Hacker News Reader

Comment by mstolpm | Hacker News Reader

Off topic: I understand your arguments, but every time I read something like "mostly cheap used hardcover", as an author myself I have to ask: You are aware that the creative behind the work you read does not get a dime from you?

View on HN

I'll argue they do, although indirectly. Because the first sale, at whatever price it was, confers not only the right of the purchaser to read it, but also to resell it later (or lend it, or gift it).

I wondered at that statement too, but for a different reason. For me, a book is an investment for life, so I don't mind spending some money on it if it's worthing buying. (If I only want to read it once, I can usually get it through some library.) I would only consider second-hand books for something like a really expensive text book that I'm going to need repeatedly, but only for a limited period of time (e.g. for a thesis).

When I said "cheap," I meant in price. I'm averse to low-quality books, and would rather pay a few dollars more or hold out longer for a copy with clean pages and little wear. Especially highlighting is usually an immediate deal-breaker. Finding a fairly nice copy typically isn't a problem, though - low-price hardcover is often a more difficult request to meet.

Do you also think that Ford and GM should get more money when someone sells a used car, or that builders should get more money every time a house gets sold?

Don't give 'em ideas...

The difference is that with a house and a car, you pay for the physical object. With a book, you pay for the ideas contained therein - a subtle but (IMO) important difference.

Which isn't to say used-book sales should be illegal, but that if you can afford it, why not support the person behind the ideas you're profiting from?

"With a book, you pay for the ideas contained therein - a subtle but (IMO) important difference."

Not according to the law, you aren't.

Also, there are plenty of ideas involved in building cars and houses. They're not just random piles of wood, metal, and plastic, any more than a book is just ink smeared on paper.

I read a lot and don't have a ton of money. It's a tradeoff I'm willing to accept, and if I'm concerned about the author, I'd honestly rather donate to them directly than see it siphoned off by whatever deal they may have had with the publisher.

They do get a dime. When I buy a new hardcover book I remember that the book will have a resale value and account for that in what I am prepared to pay.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com