I asked Ms. Le Guin a second question: how can readers who wish to support authors’ rights best do so? ‘By not supporting textual piracy — violation of copyright — on the Net or anywhere else. By being aware that huge corporations, such as Google and Amazon, are taking increasing control over what gets published, on paper or electronically, and therefore controlling what we read. By not buying your books from Amazon, but from a local independent bookstore selling online, or a big indie such as Powells — it’s just as easy and the selection is much better!’ What this means is that the extra five or ten bucks you are paying at the bookshop or at Powells.com to buy whatever book instead of buying it at Amazon, it’s like a vote for the maintenance of a certain kind of culture, a better way of treating other people.
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Maria Bustillos, “One Google Books to Rule Them All?”, The Awl (great article, great quote from Ursula K. Le Guin)
Yes! Support independent booksellers and authors at the same time.
(via ihearthings)
