I have a friend who loves to go to book sales. Even better, last weekend there was a FREE book grab, and she absolutely POUNCED.
What does she do with all the books she acquires? Some she reads and keeps. Others she reads and then resells on eBay. Some she buys for resale purposes from the get-go, not intending to read them herself but sure that there is a market for them. And some—mostly the ones that fail to sell—she simply lets go of.
How does she let go of them? She gives them away to libraries or other book sales as donations.
The point is, these books keep circulating. From their original owners, possibly then given to a friend to enjoy, possibly from there to a library, eventually winding up either at the library’s book sale or at the book sale table of some other organization—a church or private school fundraiser, for example. None of them winds up in the recycle bin.
As an author, I have mixed emotions about all these give-aways, but on balance I find them a good thing. True, if someone buys one of my books and then resells it, I don’t get any royalties on the resale, only on the original purchase. No matter how many pass-along readers read and enjoy the book after this, I derive no further monetary compensation.
Ah, but I said “monetary.” There are other types of compensation besides financial.
One is word of mouth. The individual who reads my book that he or she bought secondhand (or fifthhand) may enjoy the book and talk it up to his/her friends. This could inspire the friends to buy copies for themselves. And ka-ching! Provided they buy the book new and not secondhand, that engenders royalties.
Another advantage when a reader likes a book is that that person may now look for other books by the same author. If that’s me, great! Again, a sale! Ka-ching!
But that is from my point of view as an author with a financial interest in selling books. From a more overall but benevolent viewpoint, I am just glad to see books circulating from reader to reader to reader, rather than getting pulped as recycled paper.
Books are wonderful. Reading is great. And keeping books circulating is a good thing indeed!