Why Not to Buy Books from Amazon (or Pirate Them)—Short Rant and Explanation

This started as a blurb of explanation on my about page, but I wrote enough about it that I decided to just make it a short post instead. As a book blogger of 14+ years who's seen a lot of this go down, I have a lot of insight. I'm also an author and artist (so have a personal attachment to what I call the strategic devaluation of art), and am literally a shopping writer in my day job—so totally see the behind-the-scenes in what Amazon does and how our culture of consumption has evolved.

Feel free to call me out as a hypocrite, by the way, for being a journalist with multiple bylines published containing Amazon recommendations within them—because unfortunately I have had to include them in content as required by my job (although I try not to, which editors know), but it's a "the most good you can do" situation. Trust me, I've given the matter a lot of thought and consideration, and had really wonderful conversations with others in the industry facing the same conundrum. Either way, here's (some of) my reasoning, and you can find more information—and specific case studies—in the Amazon highlight on my Instagram.

This is definitely not a thorough take, either. I'm happy to write more and go in more thorough detail in another post, or to flesh this out another time, but a brief overview — or at least coverage of a few significant points — felt right.

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As a note, I would really prefer that WLS readers go through an independent bookstore or other retailer if possible before resorting to Amazon for book sales. It’s much better to book publishers, and I’m a big believer that your money supports your morals.

Amazon purposefully shoulders a loss to run everyone else out of business with the goal of securing monopoly power.

Buying books through Amazon deprives the book industry (because Amazon shoulders a loss in order to purposely undermine book publishers) and has repeatedly allowed Amazon to strong-arm them and authors into unfair deals, thus contributing to the death of independent bookstores. I believe that dynamic narrows the variety of books that get published. Amazon has screwed over both traditional and independent authors in so, so many ways.

My personal conspiracy theory is that Amazon's banking on running out every book retailer out there with the method ("but the Amazon prices are lower") but will immediately hike them even more in a way that eventually screws you over too once they have market control—but then you won't have the options, benefits, or community resources of local bookstores, libraries, and other retailers.

Art is not free, although we all deserve access to it.

We as a society have strategically reduced the ability of artists to make art. Even now, it's so much more difficult for any artist to produce work because their products have been strategically devalued. Fewer and fewer voices can afford to create because the only people who can afford to are people with independent means like inheritances and partner support—or they have to work multiple (or high-intensity) jobs to pay for their ability to write. That is not a knock on those categories of creatives, either! Long-term studies show that many people would create when given the time and opportunity, but feel otherwise restrained by lack of time, money, and support.

My go-to joke to my parents is that I need patron culture to come back in style á la Renaissance. I need a rich backer who just decides to fund my entire life so I can write and create whatever I want because they love my taste and work. (They do not love that joke. I am very self-sufficient. I'm just saying it would be nice!)

Similarly, let's bring pirating into the conversation.

I think our culture of consumption and entitlement (lol sorry) means that people think they should be allowed to illegally pirate a book because they deserve to own it. Of course, there is a dignity issue in owning vs. borrowing, but in many cases in which I hear this argument, it is not from the individuals who are most circumstantially vulnerable to this psychological difference.

Some people have also started returning eBooks upon finishing them, which Amazon actually uses as an excuse to charge the author. When an eBook is returned, Amazon slaps the author with a fee; it costs them money, and feels enormously selfish.

Libraries exist, many outside of your geographical area will allow you to get a non-resident library card, and often when people are annoyed with the library, they're just annoyed that there are a lot of people who want to read a book at the same time—so they'll have to wait. It's a patience issue, not an access issue. (See: how we've totally shifted to two-day shipping as a culture.)

More, more, more. It's the same psychological engineering that drives the exponential growth and success of businesses like SHEIN that we know are bad for us, the workers, and the environment.

We should view books as consumables re: pricing.

I think one of the most helpful frameworks for me in understanding how to value a book is in viewing it like a consumable. Yes, $30 feels expensive for a hardcover, absolutely. But why does it? Why doesn't that "feel" fair when so many other products, services, etc,. that serve similar functions to you cost significantly more?

I often hear this logic from people who will then go and drop the same amount on a cocktail, dinner, movie tickets, or some other treat without understanding the equivalency. Amazon trained people to think that a book should cost pennies, less than something that takes thirty seconds minutes to make, or an impulse buy that's mass-produced and takes no thought. Of course, time is no indicator of value, but we've somehow fucked it up here.

A book is something you consume. It feeds you, and occupies several hours and gives you pleasure. You can reread it and re-experience it, deriving new joy and perspective. You can lend it to others; it's an aesthetic object that also contributes to décor and development and all that.

(Obviously you need physical nourishment à la Maslow's hierarchy of needs, but like—if you'd argue a restaurant meal is different than a book because you need it, you're not being entirely forthcoming. There are meals you can make for $3, but you're eating out for the pleasure.)

"But I deserve to read it and also have my money." But the author—who's spent multiple years, thousands of hours, blood/sweat/tears, maybe the loans and education that allowed them to produce the book, etc,. doesn't deserve to be compensated for their labor? Wild, backwards logic to me.

Many authors, agents, and other industry professionals also have review copies and personal editions set aside specifically to send to teachers, prisons, and literally people who might reach out wanting to read the book but not being able to afford it. You'd be shocked by how generous they can be in providing access to you—in a way that allows them to continue producing and be properly rewarded for their work.

Yes, there are exceptions.

The landscape is totally different and my opinion changes for out-of-print titles, academic gouging, works that aren't available in your country/language, etc,. For the record, I completely understand and support if Amazon is your only option for access to books because of a remote location, disability, or similar imposition. But for the most part, I just think people are using Amazon as an excuse.

Your library check-outs and requests are actually huge for everyone.

The circulation is counted differently, boosts the author, and they are appropriately compensated! If many people request the same book, a library may order more copies; they can also borrow a copy from another branch.

Where to Shop Instead

I'd recommend buying through Bookshop. If you let me know which books you want, I can give you a referral code. Most of my reviews and book mentions will aim to use Bookshop affiliate links. (Since I’ve been blogging for so long, many of my older reviews contain Goodreads links, which has since been acquired by Amazon.) I also love Barnes & Noble (although they have their own issues), and ThriftBooks for secondhand titles!

Your indie purchases are helpful. Buy used! Borrow from friends! Borrow from me, if you're on O'ahu.

A Relevant Reading List, Because of Course (+ a Movie Rec)

possession and shopping / Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need by Bruce Hood

more more more (dopamine) / The Molecule of More by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Mike Long

artist routines (when supported) / Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey

libraries / Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library by Amanda Oliver

appreciation of library programming (fictional POV) / Funny Story by Emily Henry

the environmentalism take / The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

a theory of effective altruism / The Most Good You Can Do by Peter Singer

bonus: love of library / Good Will Hunting (movie)

Credit / Tumblr (and the movie, of course)