I don’t know if any of you have already come across this new TikTok trend that’s going around right now. I read about this new trend 2 or 3 days ago and I was livid. Apparently, people have been buying ebooks from Amazon, reading them all the way through, and then returning them. Now don’t get me wrong, if you’re only a couple of chapters in and you really hate the book, returning it is fine. I’m talking about the people who read the whole book and then decide to return the book to get their money back. That’s like the author paying someone to read their book! How? Let me explain.
Authors are charged a download fee when someone buys one of their ebooks. When a customer returns the ebook, that download fee isn’t reimbursed to the author. Just because Amazon’s return policy allows that doesn’t make it right. How hard is it to use some kind of library system? As an Amazon Prime member, you already have access to the Prime library. You can subscribe to Kindle Unlimited and borrow up to 20 books then return them. There are also library apps now like Libby, Hoopla, and Overdrive. Not to mention an actual library.
“But the author I’m looking for doesn’t have their books in a library.” Ask to borrow a friend’s copy. If nobody does, then just buy the book. If you really love the author and the story, why wouldn’t you be buying it? This new trend and the people participating are horrid. If you really want a book and really want to support a favorite author, you’ll find a way. Maybe cutting out a few daily coffee runs and making your own at home instead helps. Find a way to cut back elsewhere to get that book!
Clearly, the people participating in this trend have forgotten that the authors behind these books may be depending on these sales as part of, if not their whole, livelihood. How would they like it if someone used or consumed their hard work and then didn’t get paid for it? Mad, upset, frustrated, and the list goes on. If you know someone who has been participating, remind them that authors need to pay bills too.
How To Help Authors
This is a common question by many readers and I figured this post is a great spot to list some tips. Besides the obvious one, buying their book, here are more ways you can help:
- Putting reviews up on Goodreads and where ever you bought or borrowed the book from
- Talking about it on social media
- Talking about it with friends and family
- Recommending it as the next read for your book club(s)
- Recommending it whenever you can in person or on social media
- Give their books as gifts
- Buying merchandise from the author’s website or page
- Request it from your library
- Wear or use the merchandise when you go out
- Take the book out with you (even if you just have it sitting at your table because some people are nosy)
For those of you who help support any authors, but indie authors like me especially, thank you from all of us. We love and appreciate you very much. It’s readers like you, who love and support us, that we keep writing for. Thank you again.