18. Buying used books makes me evil

“I’ve heard your name, but I’m not familiar with your books. A friend has recommended that I check out your work. The first thing I read on your home page is your latest blog entry–a screed against readers who are stealing from you by purchasing used copies of books, buying ARCs on eBay, loaning your books to friends, checking them out from the library, or reading them via services for the blind.”

If you are going to bash readers, do it in handwriting and then burn the paper. Don’t do it publicly. You never know when a book borrower will go out and buy your entire backlist. The blind reader might recommend your book to a dozen of her sighted friends. The eBay buyer might write a glowing review on his wildly popular blog.

We suspect that unless you’re a NYT bestseller, obscurity is a bigger problem for you than rampant book swapping. However, even if you disagree, it’s probably a bad idea to make sweeping accusations toward your readers on your website. Offending your customers is never a good business plan.