I enter a lot of book contests, and I end up winning a lot of advanced reader's copies. I'd say an overwhelming majority of these books I win are ones that I probably won't ever end up reading, so I've been thinking about selling them and using the money made to exchange for books I do want to read. However, pretty much every single advanced reader's copy I have has a sticker on the front cover saying "not for resale." Am I not allowed to sell them? Would a second-hand store like, say, Half-Priced Books not take them for this?
by MightyNekomancer
7 Comments
No, you are not allowed to sell them and no bookstore should buy it. They are free to you and no one makes money from them. They are for you to read and promote.
Rhetorical question: why are you entering contests for books you aren’t interested in reading?🤷🏻♀️
Yeah, I used to sell ARCs all the time, and I still pick them up from used bookstores pretty often. No one has ever even mentioned it
Legally, yes. Morally? Grey area, depending on how long the book has been out and how many used copies are on the market.
The better question is, why are you entering ARC giveaways for books and then not reading them when you win? The whole point of those contests is for the author to gain some (hopefully positive) reviews. If you aren’t reading, you’ve just cost the author money for nothing at all. That makes you a jerk. Then, if you profit from it on top of that, you’re a dick.
If you aren’t going to read it, don’t enter the contest and let the book go to someone who WILL read it.
It’s legal to sell them, although some online platforms may choose to forbid their sale. It’s questionable if it’s ethical or not; if it were me, I’d probably give them away or donate them.
When you entered the contest you probably agreed not to sell them or at least not sell them before the books are released. If you wait until after the books are released you should have no issues. They are your personal property after all.
Why are you entering for books you don’t want?
There are a lot of trade groups on FB