Reading fee

Today, an announcement of best-selling author Th. J. (“Joker”) Wehlim, stating that there will be an additional reading fee for his books, caused considerable irritation. In an interview in the New York Times, Wehlim reported plans to implement a registration process for all persons having bought one of his books, and then to collect a reading fee. Wehlim argued, that buying one of his books does only imply the right to possess the book, i.e. to place it somewhere on a shelf, but not to read it. Therefore, an additional fee of $10 each year could be viewed as appropriate. Amazon had already agreed to track all orders of Wehlim’s book for this purpose.

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