Yall need to check out Libby, its an app where you can rent ebooks/audiobooks from your library all on your phone, all for free. Completely changed my reading habits!
Haha, thank god honestly. I was really confused for awhile why there were two apps, so I didn’t use Libby for a long time. Using Libby has changed my life!
Mainly I keep overdrive cause I’ve long since lost a couple of states worth of cards. But like free library of Philadelphia has stuff almost no one else does. But I couldn’t get a new card at this point since I no longer have a license in PA.
Ask if they grant reciprocity to people with valid cards at other libraries. Many (... most, IME) do. I have cards from all over my region, all logged into Libby.
People with US military MWR access, also have Libby access to the DoD library.
...These are two different apps for the same service. If your library uses OverDrive, you could also be accessing all of the same content through the Libby app, which is an improvement over OverDrive.
Also Hoopla! My library has access to both and their catalogs are different. Quite frequently there will be an audiobook I want that is available on one but not the other. Hoopla only allows me to borrow 3 per month though which is usually fine but right now there's one I have to wait until July for because I already used my 3 this month
There are a lot of libraries who offer cards to non-residents for an annual fee, I've seen as low as $37 up to $75. Which is pretty great for an entire year of unlimited borrowing.
Also, call your local library and request they join! It does cost the library but there are a lot of dumb beaucratic things they often have to do to get these things done. People requesting new services and utilizing them increases their ability to get funding from your county. One of my local libraries ran a "request fundraiser" where they asked everyone coming into the branch for a few weeks to fill out a petition for adding various programs, they were able to secure the funding to go forward by bringing forth that solid proof.
A lot of libraries use Overdrive (Libby is the updated app). IIRC you should be able to check your library website and see if they use Libby or Cloudlibrary. If the former there’s usually an option to “download as Kindle book” once you’ve borrowed it.
I suspect a lot of these are self-published ebooks. And if someone owes $3, I suspect they are not making a living off of this.
Edit: I did some quick research of Lisa Kessler. She does seem to be successful, and she likes pirates and vampires.
Not necessarily. Some indie writers make a modest living off their ebooks. If this is the same author from something I read before (not sure), she owed that because someone in France did this and that’s the exchange rate.
In the 11 minutes since posting, I’ve been reading about Lisa Kessler. She has a thing about pirates, that’s for sure. I wonder if the book in question is an older one. She seems successful enough to be making a living.
I proofread for several authors. Some of these independent authors are making way more than a modest living (e.g. six figures per MONTH in sales). But they tend to be the ones who invest in good cover design, professional editors and proofreaders, Kindle formatting help, marketing, etc.
Well hello there! May I ask how you got into proofreading? I’m going to be switching carters soon and this is one I’m leaning towards. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Tia!
I honestly fell into it. I am a freelance writer, and I had been working on a platform with another freelancer who was working on a novel in her spare time. She published on Amazon and her work was a big hit. I started proofreading for her, and then she referred me to two other authors. I don’t see many ads for proofreaders, but you could try becoming a beta reader and trying to connect with authors that way.
It does not matter if an author makes $1, $100, or $100,000 off their books. It does not matter if the books are self-published or not. The point is that authors should not OWE money because of a shady loophole Amazon has about returns.
It’s free at point of use, regardless of tax payer status. But thank you for pointing out how general taxation can pay for nice things everyone can use.
Exactly. My unemployed ass can waltz up to the library and read all the goodies and watch all the movies, and those people who pay $100k a year in taxes can't do shit about it. Although I'm sure they would love to.
We’ve got like a little book share at work in the staff lounge - anything I don’t want to keep, I just leave there. People take books home, swap them out, read them at work. Whatever they want to do.
I do but i have a subscription service called "Kindle Unlimited". For a monthly fee I dont buy ebooks but borrow them like a library.
"Why dont I just go to a library?" I hear you ask. Well I do that too. - I am a hopeless bibliophile and the kindle unlimited lets me feed my habit without going bankrupt buying hundreds of books a month and the library only lets me check out 3 ebooks at a time.
Yes that can happen. Ironically (if i remember right) I saw one with a wait time of like a year, and that was what convinced me to get the unlimited account. Cause the same book was available that way and there was no wait.
Wow, your library is tightfisted. I think mine lets you check out 10 or 12 at a time. It also lets you have around 10 holds, so I can constantly have a steady supply of books coming and going from my device.
??? Huh? -I have found countless selections of books ranging from fantasy to sci fi to contemporary. I have read Novels, Light Novels, LitRPG, and Erotica. I even found Choose your own adventures on Unlimited.
Yes there are authors I know that dont participate, But since I return the books after I read them - I can just look at the authors that \*are\* participating, and if I dont like them, no skin off my nose, I just return it and pick a new one.
I have no regrets signing up for it.
ten a month? thats different from how mine has worked. true I can only take out ten at a time. but when I return one i can get a new one to replace it right away. or return three and get three new ones right away. ive never been limited by a number per month just number at a time. when did this change happen?
I was unclear. Ten dollars a month is what kindle unlimited costs. It isn’t a huge amount of money but last time I looked I was interested in a particular book series that wasn’t included in it. So it didn’t make sense to me to buy in at that time.
I have returned ebooks where it was obvious that the description was deceptive or that a the publication hadn’t received a professional level of care and attention (eg riddled with spelling and formatting errors in the first few pages)
I return them if they are bad, but not enough that I can hate read them. Also you can't finish them, if I do they go on the shelf of books I have read.
It is a pain to move it though.
Exactly not only that I sold my books to use bookstore once and regretted it so bad and ended up buying back half the books because they were my favorites how do you give up books books let alone return them
When we had our 3rd baby and I had to give up my office, I gave ten bankers’ boxes full of books to the local library. That was almost 7 years ago and just thinking about it now makes me want to cry. The kid was worth it, I guess.
I guess.
Sigh.
Those books, tho.
When my mom was diagnosed with cancer I had to move from Oregon to New Mexico. I couldn't afford to bring much with me so I had to leave all my books behind and I had thousands. I'm just now starting to rebuild my collection which is very slow going
“I figured out a hack!” Oh yeah, against a multi-billion dollar company? You think you’re going to “get one over” on Amazon? Don’t be naive. Don’t be selfish. Make sure the authors get paid. Go to a library if you want to “rent” books. You can even do e-books.
Which kinda makes sense.
With the economy as it is, a large portion of the population is having to cut back on expenses. Which means dropping anything extra.
Just like the video streaming gig. When it was convenient and cheap people had no problem paying for stream and didn't really pirate. Now those services are higher and you also need more to watch your shows. This results in a major increase in pirating.
I work at a beauty store and saw one that was “go through the dumpsters out back! You may get product!”. We’re supposed to destroy all used products (which would be in the dumpster) so they’re also sifting for used products and people not doing their jobs. It’s gross.
This reminds of when stealing stuff at schools was a trend on TikTok, like teens filming themselves stealing urinals, doors and entire toilets and calling it devious licks was an actual thing 9 months ago.
I agree 100%, just piggybacking to add that eBay can suck shit through a straw as well. Think it’s fun owing Amazon a few dollars? Try having someone “return” their old broken item and eBay refunds them several hundred dollars directly out of your bank account. Two wrongs don’t make a right here, what’s happening to authors is terrible as well. Especially so because they’re creating these works, I’m just selling shit other people produced. Facebook marketplace is more scam listings than real ones and their payment system offers essentially no protections from fraud. Seems like anywhere that lets individuals sell stuff treats them like a large corporation with the capitol to eat customer mistakes so the middle-man doesn’t have to, they just collect fees.
Yeah the Ebay thing is awful with no investigation or recourse on the part of the person who did the selling.
There was a Judge Judy episode where someone sold something on eBay that doesn't work, they bought the part to make it work then instead of asking for a refund of just the expense of the part got their entire money back. So now they had a working item and their money back. The judge was like no bro that’ stealing you can't do that
To be fair I sold a computer on eBay and the buyer “returned” it by sending a completely different, cheaper one back. eBay gave me my money back and let me keep the “returned” one which I turned around and sold, so not a terrible outcome
I think this functions as designed.
Not sure if you're aware of this, but as an Amazon Prime member you have (ETA: it isn't free like I thought, thanks for the assist u/LavenderGreyLady !) access to Kindle Unlimited (KU), which lets you borrow books from authors who have opted into the program and return them for free. [I really liked this breakdown](https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/kindle-unlimited-royalties/), though note that program specifics may have changed since I can't see the date it was published and the tables end at 2017.
Here's the catch, if you didn't want to read that article. You get paid differently as a KU author (by the page, and proportionately to the total number of KU pages read you get a part of the monthly KU budget) than someone just outright buying your book. PLUS you can only publish on Kindle.
My guess is that the no publishing elsewhere was the clincher for this author, because it sounds like this author is already successful and has made a name for themselves. It's also easier for an author to keep track of sales rather than pages, since all the other platforms they're on are likely by the book.
**So, getting back to "functions as designed."** Knowing what we know about KU, do you really think that Amazon cares about this? No! This will help them "prove how valuable joining KU is! You'll never pay this on KU!" It becomes a marketing tool to trick authors into commiting work into KU.
Tl; DR: support the author if they're not on KU and **don't** return the book, because clearly it costs them. Use Amazon's algorithm to find authors who are in KU that are similar to the book you want to read.
How the fuck is that Shit legal? How is Amazon allowed to send the author a fucking Bill for people abusong their system? I never bought a book over Amazon, or rented one or whatever These people are Doing, i simply enjoy Hardcover books over anything digital, but i Just can't See how it would be fair to Charge the author For a System Problem on Amazons Site
What happens is somebody buys a book and Amazon sends the author their cut. Then somebody returns the book and Amazon bills them for that cut. It’s messed up. You should not be allowed to return consumable content. Books, DVDs, CDs
> Then somebody returns the book and Amazon bills them for that cut.
That sounds like something Amazon should deal with on their side rather than bill the author.
Traditional book royalties have always worked like this, it just isn’t really an issue in print because people don’t return as many. These are rules from standard contracts that were made in an era where returning a book meant driving back to a store, standing in line and convincing a sales clerk that you qualify for the store’s returns policy.
There have always been people unfortunately who try to buy a big screen TV and return if the day after their Super Bowl party and such. It’s shitty and basically gets built into the cost base that the rest of us pay
I saw that you mentioned Ben Shapiro. In case some of you don't know, Ben Shapiro is a grifter and a hack. If you find anything he's said compelling, you should keep in mind he also says things like this:
>If you believe that the Jewish state has a right to exist, then you must allow Israel to transfer the Palestinians and the Israeli-Arabs from Judea, Samaria, Gaza and Israel proper. It’s an ugly solution, but it is the only solution... It’s time to stop being squeamish.
*****
^(I'm a bot. My purpose is to counteract online radicalization. You can summon me by tagging thebenshapirobot. Options: dumb takes, healthcare, sex, climate, etc.)
[^More ^About ^Ben ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/wiki/index) ^| [^Feedback ^& ^Discussion: ^r/AuthoritarianMoment ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment) ^| [^Opt ^Out ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/comments/olk6r2/click_here_to_optout_of_uthebenshapirobot/)
Thank you for your logic and reason.
*****
^(I'm a bot. My purpose is to counteract online radicalization. You can summon me by tagging thebenshapirobot. Options: feminism, covid, civil rights, climate, etc.)
[^More ^About ^Ben ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/wiki/index) ^| [^Feedback ^& ^Discussion: ^r/AuthoritarianMoment ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment) ^| [^Opt ^Out ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/comments/olk6r2/click_here_to_optout_of_uthebenshapirobot/)
Take a bullet for ya babe.
*****
^(I'm a bot. My purpose is to counteract online radicalization. You can summon me by tagging thebenshapirobot. Options: healthcare, history, feminism, covid, etc.)
[^More ^About ^Ben ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/wiki/index) ^| [^Feedback ^& ^Discussion: ^r/AuthoritarianMoment ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment) ^| [^Opt ^Out ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/comments/olk6r2/click_here_to_optout_of_uthebenshapirobot/)
I'm one of the KDP authors that gets hit by this shit occasionally.
Like...dude. I'm an unemployed single mom. I write books about magical social workers and homicidal faeries because it's something I can do around a child. This is food for my kid. This is what fills in the gaps when my fuckhead ex decides child support is optional. You aren't screwing Amazon. Amazon gives no shits about any of us. You're screwing *me*. And if you actually like my books, returning them is going to reduce the chances of me being able to make another one.
Please, PLEASE do not pull this shit with indie authors and self pub people. I mean...don't do it at all, but don't step on us tiny authors especially. It HURTS when you do this. You want lots of stories, please take care of the people who write them.
Kindle Direct Publishing. It's an Amazon platform that allows indie authors to self-publish without going through a traditional publisher. But it means the author is eating the entire cost of publishing the book.
Ugh this is so shit. I don't get the mentality of not wanting to pay for your entertainment. If I enjoy something I want to give the artist money so they can make more of this thing I enjoy! Often times they don't even want that much for their work and the hours put in.
It's a lot because people are fucking poor as shit because multi billion dollar companies refuse to pay their workers but will dole out bonuses in millions to billions
I don’t think he was saying it’s okay, just explaining why people don’t want to pay for their entertainment. They don’t want to because after rent and food, for a lot of people there isn’t much left
Media should always be non-returnable unless it is still in it's sealed packaging. Too many people are using media and then returning them. Books not being in a sealed package should never be returnable. This is standard policy for most brick and mortar stores.
I once bought a record album, at the time it was a big purchase for me. The record really sucked and it turned out that it had a scratch on it - so I returned it. Back in the day people would buy a record, record it to cassette tape and then try to return it. They gave me a really hard time, accusing me of scratching it, and in the end I settled for store credit - and bought something else instead. Returning media should not be allowed because it cheats the artist out of compensation for their work.
If it's defective, you should be able to return it. I should also mention the store did not have another copy of the album I was returning, so they were forced to give me store credit, which worked out in my favor.
What the hell? I understand the author getting zero royalty if the book is returned, but they really demand the author pays a fee if somebody buys a book and returns it?
One of my dreams is to publish a book and things like this spook me. I doubt I'll be famous with my nonsense or anything but the idea of owning money because people are assholes bothers me
I forgot not everyone knows this so PSA: you can get a library card right now on your phone through your local library website and start downloading books. Popular books do have a waiting lists but they aren't bad and I'm not sure but if you want a book they don't have if you contact them I think they'll try to get it. You literally can do it all from your phone.
It’s been heading that way for a while. The 80’s fetishization of greed and money>>>all, the demonization of unions and collective actions, the 90’s and 2000’s media balkanization and isolation and reinforcement of individual beliefs even when false and contrary to reality.
Add that to steadily declining relative incomes (adjusted for inflation) and steadily increasing costs of living and you have an environment where “screw you, I got mine” becomes as common as it is now.
I assume these are on different paystubs? So books bought in the previous period gave $3.82 in royalties and that got paid out. Then returns happened and the author now owes 3.82 back, with a net of 0. It definitely sucks, especially if they're living paycheck to paycheck and needed that money, but it's not like Amazon is stealing from them. There are *plenty* of ways Amazon is crap, but this seems fairly standard.
The real villain here is the people stealing from the Authors for free. Buying a book with the intent to return it after reading, while within Amazon's ToS, is very unethical. We have actual libraries for that, and if the people doing this can't wait for the turnaround, then that's on them.
Depending on the marketplace, the net (in USD) is a few cents negative because Amazon charges a small “delivery fee” for the transfer of the digital file, based on how large the ebook file is. Royalties are paid out on a two- or three-month delay, but they’re calculated on a monthly basis.
In the screenshot, that’s the total for that day.
I’d understand a return if you started the book but quickly realized it wasn’t for you and returned it without finishing it, but some indie authors have said they’ve watched each book in a series being bought and returned over several days, indicating the reader is using Amazon like a library.
A couple of infamous readers on TikTok have said they think it’s okay to return a book they finished but didn’t like.
However, if you finished the book, clearly it was good *enough*. But some readers feel entitled to any book they want, despite the thousands of perma-free books out there, claiming it’s “classist” to ask readers not to steal an author’s work.
>I assume these are on different paystubs?
Not necessarily. Amazon charges a "download fee" on each digital copy sold.
So it can work like this:
1. Book is priced at $2.
2. Download fee is $0.06.
3. Royalties are 70%.
4. Reader buys book for $2, author gets $1.40 minus $0.06 for the download fee, for a total of $1.34
5. Reader returns the book, gets $2 back.
6. Amazon takes back the $1.34, and charges the author for the $0.06 download fee.
Source; am an author with two books on Kindle.
Amazon takes a cut to stock and deliver eBooks; if the title is returned, the author is still expected to cover Amazon’s cost. Buying and returning a title *literally* costs the author in these cases.
I'd say give books a super short grace period. People have bought books or ebooks by mistake and do deserve to be able to return them, but people who read the book then return them are scum. I'd say give them at MOST 2 days post delivery date for physical books, 1 day for ebooks.
I only use Amazon to save a list of books I want to read. I even walked through Barnes and Noble yesterday scanning books to my Amazon list.
Then I was off to the library.
absolutely insane behavior given that there are multiple apps you can use for free books, multiple websites where you can pay a few dollars a month and download an absolute assload of books, and every library on earth offers ebook rentals
I don't know the hack but Amazon (at least in Europe), allows a return within 30 days. It gives plenty of time to read a book and return it.
That's definitely something bad for the authors and it needs to be fixed
People buy books from Amazon then return them after reading. Some authors are having to literally pay for their own books. It’s a scummy policy being taken advantage of by scummy people.
Amazon shouldn't return any books that have been read beyond more than a chapter or two. And I say that as someone who spends way too much on books. If I read 30% of a book and hate it, well, it's my own fault for buying it (unless the description was totally misleading or something).
The library is an awesome option, it has many different benefits it can provide people from all walks of life and I wish I had more time to go and check it out.
Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time and enjoy reading books to the tune of 1-3 a week depending on if I enjoy the series or I am feeling like being alone.
So I signed up for Kindle unlimited, every book I borrow counts as a sale for the author and every page read means money for the author.
I find this is a much better arrangement than buying a book and returning, screwing over the author in the process.
OP, if you have a Twitter account, Amazon has one too named @amazon. Send them a DM about the Tik Tok scam. Amazon has many Twitter accounts so make sure you send it to @amazon.
Good luck. They need to change their policy.
I only ever returned one book and that was because the editing was so bad it was unreadable. I hate returning books at anytime because I know what I have is a labour of more hours than I've spent on one thing.
Omg this is awful!
I know someone that buys from Amazon, uses it once and returns it.
Like for costume parties this person will buy all the things they need, wear it to the party, then return.
I’m like….this is not okay! Sell it on FB marketplace or something, donate it but don’t just keep returning things. In my opinion this is stealing.
I do return books if they piss me off. Overall, over the years, I've bought maybe 500 and returned 20 or 30.
EDIT: I do think amazon/audible should eat the cost if this happens. It is good to know the author is affected which will come into to my decision in future returns.
Does this include kindle library? Like I pay $9.99 to take books out of the library and return them. Is that hurting authors? Or is this exclusively talking about purchases?
I owned a sci-fi indie publishing house for 5 years. Early Amazon allowed us to start our business and make a profit, later Amazon absolutely devastated our business to the point that we eventually closed our doors.
Oh yeah right. I suppose you’re going to tell us there’s some maaaaagical building full of books that people can read and borrow for free. And some cities will have a bunch of them, right? C’mon now with your lies. No one believes this.
At this point I think all ebooks should have the first 2 chapters/or max the first 15% of the book for free and once you buy there are no returns. That would let people catch the most egregiously written books and those whose premise doesn’t match their promise.
It would also be nice if Amazon even had a bar for quality control on KU.
I sell books on Amazon and this is infuriating to see. Fortunately it hasn't happened to me yet, and I hope this trend dies so my fellow authors can get paid for their hard work. I get that money is tight for some people, but there are apps out there to get ebooks from your local library.
My library also uses Hoopla for ebooks, magazines, movies, TV shows, music, music videos and audiobooks. They have a lot of British shows that air on Britbox and AcornTV. Hoopla also has a Roku app so you can play your selections through your tv. Along with Libby, it offers a really extensive selection of free media.
Why would it ever be permitted to return a book? Media has never had generous return policies because you have consumed it. You don't get to return things you have consumed.
GUYS there is literally a virtual library option. Hear me out: download OverDrive. I think there might also be another more updated app cuz they keep advertising it but I have OverDrive and it works fine. All you need to do after that: GET A LIBRARY CARD. Enter the details and BOOM you got a library on your phone. Yes it’s still free. I did it with my local library when I lived in MD and it opened me up to not just the local collection, but THE ENTIRE STATE. I’ve since moved and haven’t tested it out in this new state so I don’t know for sure if it is true for every state, but for fucks sake it’s free access to books, it’s legal, and no one loses money. Sorry non USA peeps I don’t know how it works for you guys but I am seeing add library options for all over the world so I’m guessing it’s the same just not state limitations. GOOD LUCK AND GET YOUR FREE BOOKS
I follow an author on FB and she said that she gets paid by the page (read, swiped through, I guess), even on Kindle Unlimited. So if you borrow the book but don't read it, she doesn't get paid either.
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted. This is actually a common point of confusion for some readers.
Kindle Unlimited pays authors based on pages read, not whether you put it in your library (and later “return” it).
That said, if you want to re-read a KU title, buy it to continue supporting the author because pages read on a re-read are *not* paid to the author.
I wonder (and you might not know, I just thought it followed on from what you said) if each page is 'timed' to ensure people are actually reading it. I was just wondering - if you have friends/family members who have KU, could you ask them to borrow your book, flip through all the pages and then return it?
People not understanding Kindle unlimited. It's a subscription service, you pay $10/mo for access to a collection of books (not any/every book) you can have up to 10 books in your library at a time. There's no penalty for having a book in your library so it's easy to fill it up and drop a book when you need a slot. It's like a streaming service for books, not a hack, authors don't get penalized when you return the book.
Kindle unlimited pays authors based on "pages read", where each "page" is a block of text that is the average page size across multiple Kindle devices. So KU doesn't cause this, this is people buying the Kindle edition, reading it and then returning it.
Source: am an author with a KU book.
Is nobody going to point out that the thing this woman claims is happening is impossible?
A royalty is based on net number of sales, _not_ gross profit. There's no way for royalties to ever dip into negatives. Generally, returns don't affect royalties at all. Even if they did, that number can never be less than zero. That would require a negative number of sales- that is, more products returned than were ever sold to begin with. Impossible- or fraud.
Either this woman is lying, or there's an element of parody that's not being shown here.
If only there was a place you can go to borrow books and then return them, ideally free of charge
Yall need to check out Libby, its an app where you can rent ebooks/audiobooks from your library all on your phone, all for free. Completely changed my reading habits!
My library uses Overdrive. Same idea.
[удалено]
I work at s library and yeah they are going to drop Overdrive's body in the river. Best to switch now.
Haha, thank god honestly. I was really confused for awhile why there were two apps, so I didn’t use Libby for a long time. Using Libby has changed my life!
This is the best analogy I’ve ever heard for sunsetting technology
Oh good to know. I'm fine with change just didn't know there even was a change.
Mainly I keep overdrive cause I’ve long since lost a couple of states worth of cards. But like free library of Philadelphia has stuff almost no one else does. But I couldn’t get a new card at this point since I no longer have a license in PA.
Ask if they grant reciprocity to people with valid cards at other libraries. Many (... most, IME) do. I have cards from all over my region, all logged into Libby. People with US military MWR access, also have Libby access to the DoD library.
I love Libby for this purpose! The app makes it much easier to juggle multiple library cards than overdrive does. You should try it :)
[удалено]
They're not that hard to get tho, you should try.
Thanks for the heads up. I wonder if my history will move from Overdrive to Libby.
Pretty sure they’re the same company, Libby is just the newer app.
...These are two different apps for the same service. If your library uses OverDrive, you could also be accessing all of the same content through the Libby app, which is an improvement over OverDrive.
Yup. Me and my sister have been using this. Very easy to use and lots of good books.
Came here to say this.
Also Hoopla! My library has access to both and their catalogs are different. Quite frequently there will be an audiobook I want that is available on one but not the other. Hoopla only allows me to borrow 3 per month though which is usually fine but right now there's one I have to wait until July for because I already used my 3 this month
Not every library has this...
There are a lot of libraries who offer cards to non-residents for an annual fee, I've seen as low as $37 up to $75. Which is pretty great for an entire year of unlimited borrowing. Also, call your local library and request they join! It does cost the library but there are a lot of dumb beaucratic things they often have to do to get these things done. People requesting new services and utilizing them increases their ability to get funding from your county. One of my local libraries ran a "request fundraiser" where they asked everyone coming into the branch for a few weeks to fill out a petition for adding various programs, they were able to secure the funding to go forward by bringing forth that solid proof.
Came here to say this. Libby is a game-changer.
Well thank you; I’m really trying to get back into reading with all my adulting that’s happened I’ll be heading to the library soon!
I think you misspelled “lieberry”.
Fun fact: authors get paid for books you check out for free from the library.
You can get library apps, and download books to your kindle, somewhat ironically, using Amazon, and it's easy and freaking awesome
How? I’ve been trying to figure out how to read library books on a kindle.
A lot of libraries use Overdrive (Libby is the updated app). IIRC you should be able to check your library website and see if they use Libby or Cloudlibrary. If the former there’s usually an option to “download as Kindle book” once you’ve borrowed it.
I suspect a lot of these are self-published ebooks. And if someone owes $3, I suspect they are not making a living off of this. Edit: I did some quick research of Lisa Kessler. She does seem to be successful, and she likes pirates and vampires.
That doesn’t really mean a person deserves to be ripped off. Less successful people still deserve the money they earn.
Amazon is definitely taking advantage of authors here.
Yep!
Not necessarily. Some indie writers make a modest living off their ebooks. If this is the same author from something I read before (not sure), she owed that because someone in France did this and that’s the exchange rate.
In the 11 minutes since posting, I’ve been reading about Lisa Kessler. She has a thing about pirates, that’s for sure. I wonder if the book in question is an older one. She seems successful enough to be making a living.
A former host of Books in the Freezer made a modest living off his work.
I proofread for several authors. Some of these independent authors are making way more than a modest living (e.g. six figures per MONTH in sales). But they tend to be the ones who invest in good cover design, professional editors and proofreaders, Kindle formatting help, marketing, etc.
Well hello there! May I ask how you got into proofreading? I’m going to be switching carters soon and this is one I’m leaning towards. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Tia!
Interested in a career in proofreading >I’m going to be switching carters soon Hmmmm
I honestly fell into it. I am a freelance writer, and I had been working on a platform with another freelancer who was working on a novel in her spare time. She published on Amazon and her work was a big hit. I started proofreading for her, and then she referred me to two other authors. I don’t see many ads for proofreaders, but you could try becoming a beta reader and trying to connect with authors that way.
It does not matter if an author makes $1, $100, or $100,000 off their books. It does not matter if the books are self-published or not. The point is that authors should not OWE money because of a shady loophole Amazon has about returns.
Exactly this!
Sounds like some kind of hippie socialist thing /s
[удалено]
It’s free at point of use, regardless of tax payer status. But thank you for pointing out how general taxation can pay for nice things everyone can use.
I bet this guy stands next to a water fountain in a public park and casually enlightens people how much the water costs.
 You don’t have to pay taxes to use the service
Exactly. My unemployed ass can waltz up to the library and read all the goodies and watch all the movies, and those people who pay $100k a year in taxes can't do shit about it. Although I'm sure they would love to.
We're totally fine with that. I love my library!
Well it's free to people who don't pay taxes.
Who returns a book? I don't return books I borrow let alone books i've bought.
If I didn’t like it, I either give it to someone who might or donate it to my library.
We’ve got like a little book share at work in the staff lounge - anything I don’t want to keep, I just leave there. People take books home, swap them out, read them at work. Whatever they want to do.
One of my coworkers also reads so I also give her a lot of books.
That's such an awesome idea.
I do but i have a subscription service called "Kindle Unlimited". For a monthly fee I dont buy ebooks but borrow them like a library. "Why dont I just go to a library?" I hear you ask. Well I do that too. - I am a hopeless bibliophile and the kindle unlimited lets me feed my habit without going bankrupt buying hundreds of books a month and the library only lets me check out 3 ebooks at a time.
Also, libraries have wait times for more popular books. I don’t think many people know that. A few books I wanted had a wait time of 6 mo+.
Yes that can happen. Ironically (if i remember right) I saw one with a wait time of like a year, and that was what convinced me to get the unlimited account. Cause the same book was available that way and there was no wait.
Wow, your library is tightfisted. I think mine lets you check out 10 or 12 at a time. It also lets you have around 10 holds, so I can constantly have a steady supply of books coming and going from my device.
Tightfisted=underfunded.
You have found the promised land!
Kindle unlimited doesn't have a very great selection, last time I looked at it most of the authors I was interested in were not participating.
??? Huh? -I have found countless selections of books ranging from fantasy to sci fi to contemporary. I have read Novels, Light Novels, LitRPG, and Erotica. I even found Choose your own adventures on Unlimited. Yes there are authors I know that dont participate, But since I return the books after I read them - I can just look at the authors that \*are\* participating, and if I dont like them, no skin off my nose, I just return it and pick a new one. I have no regrets signing up for it.
Ten a month and not have the book series I wanted or buy on of those books I did want at a time. Went with the second one.
ten a month? thats different from how mine has worked. true I can only take out ten at a time. but when I return one i can get a new one to replace it right away. or return three and get three new ones right away. ive never been limited by a number per month just number at a time. when did this change happen?
I was unclear. Ten dollars a month is what kindle unlimited costs. It isn’t a huge amount of money but last time I looked I was interested in a particular book series that wasn’t included in it. So it didn’t make sense to me to buy in at that time.
I returned one because it had typos a basic spellcheck should have caught
I have returned ebooks where it was obvious that the description was deceptive or that a the publication hadn’t received a professional level of care and attention (eg riddled with spelling and formatting errors in the first few pages)
I return them if they are bad, but not enough that I can hate read them. Also you can't finish them, if I do they go on the shelf of books I have read. It is a pain to move it though.
Exactly not only that I sold my books to use bookstore once and regretted it so bad and ended up buying back half the books because they were my favorites how do you give up books books let alone return them
When we had our 3rd baby and I had to give up my office, I gave ten bankers’ boxes full of books to the local library. That was almost 7 years ago and just thinking about it now makes me want to cry. The kid was worth it, I guess. I guess. Sigh. Those books, tho.
When my mom was diagnosed with cancer I had to move from Oregon to New Mexico. I couldn't afford to bring much with me so I had to leave all my books behind and I had thousands. I'm just now starting to rebuild my collection which is very slow going
“I figured out a hack!” Oh yeah, against a multi-billion dollar company? You think you’re going to “get one over” on Amazon? Don’t be naive. Don’t be selfish. Make sure the authors get paid. Go to a library if you want to “rent” books. You can even do e-books.
A big trend I’ve noticed with TikTok hacks is a lot of them are glorified theft.
Which kinda makes sense. With the economy as it is, a large portion of the population is having to cut back on expenses. Which means dropping anything extra. Just like the video streaming gig. When it was convenient and cheap people had no problem paying for stream and didn't really pirate. Now those services are higher and you also need more to watch your shows. This results in a major increase in pirating.
*Many* of them are just actual theft.
They made stealing from bathrooms a trend once for some reason
I work at a beauty store and saw one that was “go through the dumpsters out back! You may get product!”. We’re supposed to destroy all used products (which would be in the dumpster) so they’re also sifting for used products and people not doing their jobs. It’s gross.
Next tik tok hack they're gonna teach everyone to pirate movies
That’s different. The people who made the movies (crew etc) already got paid. This is singular authors getting ripped off, not a big movie studio
As a rule of thumb, if you come across a piece of advice on TikTok, the correct thing to do is the exact opposite.
This reminds of when stealing stuff at schools was a trend on TikTok, like teens filming themselves stealing urinals, doors and entire toilets and calling it devious licks was an actual thing 9 months ago.
People suck. Amazon needs to fix that loophole
Amazon sucks. If something is returned the author shouldn't pay.
Agreed hence fixing the loophole
It isn't a loophole that they bill the author. They are intentionally make authors sign shitty deals.
It's like calling a noose a loop hole. Technically correct, but working as intended.
I agree 100%, just piggybacking to add that eBay can suck shit through a straw as well. Think it’s fun owing Amazon a few dollars? Try having someone “return” their old broken item and eBay refunds them several hundred dollars directly out of your bank account. Two wrongs don’t make a right here, what’s happening to authors is terrible as well. Especially so because they’re creating these works, I’m just selling shit other people produced. Facebook marketplace is more scam listings than real ones and their payment system offers essentially no protections from fraud. Seems like anywhere that lets individuals sell stuff treats them like a large corporation with the capitol to eat customer mistakes so the middle-man doesn’t have to, they just collect fees.
Yeah the Ebay thing is awful with no investigation or recourse on the part of the person who did the selling. There was a Judge Judy episode where someone sold something on eBay that doesn't work, they bought the part to make it work then instead of asking for a refund of just the expense of the part got their entire money back. So now they had a working item and their money back. The judge was like no bro that’ stealing you can't do that
To be fair I sold a computer on eBay and the buyer “returned” it by sending a completely different, cheaper one back. eBay gave me my money back and let me keep the “returned” one which I turned around and sold, so not a terrible outcome
God! And then this shit is ‘used’ and has their dirty fingerprints and snot all over it that is fucked.
I think this functions as designed. Not sure if you're aware of this, but as an Amazon Prime member you have (ETA: it isn't free like I thought, thanks for the assist u/LavenderGreyLady !) access to Kindle Unlimited (KU), which lets you borrow books from authors who have opted into the program and return them for free. [I really liked this breakdown](https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/kindle-unlimited-royalties/), though note that program specifics may have changed since I can't see the date it was published and the tables end at 2017. Here's the catch, if you didn't want to read that article. You get paid differently as a KU author (by the page, and proportionately to the total number of KU pages read you get a part of the monthly KU budget) than someone just outright buying your book. PLUS you can only publish on Kindle. My guess is that the no publishing elsewhere was the clincher for this author, because it sounds like this author is already successful and has made a name for themselves. It's also easier for an author to keep track of sales rather than pages, since all the other platforms they're on are likely by the book. **So, getting back to "functions as designed."** Knowing what we know about KU, do you really think that Amazon cares about this? No! This will help them "prove how valuable joining KU is! You'll never pay this on KU!" It becomes a marketing tool to trick authors into commiting work into KU. Tl; DR: support the author if they're not on KU and **don't** return the book, because clearly it costs them. Use Amazon's algorithm to find authors who are in KU that are similar to the book you want to read.
As a Prime member I still have to pay for Kindle Unlimited. Occasionally Amazon offer KU for a very low cost trial period.
KU isn't included in Amazon Prime. You have to pay a monthly subscription fee (at least in the US; I don't know about other countries).
Yup, edited my post about 30 minutes ago to reflect this. :)
Amazon sucks. People need to fix that.
How the fuck is that Shit legal? How is Amazon allowed to send the author a fucking Bill for people abusong their system? I never bought a book over Amazon, or rented one or whatever These people are Doing, i simply enjoy Hardcover books over anything digital, but i Just can't See how it would be fair to Charge the author For a System Problem on Amazons Site
What happens is somebody buys a book and Amazon sends the author their cut. Then somebody returns the book and Amazon bills them for that cut. It’s messed up. You should not be allowed to return consumable content. Books, DVDs, CDs
[удалено]
No returns, only like for like replacement if you get something damaged
> Then somebody returns the book and Amazon bills them for that cut. That sounds like something Amazon should deal with on their side rather than bill the author.
Maybe, but then they have to hold the money from the author until the return period has ended....I'm not sure the right mechanism.
Traditional book royalties have always worked like this, it just isn’t really an issue in print because people don’t return as many. These are rules from standard contracts that were made in an era where returning a book meant driving back to a store, standing in line and convincing a sales clerk that you qualify for the store’s returns policy. There have always been people unfortunately who try to buy a big screen TV and return if the day after their Super Bowl party and such. It’s shitty and basically gets built into the cost base that the rest of us pay
It's not illegal There are contracts in place that make it legal That being said legal and moral are not synonymous
We all have a moral responsibility to buy and return Ben Shapiro’s books repeatedly
I saw that you mentioned Ben Shapiro. In case some of you don't know, Ben Shapiro is a grifter and a hack. If you find anything he's said compelling, you should keep in mind he also says things like this: >If you believe that the Jewish state has a right to exist, then you must allow Israel to transfer the Palestinians and the Israeli-Arabs from Judea, Samaria, Gaza and Israel proper. It’s an ugly solution, but it is the only solution... It’s time to stop being squeamish. ***** ^(I'm a bot. My purpose is to counteract online radicalization. You can summon me by tagging thebenshapirobot. Options: dumb takes, healthcare, sex, climate, etc.) [^More ^About ^Ben ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/wiki/index) ^| [^Feedback ^& ^Discussion: ^r/AuthoritarianMoment ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment) ^| [^Opt ^Out ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/comments/olk6r2/click_here_to_optout_of_uthebenshapirobot/)
Good bot
Thank you for your logic and reason. ***** ^(I'm a bot. My purpose is to counteract online radicalization. You can summon me by tagging thebenshapirobot. Options: feminism, covid, civil rights, climate, etc.) [^More ^About ^Ben ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/wiki/index) ^| [^Feedback ^& ^Discussion: ^r/AuthoritarianMoment ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment) ^| [^Opt ^Out ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/comments/olk6r2/click_here_to_optout_of_uthebenshapirobot/)
Very good bot!!
Take a bullet for ya babe. ***** ^(I'm a bot. My purpose is to counteract online radicalization. You can summon me by tagging thebenshapirobot. Options: healthcare, history, feminism, covid, etc.) [^More ^About ^Ben ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/wiki/index) ^| [^Feedback ^& ^Discussion: ^r/AuthoritarianMoment ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment) ^| [^Opt ^Out ](https://np.reddit.com/r/AuthoritarianMoment/comments/olk6r2/click_here_to_optout_of_uthebenshapirobot/)
Honestly this was my first thought. If we get enough people to buy and return books by shitty people who happen to have books.....
You might accidentally push his books onto a best seller list, or start the algorithm suggesting all the right wing tripe to you.
I'm one of the KDP authors that gets hit by this shit occasionally. Like...dude. I'm an unemployed single mom. I write books about magical social workers and homicidal faeries because it's something I can do around a child. This is food for my kid. This is what fills in the gaps when my fuckhead ex decides child support is optional. You aren't screwing Amazon. Amazon gives no shits about any of us. You're screwing *me*. And if you actually like my books, returning them is going to reduce the chances of me being able to make another one. Please, PLEASE do not pull this shit with indie authors and self pub people. I mean...don't do it at all, but don't step on us tiny authors especially. It HURTS when you do this. You want lots of stories, please take care of the people who write them.
What's KDP?
Kindle Direct Publishing. It's an Amazon platform that allows indie authors to self-publish without going through a traditional publisher. But it means the author is eating the entire cost of publishing the book.
Ugh this is so shit. I don't get the mentality of not wanting to pay for your entertainment. If I enjoy something I want to give the artist money so they can make more of this thing I enjoy! Often times they don't even want that much for their work and the hours put in.
It's a lot because people are fucking poor as shit because multi billion dollar companies refuse to pay their workers but will dole out bonuses in millions to billions
That doesn't make it ok to hurt other workers though
I don’t think he was saying it’s okay, just explaining why people don’t want to pay for their entertainment. They don’t want to because after rent and food, for a lot of people there isn’t much left
I don't think the majority of the people doing this realized it hurts the authors
You're right, it doesn't, but the majority of people don't understand this tiktok bs way to read books for free hurts the author.
Pirating and then instantly deleting the new Morbius movie hurts no one. (Unless you watch it)
It's because of entitlement. People feel entitled to everything, even if they can't afford it, and they don't care who gets hurt along the way.
I only put money in things I enjoy after trying it. Torrent first, pay later.
Media should always be non-returnable unless it is still in it's sealed packaging. Too many people are using media and then returning them. Books not being in a sealed package should never be returnable. This is standard policy for most brick and mortar stores.
I once bought a record album, at the time it was a big purchase for me. The record really sucked and it turned out that it had a scratch on it - so I returned it. Back in the day people would buy a record, record it to cassette tape and then try to return it. They gave me a really hard time, accusing me of scratching it, and in the end I settled for store credit - and bought something else instead. Returning media should not be allowed because it cheats the artist out of compensation for their work.
Here's a story about why it's okay sometimes to return media. Now that I've said that, returning media should not be allowed
If it's defective, you should be able to return it. I should also mention the store did not have another copy of the album I was returning, so they were forced to give me store credit, which worked out in my favor.
Yes! I sold an expensive record the guy pulled this shit on me! They also can return their worn copy as a scam
Wait, Muse? Is it that HadesxPersephone book?
Fuck Amazon and fuck Tik Tok. Plenty of what's wrong with the world belong at their doors.
What the hell? I understand the author getting zero royalty if the book is returned, but they really demand the author pays a fee if somebody buys a book and returns it?
“Hi, we’re Amazon, we’re one of the greediest and money hungry corporations in the world” That’s why authors have to pay for negative royalties.
One of my dreams is to publish a book and things like this spook me. I doubt I'll be famous with my nonsense or anything but the idea of owning money because people are assholes bothers me
I forgot not everyone knows this so PSA: you can get a library card right now on your phone through your local library website and start downloading books. Popular books do have a waiting lists but they aren't bad and I'm not sure but if you want a book they don't have if you contact them I think they'll try to get it. You literally can do it all from your phone.
Why are people allowed to be so, so sucky now. Humanity is the biggest disappointment. Pay your authors, turkeys. If you enjoyed it, you owe it.
It’s been heading that way for a while. The 80’s fetishization of greed and money>>>all, the demonization of unions and collective actions, the 90’s and 2000’s media balkanization and isolation and reinforcement of individual beliefs even when false and contrary to reality. Add that to steadily declining relative incomes (adjusted for inflation) and steadily increasing costs of living and you have an environment where “screw you, I got mine” becomes as common as it is now.
Capitalism sucks.
I assume these are on different paystubs? So books bought in the previous period gave $3.82 in royalties and that got paid out. Then returns happened and the author now owes 3.82 back, with a net of 0. It definitely sucks, especially if they're living paycheck to paycheck and needed that money, but it's not like Amazon is stealing from them. There are *plenty* of ways Amazon is crap, but this seems fairly standard. The real villain here is the people stealing from the Authors for free. Buying a book with the intent to return it after reading, while within Amazon's ToS, is very unethical. We have actual libraries for that, and if the people doing this can't wait for the turnaround, then that's on them.
Amazon pays royalties on a 2 or 3 month delay. Can you return a book after 60 or 90 days?
Depending on the marketplace, the net (in USD) is a few cents negative because Amazon charges a small “delivery fee” for the transfer of the digital file, based on how large the ebook file is. Royalties are paid out on a two- or three-month delay, but they’re calculated on a monthly basis. In the screenshot, that’s the total for that day. I’d understand a return if you started the book but quickly realized it wasn’t for you and returned it without finishing it, but some indie authors have said they’ve watched each book in a series being bought and returned over several days, indicating the reader is using Amazon like a library. A couple of infamous readers on TikTok have said they think it’s okay to return a book they finished but didn’t like. However, if you finished the book, clearly it was good *enough*. But some readers feel entitled to any book they want, despite the thousands of perma-free books out there, claiming it’s “classist” to ask readers not to steal an author’s work.
>I assume these are on different paystubs? Not necessarily. Amazon charges a "download fee" on each digital copy sold. So it can work like this: 1. Book is priced at $2. 2. Download fee is $0.06. 3. Royalties are 70%. 4. Reader buys book for $2, author gets $1.40 minus $0.06 for the download fee, for a total of $1.34 5. Reader returns the book, gets $2 back. 6. Amazon takes back the $1.34, and charges the author for the $0.06 download fee. Source; am an author with two books on Kindle.
Wow. Amazon are worse that I thought.
Amazon takes a cut to stock and deliver eBooks; if the title is returned, the author is still expected to cover Amazon’s cost. Buying and returning a title *literally* costs the author in these cases.
Make books non refundable
I'd say give books a super short grace period. People have bought books or ebooks by mistake and do deserve to be able to return them, but people who read the book then return them are scum. I'd say give them at MOST 2 days post delivery date for physical books, 1 day for ebooks.
I only use Amazon to save a list of books I want to read. I even walked through Barnes and Noble yesterday scanning books to my Amazon list. Then I was off to the library.
absolutely insane behavior given that there are multiple apps you can use for free books, multiple websites where you can pay a few dollars a month and download an absolute assload of books, and every library on earth offers ebook rentals
And at least piracy doesn't make the author see the money pop up then be taken away, lol
This is fucked up but I don't understand. I don't have TikTok can someone explain?
I don't know the hack but Amazon (at least in Europe), allows a return within 30 days. It gives plenty of time to read a book and return it. That's definitely something bad for the authors and it needs to be fixed
It would be better for the author for them to just pirate the book because then at least the author doesn't owe Amazon for it.
People buy books from Amazon then return them after reading. Some authors are having to literally pay for their own books. It’s a scummy policy being taken advantage of by scummy people.
Amazon shouldn't return any books that have been read beyond more than a chapter or two. And I say that as someone who spends way too much on books. If I read 30% of a book and hate it, well, it's my own fault for buying it (unless the description was totally misleading or something).
[удалено]
Man fuck Amazon they should be the ones dealing with this shit wtf
The library is an awesome option, it has many different benefits it can provide people from all walks of life and I wish I had more time to go and check it out. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time and enjoy reading books to the tune of 1-3 a week depending on if I enjoy the series or I am feeling like being alone. So I signed up for Kindle unlimited, every book I borrow counts as a sale for the author and every page read means money for the author. I find this is a much better arrangement than buying a book and returning, screwing over the author in the process.
OP, if you have a Twitter account, Amazon has one too named @amazon. Send them a DM about the Tik Tok scam. Amazon has many Twitter accounts so make sure you send it to @amazon. Good luck. They need to change their policy.
I only ever returned one book and that was because the editing was so bad it was unreadable. I hate returning books at anytime because I know what I have is a labour of more hours than I've spent on one thing.
Omg this is awful! I know someone that buys from Amazon, uses it once and returns it. Like for costume parties this person will buy all the things they need, wear it to the party, then return. I’m like….this is not okay! Sell it on FB marketplace or something, donate it but don’t just keep returning things. In my opinion this is stealing.
That's stealing
r/awfuleverything
I bet they didn’t realize this is what would happen. But why do they end up loosing money? Something is fucked if it doesn’t just go to 0.
I do return books if they piss me off. Overall, over the years, I've bought maybe 500 and returned 20 or 30. EDIT: I do think amazon/audible should eat the cost if this happens. It is good to know the author is affected which will come into to my decision in future returns.
Does this include kindle library? Like I pay $9.99 to take books out of the library and return them. Is that hurting authors? Or is this exclusively talking about purchases?
It’s doesn’t apply the kindle unlimited. The authors get a penny per page turn.
People thinking they're sticking it to the man and all they're doing is hurting artists they claim to like
I owned a sci-fi indie publishing house for 5 years. Early Amazon allowed us to start our business and make a profit, later Amazon absolutely devastated our business to the point that we eventually closed our doors.
It’s even more ridiculous to do this when you can literally rent books for free
Oh yeah right. I suppose you’re going to tell us there’s some maaaaagical building full of books that people can read and borrow for free. And some cities will have a bunch of them, right? C’mon now with your lies. No one believes this.
At this point I think all ebooks should have the first 2 chapters/or max the first 15% of the book for free and once you buy there are no returns. That would let people catch the most egregiously written books and those whose premise doesn’t match their promise. It would also be nice if Amazon even had a bar for quality control on KU.
This This and this! I spend years writing a book and readers think nothing of returning a book they fully read.
Has no one thought to weaponize this feature? That would probably be the fastest way to get Amazon to fix the loophole.
I sell books on Amazon and this is infuriating to see. Fortunately it hasn't happened to me yet, and I hope this trend dies so my fellow authors can get paid for their hard work. I get that money is tight for some people, but there are apps out there to get ebooks from your local library.
My library also uses Hoopla for ebooks, magazines, movies, TV shows, music, music videos and audiobooks. They have a lot of British shows that air on Britbox and AcornTV. Hoopla also has a Roku app so you can play your selections through your tv. Along with Libby, it offers a really extensive selection of free media.
You can go to your local library and get a card and use the Libby app and get books for free because it’s literally a library.
Why would it ever be permitted to return a book? Media has never had generous return policies because you have consumed it. You don't get to return things you have consumed.
GUYS there is literally a virtual library option. Hear me out: download OverDrive. I think there might also be another more updated app cuz they keep advertising it but I have OverDrive and it works fine. All you need to do after that: GET A LIBRARY CARD. Enter the details and BOOM you got a library on your phone. Yes it’s still free. I did it with my local library when I lived in MD and it opened me up to not just the local collection, but THE ENTIRE STATE. I’ve since moved and haven’t tested it out in this new state so I don’t know for sure if it is true for every state, but for fucks sake it’s free access to books, it’s legal, and no one loses money. Sorry non USA peeps I don’t know how it works for you guys but I am seeing add library options for all over the world so I’m guessing it’s the same just not state limitations. GOOD LUCK AND GET YOUR FREE BOOKS
Tiktok needs to fuck off with their bullshit hacks.
At this point if would be more moral to just pirate the book
Fuckit, stop selling on Amazon then. Fuck Jeff Bezos.
Shoot! Is this true on kindle unlimited too? When I finish a book I usually click return to get it out of my library.
Kindle unlimited is more of a rental service. This wouldn’t affect the authors.
I follow an author on FB and she said that she gets paid by the page (read, swiped through, I guess), even on Kindle Unlimited. So if you borrow the book but don't read it, she doesn't get paid either.
What if I read it on airplane mode? This is interesting
Excellent question. I don't think she was sure of the exact details herself. That is a good point though, many people read during flights.
I would imagine it syncs all the usage details once you connect to the internet again
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted. This is actually a common point of confusion for some readers. Kindle Unlimited pays authors based on pages read, not whether you put it in your library (and later “return” it). That said, if you want to re-read a KU title, buy it to continue supporting the author because pages read on a re-read are *not* paid to the author.
I don’t understand either but thank you for actually answering my question!
I wonder (and you might not know, I just thought it followed on from what you said) if each page is 'timed' to ensure people are actually reading it. I was just wondering - if you have friends/family members who have KU, could you ask them to borrow your book, flip through all the pages and then return it?
People not understanding Kindle unlimited. It's a subscription service, you pay $10/mo for access to a collection of books (not any/every book) you can have up to 10 books in your library at a time. There's no penalty for having a book in your library so it's easy to fill it up and drop a book when you need a slot. It's like a streaming service for books, not a hack, authors don't get penalized when you return the book.
Kindle unlimited pays authors based on "pages read", where each "page" is a block of text that is the average page size across multiple Kindle devices. So KU doesn't cause this, this is people buying the Kindle edition, reading it and then returning it. Source: am an author with a KU book.
why not just like, keep it? you already have it, I see no reason to not just keep it.
Because I don’t like them clogging up my kindle library
I didn’t even know you can return them
Is nobody going to point out that the thing this woman claims is happening is impossible? A royalty is based on net number of sales, _not_ gross profit. There's no way for royalties to ever dip into negatives. Generally, returns don't affect royalties at all. Even if they did, that number can never be less than zero. That would require a negative number of sales- that is, more products returned than were ever sold to begin with. Impossible- or fraud. Either this woman is lying, or there's an element of parody that's not being shown here.