[redhead]

i was talking about this on another forum, and reading the "do you buy or borrow" thread here got me thinking about it.

my Sunday afternoon is usually spent at one library or another, and once a month or so, I'll how far I can make $5 go at a used bookstore (pretty far!).

by borrowing most of my books, or purchasing them used, often decades after publication, am i hurting the authors I love? as much as I read, by not spending my money on books, aren't I sending the opposite message to authors and publishers? i suddenly feel like a crappy fan.

what do you think?

[Konrad]

Most authors doesn't seem to mind were you get the book as much as how you think about them. And if you are concerned that you are making the author poor, don't worry. If the author have published books for some years then he won't get poor just because of you. :D

The best thing that you can do is to enjoy the books that you buy, whatever that may be.

[Hobbit]

Libraries open on a Sunday? Good grief.

Sounds like my idea of heaven though. ;)

It's a good point, readhead. Here in the UK, logs are kept on book borrowing and each year (usually about now!) cheques are sent to the authors for the year. It's not much - a few pence/cents per book but it can help a poor author out.

I would say further than I'm fairly sure (in a positive way) an author is happy people are just reading the stuff; the money's useful (and for some very useful!) but often the sales follow through when the word gets round. If the word isn't getting round, then an author's got no chance.

One of the downsides of the current market is that all those 3-for-2 deals may get people to try something but revenue-wise gives very little return. Therefore buying them from chainstores may not always be as good a thing as you might expect though it does position your book in the market.

The joy of libraries and second-hand bookshops for the reader is that you can find copies of books no longer available. I'm regularly shocked by the number of books I've got that you can no longer buy through Amazon or the usual places. (Try Clifford Simak, for example.)

That way the word goes round and the flame keeps burning, so to speak.

Of course, what we need to do is then pass the word round in places like this.

(Clifford Simak, anyone?)

Hobbit

[ArthurFrayn]

Is it Amazon UK that's like that, Hobbit? Because while many of his books are not in print, in general, there's a fair number of them listed on the US Amazon site:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-1178414-6551841?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=clifford+d+simak&Go.x=15&Go.y=12&Go=Go


but often the sales follow through when the word gets round.


That's always been my take on it. All an author needs, is one book to hit where everyone is buying it, and their whole catalogue can come back into print to an audience that wants to read/buy it.

[Hobbit]

Yes, sorry, Arthur: I was answering from a UK perspective, and was really thinking of UK editions. Simak, once plentiful here in the 1980's, is now pretty rare; even Heinlein and Asimov are only really available as US import. (There are a couple of exceptions, but only a couple.)

If it wasn't for places such as Amazon, it would be very hard indeed to find some of the old stuff.

Hobbit

[FicusFan]

Libraries open on a Sunday? Good grief.

Sounds like my idea of heaven though. ;)



The public and private (College) libraries in my city are all open on Sundays during the school year (public), or when classes are in session (private).

[Hobbit]

Well, that's something I didn't know. Looking at my local area, 9am (or 10am) till 7pm is a luxury Monday-Friday, and Saturday is good if we get 9am till 1pm.

Funding and all that. But then we have shopping hours on a Sunday that rarely go beyond 10am till 4pm.

University opening? Hmm. Usually need a member's card in most of the ones I know.

Hobbit

[redhead]

The public and private (College) libraries in my city are all open on Sundays during the school year
yes, where i live too. i should have mentioned that. but the "school year" is 10 months here, so i get most Sundays in the year.

Hobbot, have you tried www.alibris.com, or www.abebooks.com ? when i do buy, that's usually where i do it. Alibris specializes is out-of-print, and Abe is a independent bookstore broker/connection place. and I've seen UK sources on both websites.

. . . me thinks i aughta start posting book reviews here. give a big ole shout-out to all the authors i love.

[Hobbit]

Thanks Redhead; yes, I have (and do, far too regularly!) :)

My point was that to buy a new copy in print in the UK is regularly very difficult; however libraries, the internet and good ol' secondhand bookstores (also an increasing rarity here in the UK) help support my illness - sorry, addiction. :D

I have UK and US accounts at Amazon for example to help; I would also recommend abebooks, if people are looking for recommendations.

Hobbit

[FicusFan]

Well, that's something I didn't know. Looking at my local area, 9am (or 10am) till 7pm is a luxury Monday-Friday, and Saturday is good if we get 9am till 1pm.

Funding and all that. But then we have shopping hours on a Sunday that rarely go beyond 10am till 4pm.

University opening? Hmm. Usually need a member's card in most of the ones I know.

Hobbit

Public hours are 9:00 am to 9:00 pm M-F, Sat: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sun 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Sometimes they make changes. Money is an issue here too, but because it is tied to education, its not an easy service to cut.

There are two private colleges in town, and they have a good neighbor community policy. If you are a resident you can use the library and the computer center I think. Not many in the community know about it, so it doesn't really burden them. It just allows them to accommodate those who come looking.

Also the libraries are part of the inter-library loan system in the state, so you can borrow their books through your local library, just as their students can borrow from the other libraries in the state.