Is bulk buying your own book morally wrong?

Mark Dawson’s new thriller The Cleaner has reached number eight in the Sunday Times hardback list. That is an amazing achievement for any author, but what if the path to get there involves buying 400 copies of your own book? 

Dawson claimed that once he noticed he was at number 13 on the list, so close to the top 10, he began to think of ways to get further up the list. He gathered responses from readers worldwide and about 400 people in the US said they would buy the book from him directly. Because of this, Dawson claims he was only fulfilling orders by purchasing copies of his own book. 

So, what he did was not illegal or against the rules. But this doesn’t mean it is morally correct. Many authors have taken to social media to voice their opinions about how disingenuous this action was. While 400 copies may not sound like a life-changing amount, it is almost a quarter of the sales for this particular book. 

Many people believe that too much pressure is put onto getting to the top of the charts

A few days after this information came out, Dawson’s book was removed from the top 10 and put back to number 13 on the list. This shows that what he did is considered wrong by the majority. Although he can’t be penalised for his actions in the form of a fine, he has been demoted down in the charts. So, buying his own books hasn’t achieved the goal he had in mind. 

Many people believe that too much pressure is put onto getting to the top of the charts. While this is true in a way, being a successful author should not be defined by what number your book is in the charts. This being said, getting a high ranking is a sign of achievement to many authors. Yes, it shouldn’t always be about the number of sales, however it can be much more rewarding when you can physically see how popular and successful your new book is. 

The average salary for UK authors is £10,500 a year. This is much lower than most professions. Dawson spent £3,600 on his own books, so he must earn a lot more than the average salary. Hence, less privileged authors would not be able to afford to do this even if they wanted to. This shows that while it isn’t illegal, it is morally wrong, as it is only an option to the wealthier portion of authors. 

Even after all this criticism, Dawson doesn’t want to admit that what he did was wrong

Due to Dawson’s actions, another author was kicked off the top 10. This may have been someone who worked extremely hard to get there. While some people would say it doesn’t matter where you are in the charts, in a way it does. A study has shown that being in the New York Times bestseller list as a debut author can increase your sales by up to 57%. Being recognised as having a bestseller will help with sales and popularity. 

Even after all this criticism, Dawson doesn’t want to admit that what he did was wrong. He said: “If I was intent on ‘gaming the system’ I would have bought 10k copies, sat on them forever and been number one. (I wouldn’t have discussed it on a popular podcast, either.)”

Overall, I think it is down to personal interpretation, however most people would agree that Dawson’s actions were morally and ethically wrong. On top of everything else, it can be damaging to the author’s reputation as some readers will choose to not buy from an author who is not genuine.