Used book stores rob authors

    (KRT) Authors probably have mixed feelings about used-book stores.

   After all, writers want to be read, but they also want to be paid.

   As long as used books were limited to isolated bookstores, church fund-raisers and garage sales, authors were more or less willing to swallow the loss. That was before the Internet and Amazon, the online bookstore, came along.

   Suddenly, in some authors’ eyes, the “used” book market has turned from a minor annoyance into a national menace. Some authors are furious that Amazon now encourages customers to re-sell their used books through the Web site.

   That’s great for buyers, who get their desired books at a discount, and for sellers, who get some of their money back for the books.

   Who’s left out? Just the author and publisher.

   Amazon insists that it is doing authors and publishers a favor by stimulating more book sales.

   So what are disgruntled authors to do in the short run? They can try to boycott Amazon, but even authors like to buy a used book now and then.

   Better yet, they can recognize that used-book browsing is one of the joys of being a reader.

   While Amazon can’t create the quiet, musty atmosphere of your favorite book nook, it is providing a service that has been offered by thousands and thousands of traditional bookshops across the country for a long, long time.