Amazon to Stop Being a Library

If you're thinking, I didn't know Amazon was ever a library, they weren't ... well, not officially anyway. But their Kindle book return policy let people act like it was one.

Specifically, Amazon allowed the return of any Kindle book within seven days for a full refund regardless of how much of the book had been read. And so, some people would order a book, read it in a week, and return it.

For authors, this practice didn't just result in lost royalties, it was a cost. That's because Amazon charges a delivery fee for Kindle books that is not refunded to authors when the book is returned. As a result, some authors ended up owning money despite heavy sales (see the tweet at https://twitter.com/LdyDisney/status/1532056209658105862).

The Authors Guild, a professional organization for writers, brought this to the attention of Amazon, and as a result they "... will deactivate the self-service return option for any book read past 10% by the end of the year."

Thanks Amazon. I love libraries, but I'm glad you're getting out of that business.