10 Things Never to Buy New

The other day I was checking my email and one of the little filler news stories on AOL caught my eye. The title--10 Things Never to Buy New--appealed to my thrifty nature. So I clicked over and was totally bummed to find "Books" at the top of their list.

Ok. I understand that books are a discretionary purchase. And it's tempting to buy a used book. After all, you can't wear the words off the page by reading them. When my DH and I were young and poor, my library card was my best friend. I get it. In tough times, a new book is a guilty indulgence for many.

However, if all the reading public buys are used books, their choices of reading material will soon contract. Publishing houses (and authors) make NOTHING on used books. Zero. Zip. Nada. Used book sales don't count toward an authors sales numbers, not to mention bestseller lists. They do nothing to support the career of the author or the genre or the publishing house of the used book. And for better or worse, authors live or die by the numbers.

This hurts more than debut authors. Seasoned professionals can fall to the numbers blade as well. Last weekend at the writer's conference, one of our speakers (who'd been published for 20 years with more than 50 titles to her credit) found herself cut from her publisher's list because of "the numbers." And because publishing is a very small world, "the numbers" follow an author everywhere they try to go. This wonderful author, who'd given reading pleasure to thousands upon thousands of readers, found herself without a publishing home for a couple years before a new opportunity arose.

Believe me when I tell you I understand needing to economize. My DH was out of work for 6 months a few years ago, so I know what it means to tighten a budget belt. But if you can afford it, please consider buying your books new. Every time you do, you'll be supporting the authors and genre you love and guaranteeing more books from those authors will be coming your way.

One of the reasons I decided to post a free novella on my website this year is because I understand that readers may be a little strapped. If you'd like a quick read, I invite you to give A DUKE FOR ALL SEASONS a try. While you're there, be sure to enter my quarterly contest for a $100 bookstore gift card. I'll draw the winner late on March 31st and announce the lucky reader on April 1st! Good luck!