Writer Tweets About Owing Money To Amazon Because Readers Are Returning Their Finished eBooks, Sparks A Debate Among Online Users Interview
As consumers, we really appreciate it when businesses allow us to return the items we bought. There are various reasons why we would like to do that. Maybe it is a faulty item and we didn’t notice it while purchasing it, or maybe we found something better at a lower price or saw something in a different light and it didn’t look as good.
Return policies are there to keep the customer satisfied, but it becomes a problem when they start abusing the system. Recently people started sharing a “hack” of purchasing ebooks and then returning them after they’ve finished reading them. Authors have noticed that their returns have gone up and blamed it on a trend that originated on TikTok, raising a question of its ethics.
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Writer Lisa Kessler received a lot of ebook returns and went to Twitter to vent, finding out it is actually a trend lately
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The issue was brought up by Lisa Kessler, a pretty well-known author for her dark paranormal fiction. She has received numerous awards, the first being for her debut novel Night Walker. This book won a San Diego Book Award for best Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror.
She posted a tweet reminding people that Amazon is not a library and that for every returned book, she is being charged, so now the author is indebted to Amazon.
Lisa opened up about it more in her podcast named The Perfect Podcast created to promote her upcoming thriller Perfect. In the 5th episode, the woman reveals that she has been a writer for 10 years and during this time, a normal month would mean she doesn’t get any returns; 2 was the most she had ever had.
So she was really surprised when she opened up her Kindle dashboard and saw that in May, she had so many returns that she actually owed Amazon. Lisa was upset, and wanting to vent, she turned to Twitter. Her experience wasn’t isolated and so many other authors shared that they’ve recently noticed the same thing.
In the tweet, Lisa reminded people that Amazon is not a library and informed them that authors get charged for every returned book and she now owes Amazon
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Turns out, she was not the only one experiencing this
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While talking with BuzzFeed, Lisa explained why she thinks this is happening: “I discovered that in March, there was a TikTok video instructing readers about this loophole in Amazon’s return policy allowing them to read books quickly and return them. It even had a hashtag, #ReadAndReturnChallenge, but I don’t think they realized that Amazon was turning around and deducting money from the authors.”
Bored Panda reached out to another writer who also talked about the issue online, Erin Casey. She is the author of “The Purple Door District” series and the genre she specializes in is urban fantasy. Erin told us that she hasn’t seen her books returned yet but she is still waiting for one of her monthly updates on book sales, but she knows of other people receiving negative royalties and is upset that such a trend is hurting the author community.
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Other authors selling their ebooks on amazon shared that they’ve noticed that recently, people are returning more books than usual
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It is unclear where the TikTok videos advising people to return ebooks to be able to read for free have gone, as they are nowhere to be found, but there are a lot of videos of people discussing the situation.
People were comparing reading and returning an ebook to eating at a restaurant and asking to get the money back when the food is already gone. The majority of readers didn’t support this ‘hack’ and actually haven’t ever thought about doing this, even if they bought a book by accident.
The ones who thought that returning an ebook isn’t that bad didn’t understand the metaphor of comparing a book to food, because the book is still there even if you read it, while the food is gone once you eat it.
They were saying that they should have the right to return a book because what if they didn’t like it? What if it was problematic and they didn’t want to support the author?
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Lisa thinks this is due to a trend that started on BookTok where people encouraged people to read books and return them to save money
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We asked Erin if she saw more people supporting the authors or the ones that believed following such a trend wasn’t a big deal. The author admitted that she noticed there was a mix, “On TikTok, I’ve seen tons of readers/authors supporting authors in this situation. I’ve also seen TikTok users saying it’s not stealing and calling authors entitled.”
She explains why such a trend is so hurtful for authors, “We spend months and years developing this work, paying for people to edit it, create cover art, etc. It takes a lot of money out of our pocket in order to bring this creative world to the reader. And to have a reader take that work, read it, and return it just so they don’t have to pay… it’s literally taking money out of the author’s pocket.”
Also, returning books is a problem not only because authors get charged for it but some places will stop carrying the author’s books. Erin believes that not everyone realises that authors are losing funds and that is why they say things like “Well, if I didn’t return it, I wouldn’t have read the book anyway, so you’re getting exposure from it and not being negatively impacted.”
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Of course, if you accidentally bought a book and didn’t want to read it in the first place, then it’s a completely different situation. Also, if you bought a book and after reading the first couple of chapters, you realize that this wasn’t something you wanted, most people also don’t have a problem with the buyer returning the ebook.
What bothers them and the authors is when people read the whole book and then decide to return it. Which was the case with Lisa Kessler, because she noticed that people would return her whole series, and who would buy a third and a fourth book from the series when they knew they didn’t like the previous two?
People failed to realize that in this way, you are hurting the author and many of them considered such behavior stealing
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Many readers and authors argued that when you are paying for the book, you are not paying to get a great book or a satisfying ending. The product is reading itself and if you’ve read a book, that means you’ve got what you paid for and consumed it. You can’t give back the experience, the same as you can’t give back the experience of seeing the Mona Lisa or consuming any other form of art.
But if we put morals aside, there is another problem with returning ebooks: the authors get charged and they can even owe Amazon. The authors not only lose the money for the books, but they are also charged the download fee, so when it adds up, the revenue for the product might be negative.
Readers were outraged, suggesting that Amazon’s return policy is faulty and they should try harder to protect the authors who choose their platform to sell their work
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This trend on TikTok probably started out as an innocent hack to save money, because there are definitely people who like to read a lot and books are expensive. But there is such a thing as a library where you pay a small annual fee, you can read as many books as you want, and it’s actually expected from you to return it.
Libraries offer ebooks as well, if you prefer a digital version, and in this way you are not hurting the author because the library pays for those books. Many people also pointed out that Amazon has a subscription service called Kindle Unlimited, which costs from $9.99 a month and you get access to more than 1.5 million titles, including books in foreign languages.
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While people still believe they should have a right to return a product, most of them recognized that it is easy to abuse the system
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While going to a library seems like a very easy solution if you can’t afford books, Erin gave us a few reasons why people wouldn’t want to go there or maybe don’t want to: “1. People are now making it a challenge to read and return books for the exposure. They don’t care. They just want to prove they can do it. 2. Some people say they don’t physically have access to a library, which I can respect and understand. Accessibility is so important! That’s not to say they should steal books, but something else needs to be put in place to help them. 3. In some countries, people have to pay to use library services. 4. Sometimes the book isn’t at the library. However, if you request a book from a library, they more often than not will put in a request to buy it or interlibrary loan it. I’m not sure if people are aware of that.”
The author realises that not everyone understands returning ebooks after having read them is wrong, “They see others do it, so they assume it’s okay if they do it. That’s why I strive to educate because I know not everyone may understand.”
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To solve the problem, many people suggested Amazon should track how much of a book a person has read and not allow returns when they pass a certain percentage. Others think there should be a shorter time limit for returns.
Erin agrees that Amazon should review their return policy. Now it says that you can cancel the order in 7 days if you accidentally bought the wrong book, but “people are reading books within 7 days and returning them. Perhaps shortening the time in which a person can return an e-book would be helpful. Another easy way to fix the issue is for readers to stop returning the books. Amazon isn’t a library. It’s not meant to have items bought and returned after the item has been used.”
Have you ever returned an ebook? Did you know that it costs the author? Do you think it is a buyer’s right to be able to return an ebook? Do you have any ideas how the issue could be solved? Let’s create a discussion in the comments!
Am I the only one who thinks that peoples anger shoud aim towards Amazon and their evil ceo? Ebooks shouldn't be refundable, that's a first. But if they are (and of course that customers realized this and are abusing it), the author shouldn't have to return more money that they got. WTF, it's a literal steal.
Exactly, if I were the author, I’d be upset with Amazon. People will take advantage of whatever the system allows them to do. Amazon’s system is anti-author. In an ideal world you’d take your books off an exploitative platform like this, but I appreciate that in some places authors don’t really have a market that isn’t Amazon.
And when you say some places, you could also say everywhere. No one can have success with books without Amazon.
Yup, and for their blood, sweat, and literal tears, authors are woefully underpaid as it is. I'm extremely hesitant to ever quite my job and enter writing full time. It's my talent and the only job I have ever wanted. Now we've got Mr. I-own-the-world and his minion twits literally stealing from these authors. Demand justice for the books and for the brilliant minds behind them.
And don't forget... It's a fickle business. I was making six figures from my self-pubbed books back in 2013 and 2014... Book World took a turn, and long story short, I'm writing this reply from the desk of a 9-5 job I was forced to get when sales tanked. FML.
It's not Amazon because it's the same on iTunes and Google play.
Source needed. I've never even heard of anyone "returning" digital music... let alone charging music creators for "returned" music.
I set up a GoFundMe to buy Jeff Bezos a white Persian cat so he could be the actual Bond villain he wants to be but they made me take it down. I screen-capped the original but can't find it at present.
Exactly this anger is severely misplaced.
Not the only one, this is pretty standard, "keep the proletariat at war with each other so they don't notice the person actually screwing them" Amazon undoubtedly sends a "we're sorry but your book has been returned by too many people and so you owe x amount due to processing costs" or some other bs dodge that lays blame at customers feet while not acknowledging their own hand.
Oh, yeah, Bezos has this figured out. What a scam. :-(
I use Bookbub. They send me a list everyday of books I might like that are free or marked down quite a bit for the ebook. I’ve gotten wonderful books for a couple dollars each and then search the author and pay full price for other books.
Amazon is absolute trash.
eBooks shouldn't be eligible for return once they are downloaded, same as movies bought from Prime. If it was a mistake purchase, contact Customer Service. If you want a book for free, borrow it from the library or see if it is at OpenLibrary(dot)org.
Not sure how working now, but, it used to be you had to give a good reason and do it almost immediately. I've have it happen. No one should be allowed to do it in what's probably days later. There have been books that I've spent hours and hours reading then turned to c**p, and I didn't try and return.
You still have to give a reason, but usually within 12-24 hours of purchase/download, in my experience.
You have 7 days to return an ebook to Amazon. You have to provide a reason. They write that if you return too many ebooks, you may be blocked from returning more : https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G937D322PWZ6L9BL
I've accidentally purchased a book -stupid one click and last moment jump in position - that auto downloaded and opened all before I realized it had happened. I then spent 30 minutes trying to return the blasted expensive thing that I didn't intend to purchase the first time. Returns need to be allowed, but the authors should not bear any burden of said return, and there should be limits, time owned, percent read, whatever.
Eh, I've accidentally purchased the shorts of novels I was looking for. And of course I can't return it once it ends if that were the case; they're like 20 minutes long. I didn't bother returning them, but what if you truly hated a book? I think serial returning should be treated like the physical products; if you frequently buy dresses/ shoes and then return them a week later I think it's clear you're bilking the system, no? Once or twice wouldn't indicate a problem but every book? Anyway.. either direction in the extreme would be bad.
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No contemporary novel is going to be out there for free. Only works by dead authors
Open Library has millions of books to borrow for free, including contemporary popular authors. I have used it for years.
It's a common practice for me and many of my author friends to put our first book in a series as perma-free as a loss leader.
There is an institution called a LIBRARY which houses books by both dead and contemporary authors. They have this amazing system where you can borrow either a hard copy or an ebook for FREE. And you don't even have to pay to sign up! Try it sometime.
Kindle books should be non refundable. It’s sucks that authors are being taken advantage of by cheapskates and TikTok trends.
My son got into my kindle and bought a romance novel. It’s the only book I have returned so saying that they should be non refundable is not the best idea. Returning them within 10 mins should be acceptable.
I also think Kindle has a way to see how far you are in the book so I'd say if you're over 25% thru or something you shouldn't be able to return it. I'm sure theirs some reasonable way to make sure the returns are true and not take advantage of it
Of course. It sounds like people are doing it routinely.
You're mad at the wrong person. Amazon is taking advantage of the authors not people who are reading the books and returning them. Given the state of this world returning it is probably being done because people cannot afford to buy it and keep it. So they do it this way. Libraries are free and no one would be mad if someone was reading that way. Besides, it's Amazon that's really to blame for all this. But yet again people are blaming the little guy, while the big guy laughs all the way to the bank.
We can do both - blame people for being selfish d***s, and blame Amazon for being evil. The two are not mutually exclusive.
I feel the same way about the housing crisis. Yes, the banks shouldn't be able allowed to be predators. At the same time, if I get into a mortgage I know or reasonably should know I won't be able to repay, I bear some responsibility for that decision. It's possible to hold all parties responsible for their part in something. It would honestly never occur to me to try and return an ebook just like it would never occur to me return a song I've purchased. I can definitely see folks having a bit of grace, though, depending on the circumstances.
Dude. There are literally library apps even mentioned in the thread here that have both audio books and ebooks. I use them and they work good too, if you need a money saving alternative it is called the library. It has been here for a while. And the fact they now support ebooks and audio books means that there is no excuse for this behaviour. The fact it is digital doesnt make it any less ethically wrong than if it was physical. I work retail, our return policy is unused and unopened. The fact people try to bypass this just cause its a digital good is disgusting when free alternatives already exist.
Chris, for real if you want to talk about selfish let's start with why every single one of us can't just enjoy a damn book without money being an issue? If we all were able to enjoy it no conditions or obligations attached that would be the selfless way. Instead you've got selfishness running amuck from the costumer just wanting to read but can't afford it so they return it. Screwing the author who is also selfish for wanting money more than wanting the readers to share in the talent and skill they have writing and wanting people to read the story they are telling. That's why writers write, to be able to share the book with others. Then you have Amazon, the king of selfishness and greed. Making damn sure they screw both author and costumer. Selfishly putting profit above all else no matter who it hurts, in this case the author and costumer like I just mentioned earlier. So it seems to me that the real problem is the money and how we all selfishly value it more than anything or anyone else. Never realizing that money is the root of all the selfish b******t we all do to get as much of it as possible. Sounds to me like the made-up concept/system of money we have put in place is what's really stopping us all from everything from reading all the way down to eating if we don't pony up that cash. And a big selfish eff you to anyone who might not have money or enough money to read a damn book, let alone return one because the money needed to be spent elsewhere to exist in this God forsaken selfish world that is only horrible because of how we do things so selfishly. How's that for a book? Oh yeah, no refunds after reading my massively novel long response. I wouldn't want you using that refund on anything else you might actually need. Since books are no longer allowed to be enjoyed by those of us who aren't sitting on hoards of cash.
"not people who are reading the books and returning them." How is that not taking advantage of authors? "returning it is probably being done because people cannot afford to buy it and keep it" So authors should have to starve? "Libraries are free and no one would be mad if someone was reading that way" because libraries pay for their books. I wish I could give you ten downvotes. People who take advantage of bad systems and have a negative effect on other people are bad people. There can be more than one bad guy in a story.
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Chris, not really. When they are just trying to enjoy a book they can't really afford
Am I correct in understanding that what you're saying is that it's ok to steal if you "can't really afford" an item? People aren't stealing food or tampons here, they're stealing non-essentials you can get through a number of other means *without* stealing. Yes, you're correct people wouldn't be upset if these folks were using the library because that's how libraries work and that's why we have them.
Am I the only one who thinks that peoples anger shoud aim towards Amazon and their evil ceo? Ebooks shouldn't be refundable, that's a first. But if they are (and of course that customers realized this and are abusing it), the author shouldn't have to return more money that they got. WTF, it's a literal steal.
Exactly, if I were the author, I’d be upset with Amazon. People will take advantage of whatever the system allows them to do. Amazon’s system is anti-author. In an ideal world you’d take your books off an exploitative platform like this, but I appreciate that in some places authors don’t really have a market that isn’t Amazon.
And when you say some places, you could also say everywhere. No one can have success with books without Amazon.
Yup, and for their blood, sweat, and literal tears, authors are woefully underpaid as it is. I'm extremely hesitant to ever quite my job and enter writing full time. It's my talent and the only job I have ever wanted. Now we've got Mr. I-own-the-world and his minion twits literally stealing from these authors. Demand justice for the books and for the brilliant minds behind them.
And don't forget... It's a fickle business. I was making six figures from my self-pubbed books back in 2013 and 2014... Book World took a turn, and long story short, I'm writing this reply from the desk of a 9-5 job I was forced to get when sales tanked. FML.
It's not Amazon because it's the same on iTunes and Google play.
Source needed. I've never even heard of anyone "returning" digital music... let alone charging music creators for "returned" music.
I set up a GoFundMe to buy Jeff Bezos a white Persian cat so he could be the actual Bond villain he wants to be but they made me take it down. I screen-capped the original but can't find it at present.
Exactly this anger is severely misplaced.
Not the only one, this is pretty standard, "keep the proletariat at war with each other so they don't notice the person actually screwing them" Amazon undoubtedly sends a "we're sorry but your book has been returned by too many people and so you owe x amount due to processing costs" or some other bs dodge that lays blame at customers feet while not acknowledging their own hand.
Oh, yeah, Bezos has this figured out. What a scam. :-(
I use Bookbub. They send me a list everyday of books I might like that are free or marked down quite a bit for the ebook. I’ve gotten wonderful books for a couple dollars each and then search the author and pay full price for other books.
Amazon is absolute trash.
eBooks shouldn't be eligible for return once they are downloaded, same as movies bought from Prime. If it was a mistake purchase, contact Customer Service. If you want a book for free, borrow it from the library or see if it is at OpenLibrary(dot)org.
Not sure how working now, but, it used to be you had to give a good reason and do it almost immediately. I've have it happen. No one should be allowed to do it in what's probably days later. There have been books that I've spent hours and hours reading then turned to c**p, and I didn't try and return.
You still have to give a reason, but usually within 12-24 hours of purchase/download, in my experience.
You have 7 days to return an ebook to Amazon. You have to provide a reason. They write that if you return too many ebooks, you may be blocked from returning more : https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G937D322PWZ6L9BL
I've accidentally purchased a book -stupid one click and last moment jump in position - that auto downloaded and opened all before I realized it had happened. I then spent 30 minutes trying to return the blasted expensive thing that I didn't intend to purchase the first time. Returns need to be allowed, but the authors should not bear any burden of said return, and there should be limits, time owned, percent read, whatever.
Eh, I've accidentally purchased the shorts of novels I was looking for. And of course I can't return it once it ends if that were the case; they're like 20 minutes long. I didn't bother returning them, but what if you truly hated a book? I think serial returning should be treated like the physical products; if you frequently buy dresses/ shoes and then return them a week later I think it's clear you're bilking the system, no? Once or twice wouldn't indicate a problem but every book? Anyway.. either direction in the extreme would be bad.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
No contemporary novel is going to be out there for free. Only works by dead authors
Open Library has millions of books to borrow for free, including contemporary popular authors. I have used it for years.
It's a common practice for me and many of my author friends to put our first book in a series as perma-free as a loss leader.
There is an institution called a LIBRARY which houses books by both dead and contemporary authors. They have this amazing system where you can borrow either a hard copy or an ebook for FREE. And you don't even have to pay to sign up! Try it sometime.
Kindle books should be non refundable. It’s sucks that authors are being taken advantage of by cheapskates and TikTok trends.
My son got into my kindle and bought a romance novel. It’s the only book I have returned so saying that they should be non refundable is not the best idea. Returning them within 10 mins should be acceptable.
I also think Kindle has a way to see how far you are in the book so I'd say if you're over 25% thru or something you shouldn't be able to return it. I'm sure theirs some reasonable way to make sure the returns are true and not take advantage of it
Of course. It sounds like people are doing it routinely.
You're mad at the wrong person. Amazon is taking advantage of the authors not people who are reading the books and returning them. Given the state of this world returning it is probably being done because people cannot afford to buy it and keep it. So they do it this way. Libraries are free and no one would be mad if someone was reading that way. Besides, it's Amazon that's really to blame for all this. But yet again people are blaming the little guy, while the big guy laughs all the way to the bank.
We can do both - blame people for being selfish d***s, and blame Amazon for being evil. The two are not mutually exclusive.
I feel the same way about the housing crisis. Yes, the banks shouldn't be able allowed to be predators. At the same time, if I get into a mortgage I know or reasonably should know I won't be able to repay, I bear some responsibility for that decision. It's possible to hold all parties responsible for their part in something. It would honestly never occur to me to try and return an ebook just like it would never occur to me return a song I've purchased. I can definitely see folks having a bit of grace, though, depending on the circumstances.
Dude. There are literally library apps even mentioned in the thread here that have both audio books and ebooks. I use them and they work good too, if you need a money saving alternative it is called the library. It has been here for a while. And the fact they now support ebooks and audio books means that there is no excuse for this behaviour. The fact it is digital doesnt make it any less ethically wrong than if it was physical. I work retail, our return policy is unused and unopened. The fact people try to bypass this just cause its a digital good is disgusting when free alternatives already exist.
Chris, for real if you want to talk about selfish let's start with why every single one of us can't just enjoy a damn book without money being an issue? If we all were able to enjoy it no conditions or obligations attached that would be the selfless way. Instead you've got selfishness running amuck from the costumer just wanting to read but can't afford it so they return it. Screwing the author who is also selfish for wanting money more than wanting the readers to share in the talent and skill they have writing and wanting people to read the story they are telling. That's why writers write, to be able to share the book with others. Then you have Amazon, the king of selfishness and greed. Making damn sure they screw both author and costumer. Selfishly putting profit above all else no matter who it hurts, in this case the author and costumer like I just mentioned earlier. So it seems to me that the real problem is the money and how we all selfishly value it more than anything or anyone else. Never realizing that money is the root of all the selfish b******t we all do to get as much of it as possible. Sounds to me like the made-up concept/system of money we have put in place is what's really stopping us all from everything from reading all the way down to eating if we don't pony up that cash. And a big selfish eff you to anyone who might not have money or enough money to read a damn book, let alone return one because the money needed to be spent elsewhere to exist in this God forsaken selfish world that is only horrible because of how we do things so selfishly. How's that for a book? Oh yeah, no refunds after reading my massively novel long response. I wouldn't want you using that refund on anything else you might actually need. Since books are no longer allowed to be enjoyed by those of us who aren't sitting on hoards of cash.
"not people who are reading the books and returning them." How is that not taking advantage of authors? "returning it is probably being done because people cannot afford to buy it and keep it" So authors should have to starve? "Libraries are free and no one would be mad if someone was reading that way" because libraries pay for their books. I wish I could give you ten downvotes. People who take advantage of bad systems and have a negative effect on other people are bad people. There can be more than one bad guy in a story.
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Chris, not really. When they are just trying to enjoy a book they can't really afford
Am I correct in understanding that what you're saying is that it's ok to steal if you "can't really afford" an item? People aren't stealing food or tampons here, they're stealing non-essentials you can get through a number of other means *without* stealing. Yes, you're correct people wouldn't be upset if these folks were using the library because that's how libraries work and that's why we have them.