Dear Bookstore Owner,
Over 50% of the books that people read are borrowed or bought used.
The authors receive nothing for all that usage of their works, which isn't fair.
AE provides a partial solution: an app that lets readers tip authors for specific books.
If you like the idea, you can help get it off the ground and get paid for doing so.
How You Can Help
Ask the authors you deal with to check out AE.
Display the sign below, which we will provide in an acrylic holder, at your store's register.
Initial Goal Is Proof of Concept
With a small pilot group of bookstores, we seek to answer two questions:
- Will some readers tip authors?
- Will some authors publicize AE?
If the answer is yes (in non-trivial numbers), proof of concept will be achieved and a new channel of income for authors will have a beachhead from which to grow.
Growth may follow, as more bookstores decide to help and more authors publicize the app. The incentives exist. Beyond the ethical case for promoting fairness to authors, the cash compensation for bookstores is generous and the income for authors is found money.
Bookstore Compensation
Bookstores that help receive 20% of the tips.
This 20% is shared equally among these stores.
Example: if tips total $1,000,000 and 100 stores help, each store receives $2,000.
Each store in a chain receives a separate share.
Tips may come from anywhere.
Terms may change.
Estimated Income
For the first year at least, tip volume will likely be low.
As to the potential? Who knows? GoFundMe took from 2010-2013 to reach 1 million donations. Now, there are ~63 million per year and ~$40 billion has been given.
Ultimately, over $100 million annually in tips is realistic if authors promote the app.
Of course, at this stage, estimates are fiction. In that vein, imagine $100 million annually in tips, yielding $20 million annually for bookstores. If, say, 500 stores were participating, that would equal $40,000 per store. Likewise, $1 million annually in tips would equal $400 per store.
Uncollected Tips
Some authors will not collect their tips. After 5 years, an author's uncollected tips will be distributed equally to bookstores promoting AE.