Comments on: More thoughts on sales, and especially on libraries

By: Saffie

Saffie — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:25:54 +0000

I tend to use the library as a kind of try-before-you-buy service. I always borrow from a library to check out any book that looks/sounds up my street. If I’ve enjoyed it, I go get it for my personal bookshelf.

On a side note, I came on here to say I borrowed Personal Demons from my library after seeing the books featured on Booksmugglers. I’ve now purchased (and read – really enjoyed them!) all three Megan books in two days and have just pre-ordered Unholy Ghosts.

By: Jackie Kessler

Jackie Kessler — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:05:18 +0000

Libraries are an author’s best friend. (Along with booksellers.)

Libraries, first of all, pay for the copies of the books they have. So yay, author gets paid!

Libraries, second of all, act as the reader’s friend and let them borrow a book. So yay, new readers get to read the author’s work!

I’m all for libraries. I’m all for people loaning other people copies of books they bought. Sharing rocks.

Sharing is not the same thing as piracy. But that’s really another topic completely.

By: darchole

darchole — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:25:39 +0000

I’d like to see some actual research done on people’s buying habits regarding books and other media. It would be nice to actually understand how libraries, second-hand bookstores (including websites) and “sharing” actually impact people’s buying habits and the author’s bottom line. You have a lot of authors who spew that all of the above are bad with nothing to back them up except maybe for the example of piracy of e-books. For my buying habits, I think that borrowing books and buying second-hand books actually increases the amount of new books I buy by finding new authors I like.
(Sharing being something completely different than piracy, my definition of sharing is that is small and based on non-monetary reasons not ‘I wouldn’t have purchased these book anyways’ mentally. Piracy is of course easy to say it’s bad, both to the author’s and to the people who utilize pirated books and ohter media, even if they themselves don’t recognize that fact.)

By: BernardL

BernardL — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:21:47 +0000

I think there’s an easy compromise available here. Just like you I read almost exclusively from books obtained on a weekly basis from the library because my family couldn’t afford to feed my reading habit. I don’t believe it would be out of line to require libraries to hold off loaning books or e-books for at least a few years. To loan them sooner why not require the library to get permission from the author. Maybe this is being done already to some extent. Until I read your posts I didn’t know there was a controversy concerning the libraries, but after checking out the subject on-line I see there certainly is.

By: Stace

Stace — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:34:28 +0000

Thanks Jackie!

And geez, don’t feel bad for not having read my books before. You don’t have to read my books to participate here.

By: Stace

Stace — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:14:09 +0000

Thanks Bernita!!

By: Stace

Stace — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:13:55 +0000

Oh, thanks so much for that comment, Roslyn! I know just what you mean. The library was the safe place, where nobody cared that the other kids picked on you or your best friend suddenly decided she hated you and told everyone how awful you were or whatever. Everyone there always seemed happy to be there, and they were nice to you because you all shared something big: reading, and books.

And huge triple dittos on that: even poor people are entitled to access to books etc. Like I said above, I buy new whenever I possibly can, because by my supporting writers and publishers I help make it possible for them to sell books to libraries, where those who can’t afford to buy can also read.

Thanks so much for sharing that.

By: Stace

Stace — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:09:28 +0000

Thanks Zanthera! Oh, and of course I agree. I think if you can afford to buy, you should, and I think if you can’t afford to buy, you should go to the library. And you should be very proud, because you’re the kind of reader who keeps us in business! I also buy, and buy new, whenever possible; the only time I buy a used book is if it’s out of print or otherwise not available new.

The way I see it, buying new books whenever possible helps support literacy for those who can’t, by making sure the business keeps running and the libraries continue having new books to stock.

By: Stace

Stace — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:01:21 +0000

Thanks, Chris! Oh, lol, I think about this stuff all the time; I think about work all the time, and this is part of that, so it’s never far from my head. I think it makes me very boring to people who don’t care about books or writing or publishing or reading, but I can’t help it, sigh.

By: Stace

Stace — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:00:03 +0000

Yep, PD, it always excites me when I hear my books are in a library. That’s a big deal to me, and I too have bought copies of books that I read in a library, or bought later books in a series after reading the first one in a library. It’s just a such a cool thing.