I notice that an ARC of Holy Moly is for sale on eBay. I'm not happy about that, but at least it gives me a topic to talk about.

For those of you who don't know, an ARC is an advance reading copy. Several months before a book comes out, publishers print ARCs to send to reviewers, bookstore owners, and other bigwig decision-makers in the industry. They are not intended for the general public.

ARCs are paperbacks that typically say "Not for resale" somewhere on the cover. Some people sell them anyway. Or they give them to someone else who decides to sell them. If you search other authors' sites, you'll find that the sale of ARCs is a hotly debated topic. Some people contend that if an ARC is GIVEN to someone, it's theirs to do with what they want. Others say that there is an unspoken agreement between the publisher and the recipient, with the recipient agreeing not to sell the ARC.

It's like a record company giving an advance copy of an album to a radio station, so the station can get a sneak preview. You wouldn't expect a DJ or a program director to turn around and sell the album, but I guess it happens in that industry, too.

Here's the deal from an author's perspective: We don't get any royalty at all when somebody sells an ARC. That's especially painful when the ARC is sold BEFORE the hardback comes out. Theoretically, each ARC sale means one less hardback sale. (I should point out that most people who buy ARCs are unaware of these facts.)

It probably sounds like a quibble--one little ARC on eBay. Especially when you learn that the seller who is offering the ARC is a friends-of-the-library organization. Their sales benefit a particular library. But I couldn't help noticing that they have 61 items for sale at the moment, and 51 of those items are ARCs. (They obviously have a connection with a local reviewer.) They are potentially denying 51 authors of royalties. And that's just one store on eBay. I'm afraid to investigate any further.

Any thoughts on this? Am I being unreasonable?