‘More than just objects’: Australian booksellers raise alarm over ‘horrific’ destruction of rare titles to feed AI

Delfina Manor, who runs Good Reading Secondhand Books in Benalla, Victoria, said she received orders from Zoom Books in May amounting to three full boxes, but had to write to the company and ask them not to order in such volume again.

“They ordered, paid in advance, and they didn’t quibble over the postage … [but] it would have been about 30 to 40 books, and so finding them, packing them, making sure you hadn’t missed one out … It was just driving me nuts,” Manor said.

Wut. Are you a business or a hobby? Actually, even most hobbyists I know are more detail oriented than that.

Typically both, where the business is more like (a) their legitimization of the collecting to family and friends and (b) a way to help themselves let go of books slowly, knowing the point of books is not to sit on shelves.

So an over large order of their books that won’t be read by a person is exactly the worst possible customer, rather than a boon to their business.

I get that, but it still comes across very much as much whining over nothing.

Cruella de-ville wanted 99 puppies back in the day and no one saw issue with that till it came out why…books, puppies, if you love the product, not wanting them to be used nefariously and choosing to air that moralistic stance rather than just cash in tells you a lot. This lady should be applauded.