autumn footpath;
on the familiar elm
new initials
that chipmunk again
river sunlight skipping
leaf to leaf
the shelter of a tree—
neither of us knows
the other’s name
“chipmunk” & “shelter” – finding the way (Press Here, 2002)
“autumn footpath” – A New Resonance 2; Frogpond XX:3
by dagosan
sitting, then standing,
book in hand —
one gull floats, flies, floats
opening the used book —
someone else’s
coffee stain
[Oct. 2, 2005]
potluck
I didn’t read about the new report on used book sales, by the
Book Industry Study Group, until this morning. I’m not at all
surprised that the internet has helped create a booming market
for used books — with sales topping $2.2 billion in 2004. (see
AP/Washington Post, “Used Books are $2 Billion Industry,”
by Hillel Italie, Sept. 28, 2005). Amazon.com Marketplace,
and eBay have made it possible for large vendors and individuals
to sell used books online. This has made it easy for all of us to
save a large amount of money by purchasing used books online.
My experiences doing so have been very satisfactory — almost
all of the books purchased by me over the past few years have
arrives in fine shape and quickly.
Naturally, the book publishers and writers guild are upset and
concerned about losing sales. Whether used book sales will
reduce overall sales and profits of new books is a prediction
that I cannot and will not make. I do know, however, that the
option to purchase used books is a boon for consumers —
especially those without ample disposable income. You’d
expect the emergence of a cheaper, but virtually identical option
for consumers, to lead to lower prices on new books (which have
a list price that is not particularly connected to actual production
costs). However, the AP article says that Jane Friedman, CEO
of HarperCollins, “rejects the idea of lowering prices.”
It is a plus for purchasers of non-educational used books (especially
novels) that the gimmicks used to combat used textbooks — raising
the prices of new ones and then putting out frequent new editions in
order to make the old ones obsolete — shouldn’t be viable. It’s a good
and interesting story. Thank the magic of the internet for the Used Book
Marketplace! (Find useful weblog discussion at Copyfight, along with
relevant links.)
