Thoughts on used books and the economy

Whatever in the world could be more refreshing to a book lover than to curl up with a good book for a first read? If you're me, it can only be topped by gaining said book for cheap or free. We are not made of gold in my household.

David Streitfeld recently wrote an interesting and question-raising article over at the New York Times on the role of used books and resellers in the downfall of bricks-and-mortar stores and the publishing industry as a whole. (Wait, you ask...aren't most NYT's articles interesting and question-raising? Yes. Bear you in mind I do still maintain a general distrust for the NYT.) We're all aware that the publishing industry is having severe problems, and that independent bookstores are facing financial crises. I hadn't previously considered the role of the second-hand book in all of this; Streitfeld compares this to the shift in the music industry at the dawn of the age of the Internet download.

Because of how small our world has become since that crazy interweb, we can now purchase our books for pennies on the dollar through secondhand resellers such as the vast network listed through Amazon, or even for free from swap sites such as Paperback Swap (who, coincidentally, also run CD and DVD swap sites.) Publishers - and authors - don't receive a dime of that money once the book leaves new retail sales and winds up a secondhand sale, which is part of the problem currently facing the publishing industry. I can't imagine that this in itself presents the major problem, but the downward economy combined with the existence of secondhand book sales probably create a significant issue for the industry overall.

This thought occurs to me almost every time I buy a book. I've long been a staunch supporter of the independent bookstore, and I will buy my books from a local shop probably nine times out of ten (bearing in mind, of course, that the magnificent - and independent - Powell's is about eight blocks from my place of employment.) If I step foot in an independent bookstore I have to buy something, regardless of what it is, because I want to support their business. I recently went into a tiny bookstore in my tiny hometown in Indiana, a bookstore that's been in existence since 1975, a bookstore that I'd never shopped in since their selection tends towards popular paperbacks - and I bought two books, full-price, sales tax and all, thinking to myself that I'd probably be their only customer of the day. I swear I do not know how they've managed to stay open for over thirty years.

But if I have the option to buy a used book from Powell's, I almost always will. Condition does not mean that much to me as long as it's in stable shape, and there's money to be saved this way. Dollars and dollars, really, and when you read as much as I do it can really add up. For example, I just checked their current listings for Suite Francaise, my favorite book of 2008 and the subject of a recent guest post of mine over on The Book Smugglers; Powell's inventory currently has new and used hardcovers ranging from $9.95 to $25, its full price. Amazon has it running from $1.85 to full price, harcover. And when you buy it used from either place, Knopf, its publisher, doesn't see a cent of its sale, nor does the Nemirovsky estate.

I'm not a person who's going to take up the mantle for the large businesses, I'm really not. If we lived in a free market economy - and don't fool yourselves, we don't - this would all run under the title of "supply and demand." There is a product to be had, and buyers will almost invariably look for the lowest price - even more so in an economy like the one we're experiencing. But I do think about it every now and again as I pick up my used book at Powell's, and sometimes my decision to purchase new or used has as much to do with the author as it does the store. I don't particularly feel that buying a used copy of a Julia Quinn novel is going to hurt her financial ability to keep a roof over her head and her children fed. She's probably not in any danger. (At least I hope not.) But when I buy a Willy Vlautin novel for my secret Santa, I feel a little differently. He's a newer writer with a small publisher (*please see edit below!); he's local and I don't know him but can't help but to imagine that me buying his book new and providing him with that royalty probably affects his life more than it would, say, John Grisham. (FYI, I don't read John Grisham.) I was at a bar recently where they were holding a launch party for a tiny publisher who was releasing their first two novels. I bought both of them there since I was well aware that I was handing over my cash to the guy who'd probably slaved over the galleys, knowing that he'd see more money out of my twenty in hand than if I waited and bought them used - or even bought them new at a shop. I've been thinking the same thing about bands for years. Sure, I can get the newest Builders and the Butchers or Nick Jaina or Matt Sheehy album when it comes out on iTunes, but if I buy it the next time I see them at the Doug Fir, I'm certain they'll see a lot more of my cash.

I don't need to pad the pockets of the corporations who already have money. I'd just as soon my money go to the artist.

There's no good way to balance those sides: the quest for thrift, the support of independents, and the wish to see artists duly rewarded. There's only a personal choice when you pick up that new Ian McEwan, the latest Nora Roberts, the next Kurt Eisenlohr. I know what my choice generally will be. What's yours?

Edited December 31 to add: An anonymous commented pointed out that Willy Vlautin is published by Harper Perennial - hardly a small press - and Faber and Faber in the UK. I probably assumed he was a small press since he's a local author, but in any case it boils down to me not doing my homework. Sorry! (I do still hear good things about his books, though...Northline, the most recent, comes with its own soundtrack!)