seeing declining revenues, well then kiss your first sale rights goodbye. And say hello to the big brother world of realtime, privacy-invasive, content controls on every damn thing you buy.

Finally, and to balance the debate a bit, we need to reestablish the legitimacy of sharing, borrowing, loaning, and conserving the things we use. Share a lawnmower with the neighbors. Carpool. Loan out the books you aren't reading, make mix compilation CD's of your favorite music and give them to your friends, invite your neighbors over for dinner. Buy a newspaper and then pass it on to your coworkers when you are done with it. Loan a friend some of your DVD's or VHS tapes. Trade videogames. Borrow that cool salad bowl the old lady upstairs uses. Loan out your fishing poles. Be part of a community.