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Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? Surely lesbian fiction won’t disappear just because you’re trading in books you’ve already read. After all, you’re only doing it so you can buy more new ones, right? You may even think you’re supporting lesbian fiction. Think again. What you’re doing is feeding a used book market that benefits no one but you, the middle man and the people who buy used books. That means someone’s getting screwed—namely, the author and the publisher … you know, the people who are actually responsible for creating those memorable characters and compelling stories you love so much.
Perhaps someone told you that putting used books out there would introduce more readers to lesbian fiction, people who would discover the books and start buying them. Do you really think people who buy used books are sampling new authors so they can start supporting their work? I don’t. I think they want a cheap read, and when they’re done with this one, they’ll resell it on Craigslist and troll for another. They don’t care about the hours I’ve put into writing and rewriting, or the dollars my publisher spent on editing, proofreading, typesetting, graphic arts, printing, warehousing, marketing & shipping. Cheap books are disposable. There’s no investment, no sense of community.
Or maybe you’ve rationalized that by trading in books, you’re helping to save trees. If you’re serious about the environment, try eBooks. I bet the money you’d save (about $4 a book) would be more than you’d make trading in a paperback you’d already read. And the author and publisher would get paid.
So what to do with your sagging bookshelf and that garage full of musty titles? Here’s my suggestion: Take them to your recycle center and toss them in the bin. Comfort yourself with the idea that someday they’ll become the tablet upon which the next Curious Wine is written.
I can’t appeal to your pocketbook. I know times are tough because I’m feeling it too, as are my fellow authors and our publishers. The booksellers are squeezing us harder every day, demanding a higher percentage. Only a handful of vibrant LGBT & feminist bookstores remain. The mega-stores are shipping boxes of our books back unopened to make room for Dan Brown, JK Rowling & James Patterson … you know, the stuff regular people read.
I’m appealing instead to your loyalty to our lesbian fiction community, and to your sense of fair play. We’re working our asses off to get our stories out there, and we’re seeing less return. Worse, people are taking our books in trade and reselling them, making money off our backs with no compensation. As an author, I need to tell you how deflating that is, and how it makes me question the worth of putting my heart and soul into a book someone else will exploit. Will you help send the message that lesbian fiction means more to you than dollars and cents? It's about fairness. Please buy your books new, and from booksellers who pay the authors & publishers a fair share on every book they handle. Without your support, there will be fewer new books to buy.
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