The Author Actual Moneys Project
Don't pirate. Borrow or buy used, then come here.
— Felix
The purpose of the project
Have you ever wondered how much the author actually gets from the sale of a book? Have you ever found a really great book at a second-hand book store, and then wanted to support the author, only to find out that new copies of his or her books are grotesquely expensive?
This website aims to be a catalogue of how much the author actually gets, so that you can acquire the books you want through other means (e.g. used book sales), and still support the author by sending them money directly.
At least in its early stages, I intend to put particular emphasis on college and university textbooks, because these are sold in what's called a "broken" market. A broken market essentially means that the publishers have a captive audience — the students — and because their books are required buying, they can charge whatever they want.
Needless to say, this is unfair and unwarranted. It doesn't cost those publishers nearly that much money to print the book, and not much of the sales go to the author.
No wonder so many students are turning to piracy, and we can only hope that book piracy will one day have the same effect that music and TV/film piracy has had on those industries — namely, the reduction of middle-men that are no longer needed.
But the trouble with a piracy revolution is that it does hurt the content creators (a bit). This website offers an alternative to keep the authors supported while the publishing companies go through their death throes. Don't pirate. Buy the books you want from auction sites, used book sales, second-hand book stores, or borrow them from libraries or your friends, and then come here. Look up how much the author would have gotten if you'd bought the book new, and cut them a cheque. Most of the glut comes from publishing companies, so it won't cost you much.