Amazon quickly will not mechanically refund all e-book purchases as much as seven days after buy, in line with an announcement Thursday from The Writer’s Guild. The coverage change, scheduled to take impact by the tip of the yr, will cease readers from gobbling up books after which rapidly getting their a refund.
As a substitute, automated returns will solely be out there if readers have gotten by means of not more than 10% of an e-book. To return a ebook after studying greater than 10%, clients should undergo a lengthier evaluation course of.
“This course of will create a robust deterrent in opposition to shopping for, studying, and returning e-books inside seven days,” The Authors Guild, knowledgeable group for writers, stated in a press release, “and readers who try to abuse the return coverage will likely be penalized underneath Amazon’s insurance policies.”
Amazon did not instantly reply to a request for remark. The Authors Guild assertion did not present additional particulars on what penalties may await individuals who abuse the return system.
Authors expressed considerations over the earlier coverage as a result of it allowed folks to learn their books with out paying. The apply was unfold partly by TikTok customers who defined the best way to learn and return ebooks bought from Amazon.
One creator, Lisa Kessler, stated on Twitter in June that extreme returns underneath Amazon’s coverage prompted her to owe cash to the corporate as a substitute of incomes royalties.
“Authors must eat too,” Kessler stated.
