Charity shops killing book trade says Chocolat author

READERS who donate unwanted books to charity shops believe they are doing a good deed. But they have come under fire from a best-selling writer who claims the practice is killing the publishing industry.

Chocolat author Joanne Harris complained on Twitter that writers receive no royalties from the sale of second-hand books in charity shops.

Mrs Harris, 54, whose best-selling 1999 novel was turned into a hit film, also criticised those who buy from discount book shops, saying authors earn less from such sales than they do when their works are borrowed from a public library.

Under the Public Lending Right, authors earn 7.8p each time a book is taken out, to compensate for the potential loss of sales. Mrs Harris wrote: ‘Not all book sales ben- efit authors. Books bought on eBay, or in charity or second-hand bookshops, do not bring in any royalties.

‘Books downloaded from pirate sites not only bring no royalties, they have a direct impact on sales. Buying a book at a discount bookshop will earn the author less.’

But her comments sparked criticism on social media. One said: ‘Fair enough re piracy, but how dare you try to shame people for buying a book on discount – not everyone can afford to pay first edition hardback prices. Be happy that people are reading.’ Another wrote: ‘Do you understand how charity shops work? Someone’s already paid full price for the book... so you want double payment?’

In response, Mrs Harris said: ‘No one said that buying books from charity shops was wrong. What I said is that not all book sales benefit authors, and that most authors don’t earn a living wage.’