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This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people (literature.cafe)

submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

52 comments fedilink hide all child comments

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.

I found this notice on the copyright page of something I bought at a recent used book sale. I can't recall seeing a warning so overtly hostile to book borrowers and hope I never do again. I know about the first sale doctrine, and that this is completely unenforceable, but it still offends me. Should I contact the author for instructions on returning it unread?

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[–] [email protected] 51 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I once visited the web site of an author whose series I was enjoying and was surprised by her angry insistence that selling used books is theft because the author doesn't get a cut. Never bought the rest of the series. It just felt weird.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

When I decide I can't support an author, I specifically buy the books used. Maybe that's an option for you, here.

I got my kid the whole Harry potter series second hand from thrift stores, cost me maybe 15$ total, didn't finance Rowling at all. Took me a bit, they only show up once in a while.

That or straight up piracy. Author gets the same 0$ either way.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I could probably find the rest of the series on Z-lib, if I wanted to, but reading them would feel like engaging with the author as a person more than I now want. There's plenty of authors who don't speak negatively of readers who get their books used. I'd rather give them my time and attention.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

That's very fair. Plenty of books out there.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I’ve had the same problem. Like books I genuinely enjoy. Then I find the authors twitter or bluesky, the author is upper middle class, yet they demonise piracy and get super mad people would dare pirate their 25$ book.

That just icks me.

Like their book was anticapitalist, but here they are blind to the fact some people can’t afford books and we shouldn’t be gatekeeping knowledge. Ewww.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

Book prices have gotten ridiculous. Independently published ebooks aren't bad, but that fact that the cheapest physical books you can find new are around $10, and $20-40 is common, puts them way out of reach of what I would buy regularly.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Pirating an anticapitalist book sounds so morally correct

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

but it also kinda implies it's not a great anticapitalist book, as a truly anticapitalist author would outright make the book public domain.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

While I agree an anticapitalist author would lean that way, I don't agree with the implication that you need an anticapitalist author to write a good book.

It just means they know the truth, and decided to be capitalist, anyway. Ignorant people can be educated, but this author understood the cause and sold us out for money, instead of joining.

Naturally, I won't be supporting them.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

YUP.

I get it if the author is in poverty. But in the case I’m referring to they were upper middle class, maybe even liberal eliteish.