Selling "used" ebooks

I am on a number of books discussing ebooks. Just last night, one of my lists alerted me to a couple of Word Press blogs that are selling “used” ebooks.

For those of you out there that don’t know, selling a copy of an ebook that you bought is illegal, as is buying a “used” ebook. It is copyright infringement. Buying an ebook does not give a person the right to sell it, give it away, or copy it. When a person does this, they not only break the law, but they hurt the author, the publisher, and readers. How it hurts the author and publisher is obvious, but what about the reader? Think about it, if the author is not making enough royalties from his/her books, she will not be able to write as many or may have to give up writing all together. And a number of publishers have closed their doors from people illegally sharing the ebooks they published. There are many talented authors out there who struggle, in part, because of this type of activity.

If you no longer want that ebook sitting on your PDA or computer, the best and only legal way to get rid of it is to delete it. If you wish to give someone an ebook, buy an extra copy and give it to them that way. Yes, it seems silly, but you will know you are supporting that author, allowing them to continue to write great tales that will amuse you for years to come.

Marci