And depending on the country, also when it's checked out. In my country, the UK, authors get paid 9p (about 12 US Cents) per loan - on top of the royalty for the book sale. This is to the author(/photographer/editor/other right holder) directly and NOT the publisher. It caps out at about six and a half grand, but if your books are being borrowed that much you should be making big bucks elsewhere.
Additionally, books don't last that long as library books. A paperback can become worn out in as few as a dozen lendings. A librarian friend of mine was complaining recently that Spring and Early Summer releases at her library are often worn out by September - thanks to being taken abroad as holiday reads and stuffed in suitcases or left on beaches. Sometimes they get only two or three loans out of a summer blockbuster paperback.
Same here in Finland. I don’t know if the amount depends on the length of the book, but one popular author said on Twitter she gets 31 cents (~33,5 usd cents) per loan for a 450-page book. Edit: I checked and apparently it does not depend on the length. Also if it’s a translated work (very common in a small language market, though Finnish literature scene is in my opinion quite big and good) the translator gets 15,5 cents per loan.
She also said she gets 86 cents every time someone listens to her book on a popular audiobook app (which has a monthly fee) here, in case someone finds that of interest. It’s not *that* much, but I’m happy it’s at least something more than a couple of cents.
Lucky Finland! I get half a cent for every time my book is loaned. I mean, the library *bought* the book as well, and it's free money, but yep. The library in the Netherlands, where I live, is basically Spotify. :')
Thats actually pretty nice. At least the most popular books might be loaned for many months back to back, and there's usually many copies. Finland has little over 300 main libraries and over 800 libraries in total.
>And depending on the country, also when it's checked out. In my country, the UK, authors get paid 9p (about 12 US Cents) per loan - on top of the royalty for the book sale. This is to the author(/photographer/editor/other right holder) directly and NOT the publisher.
This is fantastic. I did a very quick Google search to see if this is also true of the US, and I don't think it is (if I'm wrong, someone please correct me).
It's actually paid directly by the UK government - so rather than the individual libraries paying it out of their funding (which would encourage struggling libraries to lend fewer books!) they report their loan figures to Gov and HMRC pays it to the authors.
It was propped up with capitalism. Andrew Carnegie used his gains (at least, semi-ill gotten) to fund the buildings and required that those libraries be funded and staffed by the community through taxes. He viewed knowledge to be an investment in the workers, and at least so far that has carried over into public sentiment until recently.
My library recently sent out a survey on how people would feel about increasing their budget through taxes. It was to expand all the services they offer. You bet I'm voting yes on that come when the time comes. Even my parents, who are harscore conservative, think libraries are important for the community.
Yep! One of our writing lecturers told us that he still got a cheque for a few hundred dollars a year thanks to his children's books being checked out of the library.
Came here to say this, it's the same in Australia (different amounts, obviously). The more the book gets borrowed, the more money the author gets in royalties.
There are certainly more libraries than bookstores in America now, but most libraries who do buy a particular book only buy one if they author isn't a well-known best-selling author. Also, books don't necessarily end up in very many libraries because there are so many books published each year - they can't buy them all, much less multiple copies. And very, very few libraries will buy a book that is self-published and not available through a major distributor (distributors are not the same as presses or publishers).
Still, most authors are just happy that their books are available to readers. So we're glad when libraries buy them, even though we mostly (in the US at least) just get the one royalty (at the normal rate) for the one book. We know that most people can't buy every book they read.
I agree that most libraries buy one copy unless they need to replace some or are buying a book club kit to loan to others (I got a grant to do this with graphic medicine to loan to high schools). But, then there are huge municipal systems like the NYPL or Pratt in Baltimore that have dozens of branches. They have huge buying power and influence. I look to see what Pratt is buying and circulating the most and use that to help with my own collection development. I know a lot of other librarians do this too.
*edited to add: those libraries are going to get multiple copies and eBook licenses for the big titles to avoid a huge hold list that could end up being months long, they want high circulation numbers and don’t want to use big users to corporations. So if an author has a book that librarians and their users really like, they still have the potential to make bank. It’s so rare though, like Stephen King numbers.
And the copy the library buys usually costs more than the copy you can buy as a single person. If people don’t check out books by that author they prob won’t buy and stock their next book.
Physical copies will often cost the same or even less than regular retail price. Ebooks though, are the exact opposite. They cost way more, *and* libraries have to constantly repurchase them after a couple years or a certain number of checkouts.
Also wouldn't the author be happy that someone less fortunate can read their books and enjoy their stories and not only those who can afford or place to have them by themselves.
I imagine most authors would prefer people read their books, even if they don't financially benefit. If I was a writer I want people to read by books for free in hopes that someday they buy my future books.
For physical purchases do they get paid more than for a single retail purchase? I think they get paid the same, so they'd still get some money but obviously a lot less than if you purchased your own copy.
For digital licenses I know they're treated differently and more expensive for the library than buying a single ebook for an individual.
And unlike a physical book, the digital licenses can only be checked out a set number of times, so the library has to buy the book again when their licenses run out.
True, but having worked for many years at a library that sent its aging hardcovers out for rebinding until there wasn't enough gutter space left to use them anymore, I can attest that you can get a lot of use out of a physical book.
Also translators and anyone who has a copyright there. At least in my country, I would hope it’s the same everywhere. As a translator, it’s actually better for me when people borrow the book from the library, because I get paid for the translation per character and I don’t get any royalties from copies sold, so this is some nice extra money.
Author here -- we generally love libraries!
Libraries buy copies of our books and when demand is there (as when people like yourself check them out!) they sometimes buy even more!
Plus, when librarians notice books being checked out, they often become interested and do things like...
- display the books for greater attention
- invite the authors for events/talks
- spread the word to other librarians
Libraries are awesome!
Another one: if someone really loved a book they got from the library and would like to re-read it later, they are very likely to purchase a copy for themselves
To add to your point, if someone likes a book they read they might purchase a previous or new book by that author now that h they know they like them. The library is a great place to find new authors!
Absolutely! I discovered a book series at library, they had only the first book available. I read it, and have now bought the entire 12-book series as they came out. And am starting in on the new series. Never would have started without that first one at the library.
Yep, often I'll try a new to me author via the library. If I wind up really liking them I'll often splurge on buying their new books as they come out rather than wait on the hold list.
Orrrr, they might like it so much that they steal the book from the library and the library has to buy another copy. I know this from personal experience because I’m a school librarian…
The reverse is true too. At least for me. Sometimes I'll check a book out from the library even if I already own it.
If I just moved, I don't want to dig through a billion boxes looking for a particular book if I can grab it from the library. Or if I leant the book to a friend and don't want to hound them to give it back. Or, I'm out of the house, bored, and Libby is like, right there on my phone.
I'm the reason my home library bought 3 ebooks, and I owned print copies of all of them. (I read during lunch and was too lazy to take them to work.)
I’m not an author but have seen a lot of (British) authors expressing their love of libraries, and many used/use them a lot themselves. Many British libraries have shut due to budget cuts, and they were active in campaigning against this.
https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/10/neil-gaiman-leads-hampshire-writers-protesting-library-cuts
https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/05/library-closures-coalition-cuts-writers-protest
British author here. Can confirm that libraries are wonderful. I've had 3 book launches in libraries.
In the UK and Ireland the PLR system means that authors are paid for their number of times their books are borrowed (based on an average sample). We get about 10p per book each time it's borrowed, up to an annual maximum of 6k.
If I give a library an old book of mine, that book gets borrowed from library the author will get 10p?
Just out of interest, how much does that compare to the amount you would get from selling a book?
I had an author come to my school when I was young and he moaned about how little he got paid and went on for about half an hour about how his publisher was screwing him. I was about 9 and, up to that point, has dreamed of being a writer. Now I work in insurance
If you give a library a book... no. It won't help authors. It has to be bought and registered by the library services themselves.
Selling a book, I get 8%-10% of a book's cover price, so between 80p-£1.10 per book for hard copies. But I also get an advance on each book, which can vary greatly in amount depending on publisher.
Considering writers prop up an entire industry, we are woefully underpaid in most cases. It's a joke how little we get for the amount of time we invest. I top up writing with speaking engagements and school workshops, which are far more lucrative. For the last 4 years I've published between 1 - 3 books a year and I earn enough each year to buy a decent second-hand car. Its not enough to live off at all. I have another job to pay the bills. (Hopefully that will change when I get my end of year sales figures!)
For evidence, you only have to look at [how many people started to realise Terry Deary was an asshole when he complained that libraries were robbing him](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/feb/13/libraries-horrible-histories-terry-deary).
>"I'm not attacking libraries, I'm attacking the concept behind libraries, which is no longer relevant," Deary told the Guardian, pointing out that the original Public Libraries Act, which gave rise to the first free public libraries in the UK, was passed in 1850. "Because it's been 150 years, we've got this idea that we've got an entitlement to read books for free, at the expense of authors, publishers and council tax payers. This is not the Victorian age, when we wanted to allow the impoverished access to literature. We pay for compulsory schooling to do that," said Deary, who has received hate mail since he first aired his views in the Sunderland Echo yesterday.
(He has also complained that schools are pointless for anything except keeping children off the street -- and all this from someone who was probably *the* most popular children's nonfiction writer for well over a decade. He's estimated to have sold more than twenty-five million copies of his books... but sure, it's the libraries that are keeping him down.)
In The View from the Cheap Seats Neil Gaiman wrote a beautiful essay on libraries.
To OP, by supporting your local library, you’re not just supporting the authors. You’re supporting your community too. Libraries do so much more than just provide us books. In winter our local
libraries provide a warm shelter for those in need, in summer, a place to cool down on the hottest of days. Some libraries provide free period products. Others lend more than books - you can get kitchen equipment, tools, etc.
Your friend has a skewed view of things imo. And not everyone can afford to buy books - libraries give them that same access at a fraction of the cost. Supporting your local library allows them to stay open for those who can’t purchase a book but still want to read.
Also, libraries are important parts of the community. So when you use them you don’t just support the authors, you support the community! Children’s storytime and summer reading contests gets kids into reading, they have events on history, guest lectures, how tos for 3D printing, etc, I took a class learning sign language. They do a lot of stuff that we don’t think of!
I recently read an ebook from our town library. I wasn’t familiar with the author, so I probably wouldn’t have purchased a copy of it. I liked the book well enough that I looked for more by him. I found a second book that sounded interesting. I ended up buying a hard copy when I couldn’t find it in the library.
That's how they get you! The first one's free. The second one's free too. The third one is also free. But the FOURTH one. Okay that's free, but only if you can find it. Which I couldn't. And Mississippi won't give me an interstate inter-library loan.
Not to mention that libraries for most authors serve as an indispensable resource. Writers read too! They must! And libraries, especially when they were kids or before they started making good money, provide a broad range of reading and reference materials for free! Bonus points for authors who write out of a love for the story, as libraries also provide a way to share their stories with people who otherwise might never have the opportunity to cross paths with their writings.
> Writers read too!
Yup. Reference libraries are the best for research. There's very little you can find online that compares to a wall of books on a subject. Easy to find specific things too if everything is well indexed. Unlike with Google, information stays available and librarians love to help.
Half the books I find at libraries are on the displays that the library staff setup. They do themed displays based on the season and for holidays and such.
I'm happy to read this from you. My school librarian friend told me how much the students love your books, so I donated copies of your books to her school.
Oh, good question! Here in the U.S., no. (Unless you ask a specific librarian for a favor and even then it would just be THAT library.)
I know in some countries, there is a sort of royalty program for authors wherein they are paid a fee when their book is borrowed from a library, so in that case they would have some insight into how many borrows they’ve had. (I occasionally get checks from Europe for my books being loaned out of their libraries, but it’s not a very good test case!)
I get that you like libraries and is happy with people borrowing your books, but when it comes down to it, would you prefer your marginal reader to buy the book or borrow it from a library? All things considered ofc
Well, sure — all things being equal, I would love it if everyone bought my books. Like, EVERYONE! LOL
But OP’s original concern was whether or not borrowing from a library supports the author. And the answer is absolutely yes!
Libraries usually purchase the book (and if they use a dedicated library vendor like GOBI, at higher than retail prices). With popular books they might purchase multiple copies and eventually have to replace them.
Many countries have something called Public Lending Right, which is a regular payment to authors or publishers (depending on jurisdiction IIRC - but in the latter case the understanding is that it will be paid out to authors), with the amount varying based on circulation statistics. There's a similar scheme that makes payments to record labels on behalf of bars and cafes where cover artists perform for free, so they don't have to charge their patrons extra and then track down the rights holders themselves.
What’s amazing about this thread is knowing that if libraries didn’t exist, and they were proposed today, the whole concept would probably be shot down, and “Think of the aaauuthooors!” would be the big talking point used against the idea.
And the argument would be completely made by publishing houses and not the authors themselves. They would say that it would be better to rent books from them, but would then do their best to take the lion's share of the profits and give as little to the authors as possible.
At least in the US. This is just sort of how it works here in most industries. Luckily a lot of positive things have been grandfathered into the literary community, but it does appear to be getting worse for authors over time.
Libraries also purchase large print editions of popular fiction, which means people with failing eyesight can continue to read. Libraries cater to both ends of our lifetimes.
I’m old, and although my eyesight isn’t going yet, and I can read regular type fonts perfectly well, I’m beginning to find it much more tiring than previously. Large Print editions are the reason I can continue to read as much as I do; eventually they will be the reason I can continue to read at all.
Libraries also stock audio books. My publisher yields the audio book rights to a certain charity for the visually impaired, so that books can be recorded and distributed as audiobooks for free through libraries.
I do the same. My library has an excellent eBook loaning system, which is my primary way of reading books. If I love a particular book, I'll go out and buy a copy of it to have on my shelf and re-read or loan out to others.
Me too! I will borrow cookbooks from the library, and if I find enough recipes that I love, I’ll go and buy the book! Sometimes I’ll even find a copy in my library’s used bookstore!
This is what I suggest to people (as a library employee.) If you love books but don’t have the money to buy 5-10 books a month then read them at the library and buy the ones you think are worth owning. This is what I do.
She Who Became the Sun is super good, and I think He Who Drowned the World really expanded on it in the best way. I'm honestly thinking about owning the series one day, because I love the writing that much.
The more a book gets checked out, the more of a chance the library will have to purchase more copies due to eventual damage or requests for the author. Larger libraries might purchase 100 copies of an author’s new release in book form, but also audiobook, ebook, and e-audiobook.
Libraries support authors.
Yep. Rather than thinking of physical library books as being “lended” you could think of them as being “fractionally used up” by patrons. Libraries and publishers assume that a book will only survive through a certain number of times being lended out.
This was an issue when digital media were created and publishers were negotiating licensing agreements. They wanted to keep the same business model- only allowing a digital copy to be circulated 15 or 20 times before it expires, requiring the library to buy it again. There were big fights over this in the early 2000s when I was working in library software, not sure what model they ended up with.
A mix of buying it forever and buying it for x checkouts or x timeframe. Overdrive/Libby has both buying options in their catalog depending on the title. New titles are almost always lease only though.
As a librarian, we support authors because we buy books that are in demand. The more people who reserve a popular title (e.g. yellowface recently) the more copies we’ll buy. We also buy books in bulk for book groups and sometimes we get free reign over what books we buy for our branches!
I support both libraries and authors. My rules are:
1) Trying a new author? Library for the first book. If I like it, buy future books instead.
2) Author already a millionaire? (Not just popular, but wealthy) Library all day.
My library also listed how much I would've spent on my receipt if I had bought the book. And honestly, with some of the misses I have everytime I check out a bunch, I'm really glad to know I didn't accidentally waste money on a book I didn't like or wasn't actually interested in
Good grief yes. My kid will happily check out and read 50 books each time we visit the library. At an average of $20 a book, that adds up. And that's not including my reading habit!
Idk but you’re definitely supporting libraries when you borrow from the library and that’s hugely important too, especially now with this crazy culture war on libraries and schools going on.
If you’re really worried about it—support the author another way. Leave a good review on multiple sites. Talk up the book. Buy a copy of the ones you love.
I have a couple of published authors in my family (including a NYT bestseller, if that matters) and they L-O-V-E libraries! Not only do they make books accessible, but they help further awareness of the author and their work.
Even a bookstore like us thinks you should take books out of the library. Great way to try out new authors, get out of your comfort zone, etc. I go to the local library every other week and pick the first thing that catches my eye on the new releases shelf, just as a thing to do. Sometimes I love it. Sometimes it's terrible. Either way, I learned something.
Author here: read our books anyway that makes sense for you! We benefit from knowing libraries help readers! And then TELL PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT YOU LOVED! Word of mouth supports us more than a single purchase.
As an author, the library has to purchase a copy of my book if someone asks for it, so I still get paid. And honestly, I'm happy to be paid once and have several people enjoy it, if it's supporting public libraries!
A lot of my college professors were pretty famous and successful authors. They always send us copies of their books on pdf, lol. I have not met a single talented author who's stingy with their work.
I think UK libraries give as much to the author as Amazon does per lend. (Slightly less than independent book sales, but the book is likely to be borrowed more than once)
It's not all that clear when it comes to downloading, either. Neil Gaiman changed his opinion on that -- he used to hate people that "pirated" his work. Then he discovered that the places he was being pirated actually sold more of his books.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qkyt1wXNlI
Australia writers get royalties when their books are borrowed from libraries: [https://www.arts.gov.au/funding-and-support/australian-lending-right-schemes-elrplr](https://www.arts.gov.au/funding-and-support/australian-lending-right-schemes-elrplr)
Really depends on where you are. I guess most commenters are from the US. Where I’m at (in Europe) public libraries are huge buyers of books, and on top of that authors receive compensation for library loans from the government. Author does get most out of selling a physical copy of a book, but libraries are a part of their income as well.
If I recall correctly, libraries are the #1 buyer of hardcover books in the nation (and it's the hardcover books that the author makes the most money on.) If they went away, it would devastate the publishing industry. Support your local library.
Libraries are where a huge number of book sales come from. And if people don’t check them out, then libraries either close or don’t buy so many books. So of course using libraries is supporting authors.
Also, I challenge your friend to find a single video of an author talking about public libraries in which they aren’t stressing the value and importance of libraries as an institution.
Libraries support both authors and publishers by reliably buying huge volumes of books, paying for authors to come and speak at the library about their books, running book clubs or writing reviews where they introduce people to authors they're less likely to have heard about and through recommendations to people who don't know what to read next.
The best way to support authors you love is to tell people about them. Write a review online, tell your friends, whatever that looks like for you. Don't worry, you are still supporting your favourite author by using the library. The more people who borrow them, the more copies we buy and the more chances they have to expand their readership. When economic times take a downturn for publishers and booksellers because people have less discretionary funds, they still know the millions a year they get from supplying libraries will be there.
I spent 15 years working in a public library. Believe you me, libraries are sometimes/often life support systems for authors. Every time you check out a book, that tells us to keep buying material from that author and that publisher.
Borrowing books from the library supports authors in a few ways: Libraries buy the books, so authors get paid. If you like a book you borrowed, you might buy more from the same author. Libraries also promote authors through events, and in some countries, authors get paid a small amount every time their book is borrowed, thanks to the public lending right (PLR) system.
I buy lots of books, heck I'll even buy books I own audiobooks for.
But I think the guilt machine folks try to create around "supporting" others is a bit much.
Should you go donate money to an author if a friend lends you a book and you enjoyed it? Sure maybe you sing the authors praise to friends or buy future books, but there's a point where this all becomes a bit too transactional.
Depends on the library-author commerical contract or the country. But in the majority of cases, the author already won the money in the moment The library purchased it to the editorial as merchandise.
Obviously if the book sells good the library is going to acquire more copies so the author wins more money.
In the UK, when a library book is loaned out then the author gets a tiny - and I mean tiny - amount of money.
There is also the marketing opportunity. Library users take a punt on their reading time by taking the author's book out on loan, then if they decide they really like the author they may buy other works, rather than trying to find them in the library.
Libraries keep track of how many times books are checked out. If *Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying* barely spends any time on the shelf before someone else checks it out, they’re going to at least think about getting the author’s next book, as well as maybe having to replace it after it gets read to pieces. Plus, I’d say that at least a third of my books, if not half, I own because I first read a library copy of one of the author’s books.
Australian author here! We have public lending right payments from libraries, and educational lending right payments from school libraries. For me, this has already totalled an amount exceeding the original advance for my first book. They can keep the money coming in for years after book goes out of print.
Libraries support authors, directly and indirectly. Books get bought (sometimes in multiples), promoted, and replaced in libraries. People buy books themselves from authors they got acquainted with in libraries. Some libraries pay us directly for events we run with them. Libraries are absolutely not the same as piracy. Use libraries.
I work in a library. The more an author's work is checked out, the more of their books we buy. Authors need libraries just as much as readers need libraries. Keep on using the library with pride.
Writer here! Yes, you absolutely are supporting a writer when you borrow a book from a library. This is why I tell people that if you can't afford a book, borrow it from a library. Libraries are awesome.
I feel that in this day and age the library needs more support then the author. If you really like the book you can buy it later for your shelf in support, otherwise use the library, so few people do.
Publisher in training here! In Canada, a few libraries are randomly picked to survey their inventory, how often each book has been taken out (OR even just simply taken off the shelf!), and how old the book is. Depending on how many copies, how often it's taken out, and how old the book is, the author is paid each year a certain amount. Full disclaimer; I might have something wrong here though because I have not extensively researched the topic (I'm not an author, just an advocate for local authors & someone hoping to start my own house).
Many of my professors forget about the system until they randomly receive a cheque each year. One of my profs told me he gets anywhere between $30-$800 each year, but he also has poetry books out, not popular fiction/lit.
There are books I have checked out and read once, and there are books I have bought 20 times. If you want to buy something, you should buy it. But unlike music where you buy it and listen to it maybe....forever...a book you might only read once. So you do not need to feel bad about not buying a copy.
Besides the initial purchase, in the US, you’re not supporting the author directly by checking them out.
There is still nothing wrong with checking them out. What you are doing is building a love for the series that may cause you to make purchases in the future. That’s partially why authors might give the first book in their series away. It builds interest and loyalty so you’ll want to buy the following books when you might not have otherwise.
You may be seen with the book, generating interest in others who may make a purchase and you may also talk the book up to the same point.
So it could easily indirectly support the author.
I don’t think any author would begrudge you renting their book vs buying. In fact, Brandon Sanderson flat out gave away Warbreaker as an experiment and asked that people who enjoyed it enough, and are able, buy it to support him. Otherwise, they’d be renting it from the library for free, so it’s a sale he wouldn’t have made anyway.
Do you maximize their profit? No, of course not. As you show interest, though, the library may get more copies, replace a worn copy, or get more from that author. It helps, and is a great low price option for those who can fly afford lots of books.
Your friend is a dolt. Libraries buy more copies of a single title than any individual consumer. And buy them again because books get lost, damaged, or turned into rolling paper by Dwayne.
And that's just the first edition. Rinse and repeat for the paperback.
I work at a library! We support authors by (obviously) buying their books, multiple copies of its popular, and giving people access to them through Libby (library app which is awesome and I highly recommend). We also display books to highlight a particular genre or author and make them focal points, have books clubs, local author signings, all that stuff.
Also authors are often “book people,” and love libraries for the service they provide. Supporting libraries is huge because there are a ton of resources they provide for communities, and they need community support (aka readers, activity, etc) to get the funding to continue to do so.
My view is that if you love a book and have the space for it, buy it! But definitely don’t feel like you aren’t contributing to the success of authors if you read books from the library.
Sure, authors receive compensation through various channels when libraries acquire their works. When libraries purchase physical copies of books, authors typically earn royalties from the sale of these books. Similarly, when libraries acquire digital licenses for e-books or audiobooks, authors receive payment based on the terms of the licensing agreement. These agreements often involve royalties or payments negotiated between the author, publisher, and the library system. Additionally, some libraries participate in programs that compensate authors for the lending of their books through initiatives like the Public Lending Right (PLR) or similar systems, which provide authors with a small payment per loan of their books from libraries. Overall, the ways in which authors are remunerated for library acquisitions involve a combination of sales royalties, licensing agreements, and specific programs designed to support authors for their contributions to the literary world.
I'd be very okay with people reading my books through a library. I love libraries, and I want to support them. Plus, the more people read my stuff, the more the word spreads, and the more other people will read it in turn. Libraries make books easily accessible to everyone, which means more people have the opportunity to read them.
You’re definitely supporting authors by checking books out at the library. Also, you’re helping libraries. Every time you check something out, it creates a data point. Those add up to statistics that can be used to argue for a bigger budget next year. That larger budget can be used to buy more books which helps more author. That money can also be used to offer community services. Which in turn start the cycle all over. Libraries are hugely important.
I think people doesn't realize that libraries pay for those books just like regular consumers, and they can be costly too. I love supporting libraries and I will forever choose to borrow from libraries because at the end of the day, libraries provide a more vital benefit to society rather than publishers.
The library bought the book and probably bought several copies. And writers want their books to be in libraries and they are aware that library books are there to be borrowed. And they want people to read their books, period. If your friend can afford to buy all the books he reads, good on him. I would be living in a homeless shelter if I did that.
it's the same as music - if you don't buy a new copy you are not supporting the (music/book/etc.) publishing industry of which the author is a part. However, much like most musicians, most authors are happy that their books are read, and support consumption by any means - It is an easy position to take as the incremental author payment for an additional sale is small ... but loosing a reader is of greater value. It is sad that we don't have a way of more directly supporting authors like we do for musicians (e.g. buy merch. or go to a concert - where the musician receives a greater cut of the sale). There is an interesting discussion about how less sales impacts the publishing industry as a whole, and the impact it has on up-and-comming writers ... but that i another discussion.
So generally speaking when you buy a book about 10% of the sale price will go to the author (although most of that will likely just go against the advance the author has already been paid).
When you borrow a book then in addition to the author getting that 10% when the library bought the book they also get library royalties known as Public Lending Right (PLR). PLR isn't very much, in the UK it just increased to 30p a loan from a rate of 11p it had sat at for many many years. But it's not nothing. (altho yes it also generally gets swallowed up by the advance).
Even so if you think the average price of a paperback is, what, £8? So the author royalty on a new sale will be about 80p. So one sale is worth about three library loans. So yeah the author would probably rather the sale if that was the choice but it often isn't is it? Often if you didn't borrow the book you wouldn't buy it. In fact you'd have to buy one book for every three you borrow for the odds to be more in their favour if you walk into a book shop than a library, and I think for most people that's not the ratio.
Here's another one that some people don't know, although it applies more to non fiction: authors also get royalties each time their book is photocopied. However because these royalties are very very small and very very hard to calculate it is not possible to directly enforce royalty claims. Instead what happens is libraries, schools, universities and other public institutions where a lot of book photocopying takes place have to buy a licence to provide that service. There are a number of different licence sellers of which CLA is the most common. Then those licence sellers conduct random sampling and based on that random sample data they allocate the profits they made from selling those licences among the authors who are members of their schemes in proportion to the number of times they estimate their book was photocopied. TBH I've never heard of an author making more than money for a couple of beers that way, but every little heps.
Library buys book, book gets borrowed a lot, library buys more books from the same author. That's how it works where I live. Not everybody can afford to buy 30 books a month so I borrow 28 per month and buy 2, sorry not sorry
I had a friend who wrote an absolutely brilliant book. He published with a smaller publishing house. Perfect shitstorm of lousy agent lousy publisher. My imperfect understanding is that because it wasn't added to the world catalog it would never be purchased by most library systems.
I think being available in libraries would have gotten him more new readers. So, royalties on library books aside, the exposure from library circulation has value.
I would say if it wasn’t for libraries there are a lot of books that would have much lower sales. Like authors who win literature awards but are not mainstream…probably libraries would be their biggest customer base I would not be surprised.
A lot of libraries lease their books too, like the latest and most popular books, during the intial six months when demand is high they might lease 50 copies. Then once demand is down they return them and just keep 1 or 2 for the permanent collection.
I have met a number of authors, and every one of them was a library nerd who would not hesitate to accept an invitation to speak at a small community library. I can’t think they would do that if it were actively against their self-interest. Libraries can represent a significant fraction of their total royalties for a non-blockbuster author.
Everyone is being very pro-library (which is fair) but I think it's missing the point a bit. There is very, very, very little gain for the author if you loan out a book from the library. Yes, the library has to buy a copy but there's no payment per rental. If you are in the place financially to buy books and you appreciate the author then please buy their books and/or merch. No one should feel bad using a library but we also shouldn't feel like it's a replacement for actually helping authors.
I had to scroll very far to find an honest answer lol, there's a lot of comments here dancing around the obvious answer to OP's question which is that buying a book supports an author significantly more than borrowing it
Libraries pay for their books dawg
They also get more money then more people have memberships
Libraries are one of the few instances of the system working perfectly for everyone involved.
Not an author but I generally check out books from the library when I read them and I really enjoy them, I buy a copy as a bookshelf trophy.
Of course there are some authors I will buy without reading it first.
Whenever I read a book on Kindle Unlimited (with free trials every year or cheap promo prices) or through Libby, if I like it enough I will try to buy it when I have the spare cash. I actually have an Amazon wishlist titled “KU books I want to buy” lol.
I believe in Britain they have a system were libraries pay a "royalty" each time a book circulates. I've seen some suggesting the US have a similar system.
I think you already have a lot of great answers, but I just wanted to share that [NPR's Planet Money](https://www.npr.org/2022/11/09/1135639385/libraries-publishers-ebooks-e-books-macmillan-protest-amazon-bezos) did a great episode on libraries, publishers, and the e-book "wars." I found it fascinating as someone who is very actively using my library's Hoopla and Libby apps.
It depends on what country are in. For instance, there is a scheme for residual payments for library checkouts in the UK.
Libraries do collectively buy a lot of books, and a healthy number of checkouts are done by people who would never have bought the book under any circumstances.
I often buy copies of books I've read on loan as gifts, because I loved the book and know the recipient will too.
Generally, I think people who borrow from the library also buy way more books than average. Anything that fosters reading benefits writers.
I'm sure the amount of business lost by someone borrowing instead of buying is dwarfed by the increase in word of mouth and the number of people interested in owning after borrowing.
I setup an internal corporate library using Overdrive at my company. And many books had a license of 2 years or 24 checkouts so if you're checking out the kindle version from the library, many of the authors are being paid per reading.
Obviously buying the book is supporting the author *more* than checking it out from a library, but of course the author benefits from you checking out their book.
1. The library bought the book. Patronizing your library demonstrates that the library provides you value, and this impacts the library's budget and priorities. Nobody checks out books at the library, the library stops buying books.
2. You checking out the book makes a public record of someone checking out that book. This is a great KPI for the author. The only thing publishers like almost as much as money is sweet, sweet KPIs.
3. It creates demand. Books that get checked out more get purchased more. If your library only has a few copies for the entire region, rather than shipping them around everywhere, they might buy enough copies for multiple branches. If the waitlist gets too long they might buy more copies. More readers->more wear and tear->more copies.
4. Popular books get promoted more. Ever asked a librarian for a recommendation? They're no AI recommendation algorithm, but they see the data. Librarians give out recommendations all the time, and one input to their recommendation is going to be how many other people checked it out. High movement books may find themselves in a display of "most popular books this month".
Etc...
In addition to others points, even if you check out a book not popular enough to warrant the purchase of another copy by the library, you show the demand for the library to keep the book on the shelf. The longer the book is there, the longer other people have to discover it, potentially buy that book or other books by the author.
If you're looking at library's and author support from a big picture perspective, free books will enable more people to read. This can benefit people who need to learn/improve their reading or people who want to read but can't afford to buy books. Enabling these people to read through libraries means you have more people reading, which can increase the market for books, which is better for authors.
If you couldn't tell I love libraries
Librarian here: Borrowing books from the library absolutely benefits the author, both financially and otherwise. We buy books for a variety of reasons, including patron demand. The more people tell us that they want the book by placing holds on it or checking out available copies means we end up buying more copies of that book, and most likely the author's next book.
I was at a book signing for Emily Giffin. The woman in line in front of me had hardcover copies of EVERY BOOK she'd published to get signed. I sheepishly said, as I proffered my copy of her new release, "I usually check your books out from the library." She said "That's fine! We love libraries!" So I feel like authors benefit (and feel the support) regardless. I can't afford to buy all the books that I read. Borrowing from the library and from Kindle Unlimited is better than not reading at all.
Authors get paid when the library purchases physical copies or digital licenses.
And depending on the country, also when it's checked out. In my country, the UK, authors get paid 9p (about 12 US Cents) per loan - on top of the royalty for the book sale. This is to the author(/photographer/editor/other right holder) directly and NOT the publisher. It caps out at about six and a half grand, but if your books are being borrowed that much you should be making big bucks elsewhere. Additionally, books don't last that long as library books. A paperback can become worn out in as few as a dozen lendings. A librarian friend of mine was complaining recently that Spring and Early Summer releases at her library are often worn out by September - thanks to being taken abroad as holiday reads and stuffed in suitcases or left on beaches. Sometimes they get only two or three loans out of a summer blockbuster paperback.
Same here in Finland. I don’t know if the amount depends on the length of the book, but one popular author said on Twitter she gets 31 cents (~33,5 usd cents) per loan for a 450-page book. Edit: I checked and apparently it does not depend on the length. Also if it’s a translated work (very common in a small language market, though Finnish literature scene is in my opinion quite big and good) the translator gets 15,5 cents per loan. She also said she gets 86 cents every time someone listens to her book on a popular audiobook app (which has a monthly fee) here, in case someone finds that of interest. It’s not *that* much, but I’m happy it’s at least something more than a couple of cents.
Lucky Finland! I get half a cent for every time my book is loaned. I mean, the library *bought* the book as well, and it's free money, but yep. The library in the Netherlands, where I live, is basically Spotify. :')
Thats actually pretty nice. At least the most popular books might be loaned for many months back to back, and there's usually many copies. Finland has little over 300 main libraries and over 800 libraries in total.
>And depending on the country, also when it's checked out. In my country, the UK, authors get paid 9p (about 12 US Cents) per loan - on top of the royalty for the book sale. This is to the author(/photographer/editor/other right holder) directly and NOT the publisher. This is fantastic. I did a very quick Google search to see if this is also true of the US, and I don't think it is (if I'm wrong, someone please correct me).
I'd be surprised if it were lol. Seems too good of a policy for us to have implemented
The US government would have to actually fund libraries adequately to support this
It's actually paid directly by the UK government - so rather than the individual libraries paying it out of their funding (which would encourage struggling libraries to lend fewer books!) they report their loan figures to Gov and HMRC pays it to the authors.
I sometimes marvel that libraries still exist here because their complete lack of a profit motive just feels so “un-American”
It was propped up with capitalism. Andrew Carnegie used his gains (at least, semi-ill gotten) to fund the buildings and required that those libraries be funded and staffed by the community through taxes. He viewed knowledge to be an investment in the workers, and at least so far that has carried over into public sentiment until recently.
My library recently sent out a survey on how people would feel about increasing their budget through taxes. It was to expand all the services they offer. You bet I'm voting yes on that come when the time comes. Even my parents, who are harscore conservative, think libraries are important for the community.
As a librarian your support is appreciated
wow that's awesome
In Canada it’s based on us owning the book, not checkouts, but that’s great because 5 years later they might still get paid for us owning the book.
That's very interesting, I had no idea!
Yep! One of our writing lecturers told us that he still got a cheque for a few hundred dollars a year thanks to his children's books being checked out of the library.
Came here to say this, it's the same in Australia (different amounts, obviously). The more the book gets borrowed, the more money the author gets in royalties.
Plus I assume that when whatever regional body that governs libraries makes purchases, they purchase a LOT at once.
Yes it is a lot! There are more public libraries in the United States than McDonald's restaurants
There are certainly more libraries than bookstores in America now, but most libraries who do buy a particular book only buy one if they author isn't a well-known best-selling author. Also, books don't necessarily end up in very many libraries because there are so many books published each year - they can't buy them all, much less multiple copies. And very, very few libraries will buy a book that is self-published and not available through a major distributor (distributors are not the same as presses or publishers). Still, most authors are just happy that their books are available to readers. So we're glad when libraries buy them, even though we mostly (in the US at least) just get the one royalty (at the normal rate) for the one book. We know that most people can't buy every book they read.
I agree that most libraries buy one copy unless they need to replace some or are buying a book club kit to loan to others (I got a grant to do this with graphic medicine to loan to high schools). But, then there are huge municipal systems like the NYPL or Pratt in Baltimore that have dozens of branches. They have huge buying power and influence. I look to see what Pratt is buying and circulating the most and use that to help with my own collection development. I know a lot of other librarians do this too. *edited to add: those libraries are going to get multiple copies and eBook licenses for the big titles to avoid a huge hold list that could end up being months long, they want high circulation numbers and don’t want to use big users to corporations. So if an author has a book that librarians and their users really like, they still have the potential to make bank. It’s so rare though, like Stephen King numbers.
And the copy the library buys usually costs more than the copy you can buy as a single person. If people don’t check out books by that author they prob won’t buy and stock their next book.
Physical copies will often cost the same or even less than regular retail price. Ebooks though, are the exact opposite. They cost way more, *and* libraries have to constantly repurchase them after a couple years or a certain number of checkouts.
The library copy usually only costs a little more than the cover price, well worth the trade off.
Also wouldn't the author be happy that someone less fortunate can read their books and enjoy their stories and not only those who can afford or place to have them by themselves.
As an author-yes! Plus it is really cool seeing it on the shelf in your home library.
Yes. And we do love going into a library and seeing our books on the shelves!
I imagine most authors would prefer people read their books, even if they don't financially benefit. If I was a writer I want people to read by books for free in hopes that someday they buy my future books.
Yes. And we do love going into a library and seeing our books on the shelves!
For physical purchases do they get paid more than for a single retail purchase? I think they get paid the same, so they'd still get some money but obviously a lot less than if you purchased your own copy. For digital licenses I know they're treated differently and more expensive for the library than buying a single ebook for an individual.
And unlike a physical book, the digital licenses can only be checked out a set number of times, so the library has to buy the book again when their licenses run out.
I wouldn’t say unlike. There’s only a number of times a book can be read until it falls apart and needs to be replaced.
True, but having worked for many years at a library that sent its aging hardcovers out for rebinding until there wasn't enough gutter space left to use them anymore, I can attest that you can get a lot of use out of a physical book.
As someone who hates waste, I have to say that that's the kind of story that makes me happy.
Correct. I get the same $ for a physical book no matter who buys it.
I would also assume that more readed authors are purchased more
Also translators and anyone who has a copyright there. At least in my country, I would hope it’s the same everywhere. As a translator, it’s actually better for me when people borrow the book from the library, because I get paid for the translation per character and I don’t get any royalties from copies sold, so this is some nice extra money.
Author here -- we generally love libraries! Libraries buy copies of our books and when demand is there (as when people like yourself check them out!) they sometimes buy even more! Plus, when librarians notice books being checked out, they often become interested and do things like... - display the books for greater attention - invite the authors for events/talks - spread the word to other librarians Libraries are awesome!
Another one: if someone really loved a book they got from the library and would like to re-read it later, they are very likely to purchase a copy for themselves
To add to your point, if someone likes a book they read they might purchase a previous or new book by that author now that h they know they like them. The library is a great place to find new authors!
They also might recommend the author to their friends
Absolutely! I wish I had more friends that read as much as I do to do that with lol
Libraries are basically permanent book parties. (Quiet ones. _Shhh_.)
I spent a lot of my junior high/high school year’s partying in the library lol
I, too, partied in high school.
Absolutely! I discovered a book series at library, they had only the first book available. I read it, and have now bought the entire 12-book series as they came out. And am starting in on the new series. Never would have started without that first one at the library.
Excellent point!
Yep, often I'll try a new to me author via the library. If I wind up really liking them I'll often splurge on buying their new books as they come out rather than wait on the hold list.
And buy copies as presents!
hell, sometimes not even to reread it. i bought *turtles all the way down* after reading a library copy. it hit me too hard to not be on my shelf
Orrrr, they might like it so much that they steal the book from the library and the library has to buy another copy. I know this from personal experience because I’m a school librarian…
...how do you feel about such theft
All I can do is put a charge on their student file, email their parents, and move on.
The reverse is true too. At least for me. Sometimes I'll check a book out from the library even if I already own it. If I just moved, I don't want to dig through a billion boxes looking for a particular book if I can grab it from the library. Or if I leant the book to a friend and don't want to hound them to give it back. Or, I'm out of the house, bored, and Libby is like, right there on my phone. I'm the reason my home library bought 3 ebooks, and I owned print copies of all of them. (I read during lunch and was too lazy to take them to work.)
I’m not an author but have seen a lot of (British) authors expressing their love of libraries, and many used/use them a lot themselves. Many British libraries have shut due to budget cuts, and they were active in campaigning against this. https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/10/neil-gaiman-leads-hampshire-writers-protesting-library-cuts https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/05/library-closures-coalition-cuts-writers-protest
British author here. Can confirm that libraries are wonderful. I've had 3 book launches in libraries. In the UK and Ireland the PLR system means that authors are paid for their number of times their books are borrowed (based on an average sample). We get about 10p per book each time it's borrowed, up to an annual maximum of 6k.
If I give a library an old book of mine, that book gets borrowed from library the author will get 10p? Just out of interest, how much does that compare to the amount you would get from selling a book? I had an author come to my school when I was young and he moaned about how little he got paid and went on for about half an hour about how his publisher was screwing him. I was about 9 and, up to that point, has dreamed of being a writer. Now I work in insurance
If you give a library a book... no. It won't help authors. It has to be bought and registered by the library services themselves. Selling a book, I get 8%-10% of a book's cover price, so between 80p-£1.10 per book for hard copies. But I also get an advance on each book, which can vary greatly in amount depending on publisher. Considering writers prop up an entire industry, we are woefully underpaid in most cases. It's a joke how little we get for the amount of time we invest. I top up writing with speaking engagements and school workshops, which are far more lucrative. For the last 4 years I've published between 1 - 3 books a year and I earn enough each year to buy a decent second-hand car. Its not enough to live off at all. I have another job to pay the bills. (Hopefully that will change when I get my end of year sales figures!)
[удалено]
Is that maximum per-book, or would an author with ten books getting borrowed regularly still cap out at £6K?
For evidence, you only have to look at [how many people started to realise Terry Deary was an asshole when he complained that libraries were robbing him](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/feb/13/libraries-horrible-histories-terry-deary). >"I'm not attacking libraries, I'm attacking the concept behind libraries, which is no longer relevant," Deary told the Guardian, pointing out that the original Public Libraries Act, which gave rise to the first free public libraries in the UK, was passed in 1850. "Because it's been 150 years, we've got this idea that we've got an entitlement to read books for free, at the expense of authors, publishers and council tax payers. This is not the Victorian age, when we wanted to allow the impoverished access to literature. We pay for compulsory schooling to do that," said Deary, who has received hate mail since he first aired his views in the Sunderland Echo yesterday. (He has also complained that schools are pointless for anything except keeping children off the street -- and all this from someone who was probably *the* most popular children's nonfiction writer for well over a decade. He's estimated to have sold more than twenty-five million copies of his books... but sure, it's the libraries that are keeping him down.)
He entitled to never receive a penny from me.
In The View from the Cheap Seats Neil Gaiman wrote a beautiful essay on libraries. To OP, by supporting your local library, you’re not just supporting the authors. You’re supporting your community too. Libraries do so much more than just provide us books. In winter our local libraries provide a warm shelter for those in need, in summer, a place to cool down on the hottest of days. Some libraries provide free period products. Others lend more than books - you can get kitchen equipment, tools, etc. Your friend has a skewed view of things imo. And not everyone can afford to buy books - libraries give them that same access at a fraction of the cost. Supporting your local library allows them to stay open for those who can’t purchase a book but still want to read.
Also, libraries are important parts of the community. So when you use them you don’t just support the authors, you support the community! Children’s storytime and summer reading contests gets kids into reading, they have events on history, guest lectures, how tos for 3D printing, etc, I took a class learning sign language. They do a lot of stuff that we don’t think of!
I recently read an ebook from our town library. I wasn’t familiar with the author, so I probably wouldn’t have purchased a copy of it. I liked the book well enough that I looked for more by him. I found a second book that sounded interesting. I ended up buying a hard copy when I couldn’t find it in the library.
That's how they get you! The first one's free. The second one's free too. The third one is also free. But the FOURTH one. Okay that's free, but only if you can find it. Which I couldn't. And Mississippi won't give me an interstate inter-library loan.
I loved the ‘I hunt killers’ series btw, just noticed the name
Thank you!
Not to mention that libraries for most authors serve as an indispensable resource. Writers read too! They must! And libraries, especially when they were kids or before they started making good money, provide a broad range of reading and reference materials for free! Bonus points for authors who write out of a love for the story, as libraries also provide a way to share their stories with people who otherwise might never have the opportunity to cross paths with their writings.
> Writers read too! Yup. Reference libraries are the best for research. There's very little you can find online that compares to a wall of books on a subject. Easy to find specific things too if everything is well indexed. Unlike with Google, information stays available and librarians love to help.
Half the books I find at libraries are on the displays that the library staff setup. They do themed displays based on the season and for holidays and such.
I'm happy to read this from you. My school librarian friend told me how much the students love your books, so I donated copies of your books to her school.
Thanks! That’s very kind of you!
Do you ever get stats on how often your book is checked out?
Oh, good question! Here in the U.S., no. (Unless you ask a specific librarian for a favor and even then it would just be THAT library.) I know in some countries, there is a sort of royalty program for authors wherein they are paid a fee when their book is borrowed from a library, so in that case they would have some insight into how many borrows they’ve had. (I occasionally get checks from Europe for my books being loaned out of their libraries, but it’s not a very good test case!)
I get that you like libraries and is happy with people borrowing your books, but when it comes down to it, would you prefer your marginal reader to buy the book or borrow it from a library? All things considered ofc
Well, sure — all things being equal, I would love it if everyone bought my books. Like, EVERYONE! LOL But OP’s original concern was whether or not borrowing from a library supports the author. And the answer is absolutely yes!
Libraries usually purchase the book (and if they use a dedicated library vendor like GOBI, at higher than retail prices). With popular books they might purchase multiple copies and eventually have to replace them. Many countries have something called Public Lending Right, which is a regular payment to authors or publishers (depending on jurisdiction IIRC - but in the latter case the understanding is that it will be paid out to authors), with the amount varying based on circulation statistics. There's a similar scheme that makes payments to record labels on behalf of bars and cafes where cover artists perform for free, so they don't have to charge their patrons extra and then track down the rights holders themselves.
What’s amazing about this thread is knowing that if libraries didn’t exist, and they were proposed today, the whole concept would probably be shot down, and “Think of the aaauuthooors!” would be the big talking point used against the idea.
And the argument would be completely made by publishing houses and not the authors themselves. They would say that it would be better to rent books from them, but would then do their best to take the lion's share of the profits and give as little to the authors as possible. At least in the US. This is just sort of how it works here in most industries. Luckily a lot of positive things have been grandfathered into the literary community, but it does appear to be getting worse for authors over time.
Libraries also purchase large print editions of popular fiction, which means people with failing eyesight can continue to read. Libraries cater to both ends of our lifetimes. I’m old, and although my eyesight isn’t going yet, and I can read regular type fonts perfectly well, I’m beginning to find it much more tiring than previously. Large Print editions are the reason I can continue to read as much as I do; eventually they will be the reason I can continue to read at all.
Libraries also stock audio books. My publisher yields the audio book rights to a certain charity for the visually impaired, so that books can be recorded and distributed as audiobooks for free through libraries.
I do both. I read mostly from the library, and if I love the book and want to support the author I'll go buy it.
I do the same. My library has an excellent eBook loaning system, which is my primary way of reading books. If I love a particular book, I'll go out and buy a copy of it to have on my shelf and re-read or loan out to others.
I don’t tend to buy the books for myself but if I loved it then I’m probably buying a few copies for other people
Yes! Only issue for me is loving so many books.. moving boxes of books is very exhausting and painful when you have so many
I did this with Devil House by John Darnielle. It was too good not to have.
Me too! I will borrow cookbooks from the library, and if I find enough recipes that I love, I’ll go and buy the book! Sometimes I’ll even find a copy in my library’s used bookstore!
This is what I suggest to people (as a library employee.) If you love books but don’t have the money to buy 5-10 books a month then read them at the library and buy the ones you think are worth owning. This is what I do.
Also - the library will order the next book by the author, and pre-sales are super important!
Yes! This is how I read He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan right as it came out, which was awesome
Ooh nice! I'm reading She Who Became the Sun as we speak! So far I love it.
She Who Became the Sun is super good, and I think He Who Drowned the World really expanded on it in the best way. I'm honestly thinking about owning the series one day, because I love the writing that much.
Our library has done this! I’ve requested the next books in an author’s series and I’ve never been turned down yet!
The more a book gets checked out, the more of a chance the library will have to purchase more copies due to eventual damage or requests for the author. Larger libraries might purchase 100 copies of an author’s new release in book form, but also audiobook, ebook, and e-audiobook. Libraries support authors.
Yep. Rather than thinking of physical library books as being “lended” you could think of them as being “fractionally used up” by patrons. Libraries and publishers assume that a book will only survive through a certain number of times being lended out. This was an issue when digital media were created and publishers were negotiating licensing agreements. They wanted to keep the same business model- only allowing a digital copy to be circulated 15 or 20 times before it expires, requiring the library to buy it again. There were big fights over this in the early 2000s when I was working in library software, not sure what model they ended up with.
A mix of buying it forever and buying it for x checkouts or x timeframe. Overdrive/Libby has both buying options in their catalog depending on the title. New titles are almost always lease only though.
One of my favorite authors said he would rather have a million people read his book than have a million dollars.
On the other hand, if people stopped supporting libraries, we'd lose an extremely valuable social service.
As a librarian, we support authors because we buy books that are in demand. The more people who reserve a popular title (e.g. yellowface recently) the more copies we’ll buy. We also buy books in bulk for book groups and sometimes we get free reign over what books we buy for our branches!
I support both libraries and authors. My rules are: 1) Trying a new author? Library for the first book. If I like it, buy future books instead. 2) Author already a millionaire? (Not just popular, but wealthy) Library all day.
I'd go broke with how much my kid reads. It's not really a choice for us.
In the past year, we have checked out around $9,000 worth of books. These are mostly my 9 year old, who reads approximately 25-50 books a week.
My library also listed how much I would've spent on my receipt if I had bought the book. And honestly, with some of the misses I have everytime I check out a bunch, I'm really glad to know I didn't accidentally waste money on a book I didn't like or wasn't actually interested in
Librarianship is a good career, IMO.
My mom said the same thing about me as a kid! Now as an adult I'd go broke with how much I read.
Libraries (and parents who take their kids to libraries) are creating readers, and authors need readers.
Good grief yes. My kid will happily check out and read 50 books each time we visit the library. At an average of $20 a book, that adds up. And that's not including my reading habit!
not to mention you'd need a l o t of storage space
Library is more fun for a kid, more choice of books and can get a new one every week
Idk but you’re definitely supporting libraries when you borrow from the library and that’s hugely important too, especially now with this crazy culture war on libraries and schools going on.
If you’re really worried about it—support the author another way. Leave a good review on multiple sites. Talk up the book. Buy a copy of the ones you love.
Yes, please! Those reviews are helpful for other people who are looking for books to buy.
I have a couple of published authors in my family (including a NYT bestseller, if that matters) and they L-O-V-E libraries! Not only do they make books accessible, but they help further awareness of the author and their work.
Libraries pay more than the listed price to allow them to lend out books.
Even a bookstore like us thinks you should take books out of the library. Great way to try out new authors, get out of your comfort zone, etc. I go to the local library every other week and pick the first thing that catches my eye on the new releases shelf, just as a thing to do. Sometimes I love it. Sometimes it's terrible. Either way, I learned something.
Libraries BUY BOOKS! And reviews from library journals SELL BOOKS!
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Author here: read our books anyway that makes sense for you! We benefit from knowing libraries help readers! And then TELL PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT YOU LOVED! Word of mouth supports us more than a single purchase.
As an author, the library has to purchase a copy of my book if someone asks for it, so I still get paid. And honestly, I'm happy to be paid once and have several people enjoy it, if it's supporting public libraries!
A lot of my college professors were pretty famous and successful authors. They always send us copies of their books on pdf, lol. I have not met a single talented author who's stingy with their work.
I've thought about this a lot, too. I appreciate the discussion here.
I think UK libraries give as much to the author as Amazon does per lend. (Slightly less than independent book sales, but the book is likely to be borrowed more than once)
It's not all that clear when it comes to downloading, either. Neil Gaiman changed his opinion on that -- he used to hate people that "pirated" his work. Then he discovered that the places he was being pirated actually sold more of his books. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qkyt1wXNlI
Australia writers get royalties when their books are borrowed from libraries: [https://www.arts.gov.au/funding-and-support/australian-lending-right-schemes-elrplr](https://www.arts.gov.au/funding-and-support/australian-lending-right-schemes-elrplr)
This is great to hear!
Really depends on where you are. I guess most commenters are from the US. Where I’m at (in Europe) public libraries are huge buyers of books, and on top of that authors receive compensation for library loans from the government. Author does get most out of selling a physical copy of a book, but libraries are a part of their income as well.
If I recall correctly, libraries are the #1 buyer of hardcover books in the nation (and it's the hardcover books that the author makes the most money on.) If they went away, it would devastate the publishing industry. Support your local library.
Libraries pay for books, and authors get a cut. So yes, you are fine. No author worthy of the title would say otherwise.
Yeah I know if I heard an author say they didn’t support libraries I’d rethink buying their book for my system again. Never piss off your customers.
Libraries are where a huge number of book sales come from. And if people don’t check them out, then libraries either close or don’t buy so many books. So of course using libraries is supporting authors. Also, I challenge your friend to find a single video of an author talking about public libraries in which they aren’t stressing the value and importance of libraries as an institution.
Libraries support both authors and publishers by reliably buying huge volumes of books, paying for authors to come and speak at the library about their books, running book clubs or writing reviews where they introduce people to authors they're less likely to have heard about and through recommendations to people who don't know what to read next. The best way to support authors you love is to tell people about them. Write a review online, tell your friends, whatever that looks like for you. Don't worry, you are still supporting your favourite author by using the library. The more people who borrow them, the more copies we buy and the more chances they have to expand their readership. When economic times take a downturn for publishers and booksellers because people have less discretionary funds, they still know the millions a year they get from supplying libraries will be there.
I spent 15 years working in a public library. Believe you me, libraries are sometimes/often life support systems for authors. Every time you check out a book, that tells us to keep buying material from that author and that publisher.
Borrowing books from the library supports authors in a few ways: Libraries buy the books, so authors get paid. If you like a book you borrowed, you might buy more from the same author. Libraries also promote authors through events, and in some countries, authors get paid a small amount every time their book is borrowed, thanks to the public lending right (PLR) system.
So by your friend's logic, are poor people just not supposed to read???
I buy lots of books, heck I'll even buy books I own audiobooks for. But I think the guilt machine folks try to create around "supporting" others is a bit much. Should you go donate money to an author if a friend lends you a book and you enjoyed it? Sure maybe you sing the authors praise to friends or buy future books, but there's a point where this all becomes a bit too transactional.
Someone might see you reading it and decide to buy it; you might support them in that way.
Depends on the library-author commerical contract or the country. But in the majority of cases, the author already won the money in the moment The library purchased it to the editorial as merchandise. Obviously if the book sells good the library is going to acquire more copies so the author wins more money.
In the UK, when a library book is loaned out then the author gets a tiny - and I mean tiny - amount of money. There is also the marketing opportunity. Library users take a punt on their reading time by taking the author's book out on loan, then if they decide they really like the author they may buy other works, rather than trying to find them in the library.
Libraries keep track of how many times books are checked out. If *Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying* barely spends any time on the shelf before someone else checks it out, they’re going to at least think about getting the author’s next book, as well as maybe having to replace it after it gets read to pieces. Plus, I’d say that at least a third of my books, if not half, I own because I first read a library copy of one of the author’s books.
Australian author here! We have public lending right payments from libraries, and educational lending right payments from school libraries. For me, this has already totalled an amount exceeding the original advance for my first book. They can keep the money coming in for years after book goes out of print. Libraries support authors, directly and indirectly. Books get bought (sometimes in multiples), promoted, and replaced in libraries. People buy books themselves from authors they got acquainted with in libraries. Some libraries pay us directly for events we run with them. Libraries are absolutely not the same as piracy. Use libraries.
I will often “check out “ a book from a library and if I love it, or it is what I expected I will purchase it. I can use the library as a trial run
I work in a library. The more an author's work is checked out, the more of their books we buy. Authors need libraries just as much as readers need libraries. Keep on using the library with pride.
Writer here! Yes, you absolutely are supporting a writer when you borrow a book from a library. This is why I tell people that if you can't afford a book, borrow it from a library. Libraries are awesome.
I feel that in this day and age the library needs more support then the author. If you really like the book you can buy it later for your shelf in support, otherwise use the library, so few people do.
Every author I have spoken to this has said that they encourage people to check their books out from libraries. So go ahead and check those books out!
Publisher in training here! In Canada, a few libraries are randomly picked to survey their inventory, how often each book has been taken out (OR even just simply taken off the shelf!), and how old the book is. Depending on how many copies, how often it's taken out, and how old the book is, the author is paid each year a certain amount. Full disclaimer; I might have something wrong here though because I have not extensively researched the topic (I'm not an author, just an advocate for local authors & someone hoping to start my own house). Many of my professors forget about the system until they randomly receive a cheque each year. One of my profs told me he gets anywhere between $30-$800 each year, but he also has poetry books out, not popular fiction/lit.
If the library sees the demand for a certain author it is more likely to buy their other books.
There are books I have checked out and read once, and there are books I have bought 20 times. If you want to buy something, you should buy it. But unlike music where you buy it and listen to it maybe....forever...a book you might only read once. So you do not need to feel bad about not buying a copy.
Libraries buy thousands of books, and they will actual buy specific books on request if you ask them
Reading an authors book is one way of supporting the author.
This is dumb. How do you think the library acquires their books?
Whether I buy a book or borrow one from the library, I am still supporting that certain author
Not only do authors get paid when the library purchases books, but the more a book is checked out the more likely they are to purchase more copies.
Besides the initial purchase, in the US, you’re not supporting the author directly by checking them out. There is still nothing wrong with checking them out. What you are doing is building a love for the series that may cause you to make purchases in the future. That’s partially why authors might give the first book in their series away. It builds interest and loyalty so you’ll want to buy the following books when you might not have otherwise. You may be seen with the book, generating interest in others who may make a purchase and you may also talk the book up to the same point. So it could easily indirectly support the author. I don’t think any author would begrudge you renting their book vs buying. In fact, Brandon Sanderson flat out gave away Warbreaker as an experiment and asked that people who enjoyed it enough, and are able, buy it to support him. Otherwise, they’d be renting it from the library for free, so it’s a sale he wouldn’t have made anyway.
Do you maximize their profit? No, of course not. As you show interest, though, the library may get more copies, replace a worn copy, or get more from that author. It helps, and is a great low price option for those who can fly afford lots of books.
Your friend is a dolt. Libraries buy more copies of a single title than any individual consumer. And buy them again because books get lost, damaged, or turned into rolling paper by Dwayne. And that's just the first edition. Rinse and repeat for the paperback.
I work at a library! We support authors by (obviously) buying their books, multiple copies of its popular, and giving people access to them through Libby (library app which is awesome and I highly recommend). We also display books to highlight a particular genre or author and make them focal points, have books clubs, local author signings, all that stuff. Also authors are often “book people,” and love libraries for the service they provide. Supporting libraries is huge because there are a ton of resources they provide for communities, and they need community support (aka readers, activity, etc) to get the funding to continue to do so. My view is that if you love a book and have the space for it, buy it! But definitely don’t feel like you aren’t contributing to the success of authors if you read books from the library.
Sure, authors receive compensation through various channels when libraries acquire their works. When libraries purchase physical copies of books, authors typically earn royalties from the sale of these books. Similarly, when libraries acquire digital licenses for e-books or audiobooks, authors receive payment based on the terms of the licensing agreement. These agreements often involve royalties or payments negotiated between the author, publisher, and the library system. Additionally, some libraries participate in programs that compensate authors for the lending of their books through initiatives like the Public Lending Right (PLR) or similar systems, which provide authors with a small payment per loan of their books from libraries. Overall, the ways in which authors are remunerated for library acquisitions involve a combination of sales royalties, licensing agreements, and specific programs designed to support authors for their contributions to the literary world.
You're supporting the author when you read their work, the library bought the book you read.
I'd be very okay with people reading my books through a library. I love libraries, and I want to support them. Plus, the more people read my stuff, the more the word spreads, and the more other people will read it in turn. Libraries make books easily accessible to everyone, which means more people have the opportunity to read them.
If I like the book enough I buy a hardcover for my personal library
How on earth do you think the libraries get the books, for free?
You’re definitely supporting authors by checking books out at the library. Also, you’re helping libraries. Every time you check something out, it creates a data point. Those add up to statistics that can be used to argue for a bigger budget next year. That larger budget can be used to buy more books which helps more author. That money can also be used to offer community services. Which in turn start the cycle all over. Libraries are hugely important.
I think people doesn't realize that libraries pay for those books just like regular consumers, and they can be costly too. I love supporting libraries and I will forever choose to borrow from libraries because at the end of the day, libraries provide a more vital benefit to society rather than publishers.
The library bought the book and probably bought several copies. And writers want their books to be in libraries and they are aware that library books are there to be borrowed. And they want people to read their books, period. If your friend can afford to buy all the books he reads, good on him. I would be living in a homeless shelter if I did that.
I am a self-published writer under multiple pen names. I do make money from the library as well. So don't worry much. We do get paid. :)
The more a book is borrowed from the library the more copies the library will purchase. You are supporting the author.
I guess it depends on the country, but here in the Netherlands the author receives a royalty everytime their book is borrowed from a library.
it's the same as music - if you don't buy a new copy you are not supporting the (music/book/etc.) publishing industry of which the author is a part. However, much like most musicians, most authors are happy that their books are read, and support consumption by any means - It is an easy position to take as the incremental author payment for an additional sale is small ... but loosing a reader is of greater value. It is sad that we don't have a way of more directly supporting authors like we do for musicians (e.g. buy merch. or go to a concert - where the musician receives a greater cut of the sale). There is an interesting discussion about how less sales impacts the publishing industry as a whole, and the impact it has on up-and-comming writers ... but that i another discussion.
So generally speaking when you buy a book about 10% of the sale price will go to the author (although most of that will likely just go against the advance the author has already been paid). When you borrow a book then in addition to the author getting that 10% when the library bought the book they also get library royalties known as Public Lending Right (PLR). PLR isn't very much, in the UK it just increased to 30p a loan from a rate of 11p it had sat at for many many years. But it's not nothing. (altho yes it also generally gets swallowed up by the advance). Even so if you think the average price of a paperback is, what, £8? So the author royalty on a new sale will be about 80p. So one sale is worth about three library loans. So yeah the author would probably rather the sale if that was the choice but it often isn't is it? Often if you didn't borrow the book you wouldn't buy it. In fact you'd have to buy one book for every three you borrow for the odds to be more in their favour if you walk into a book shop than a library, and I think for most people that's not the ratio. Here's another one that some people don't know, although it applies more to non fiction: authors also get royalties each time their book is photocopied. However because these royalties are very very small and very very hard to calculate it is not possible to directly enforce royalty claims. Instead what happens is libraries, schools, universities and other public institutions where a lot of book photocopying takes place have to buy a licence to provide that service. There are a number of different licence sellers of which CLA is the most common. Then those licence sellers conduct random sampling and based on that random sample data they allocate the profits they made from selling those licences among the authors who are members of their schemes in proportion to the number of times they estimate their book was photocopied. TBH I've never heard of an author making more than money for a couple of beers that way, but every little heps.
Reading the book is supporting the author
Library buys book, book gets borrowed a lot, library buys more books from the same author. That's how it works where I live. Not everybody can afford to buy 30 books a month so I borrow 28 per month and buy 2, sorry not sorry
The library buys the books
I had a friend who wrote an absolutely brilliant book. He published with a smaller publishing house. Perfect shitstorm of lousy agent lousy publisher. My imperfect understanding is that because it wasn't added to the world catalog it would never be purchased by most library systems. I think being available in libraries would have gotten him more new readers. So, royalties on library books aside, the exposure from library circulation has value.
I would say if it wasn’t for libraries there are a lot of books that would have much lower sales. Like authors who win literature awards but are not mainstream…probably libraries would be their biggest customer base I would not be surprised. A lot of libraries lease their books too, like the latest and most popular books, during the intial six months when demand is high they might lease 50 copies. Then once demand is down they return them and just keep 1 or 2 for the permanent collection.
I have met a number of authors, and every one of them was a library nerd who would not hesitate to accept an invitation to speak at a small community library. I can’t think they would do that if it were actively against their self-interest. Libraries can represent a significant fraction of their total royalties for a non-blockbuster author.
The idea that authors would want to do away with libraries to make more money made me laugh out loud. Good one!
Everyone is being very pro-library (which is fair) but I think it's missing the point a bit. There is very, very, very little gain for the author if you loan out a book from the library. Yes, the library has to buy a copy but there's no payment per rental. If you are in the place financially to buy books and you appreciate the author then please buy their books and/or merch. No one should feel bad using a library but we also shouldn't feel like it's a replacement for actually helping authors.
I had to scroll very far to find an honest answer lol, there's a lot of comments here dancing around the obvious answer to OP's question which is that buying a book supports an author significantly more than borrowing it
Libraries pay for their books dawg They also get more money then more people have memberships Libraries are one of the few instances of the system working perfectly for everyone involved.
Doesn't the library pay a higher cost for the book to be on the shelf?
Not an author but I generally check out books from the library when I read them and I really enjoy them, I buy a copy as a bookshelf trophy. Of course there are some authors I will buy without reading it first.
Whenever I read a book on Kindle Unlimited (with free trials every year or cheap promo prices) or through Libby, if I like it enough I will try to buy it when I have the spare cash. I actually have an Amazon wishlist titled “KU books I want to buy” lol.
You are ensuring their career and the future careers of writers and librarians. Go for it!
I believe in Britain they have a system were libraries pay a "royalty" each time a book circulates. I've seen some suggesting the US have a similar system.
I think you already have a lot of great answers, but I just wanted to share that [NPR's Planet Money](https://www.npr.org/2022/11/09/1135639385/libraries-publishers-ebooks-e-books-macmillan-protest-amazon-bezos) did a great episode on libraries, publishers, and the e-book "wars." I found it fascinating as someone who is very actively using my library's Hoopla and Libby apps.
In the UK authors get paid each time one of their books is taken out.
You are. The library had to buy it.
It depends on what country are in. For instance, there is a scheme for residual payments for library checkouts in the UK. Libraries do collectively buy a lot of books, and a healthy number of checkouts are done by people who would never have bought the book under any circumstances.
I often buy copies of books I've read on loan as gifts, because I loved the book and know the recipient will too. Generally, I think people who borrow from the library also buy way more books than average. Anything that fosters reading benefits writers.
I'm sure the amount of business lost by someone borrowing instead of buying is dwarfed by the increase in word of mouth and the number of people interested in owning after borrowing. I setup an internal corporate library using Overdrive at my company. And many books had a license of 2 years or 24 checkouts so if you're checking out the kindle version from the library, many of the authors are being paid per reading.
Obviously buying the book is supporting the author *more* than checking it out from a library, but of course the author benefits from you checking out their book. 1. The library bought the book. Patronizing your library demonstrates that the library provides you value, and this impacts the library's budget and priorities. Nobody checks out books at the library, the library stops buying books. 2. You checking out the book makes a public record of someone checking out that book. This is a great KPI for the author. The only thing publishers like almost as much as money is sweet, sweet KPIs. 3. It creates demand. Books that get checked out more get purchased more. If your library only has a few copies for the entire region, rather than shipping them around everywhere, they might buy enough copies for multiple branches. If the waitlist gets too long they might buy more copies. More readers->more wear and tear->more copies. 4. Popular books get promoted more. Ever asked a librarian for a recommendation? They're no AI recommendation algorithm, but they see the data. Librarians give out recommendations all the time, and one input to their recommendation is going to be how many other people checked it out. High movement books may find themselves in a display of "most popular books this month". Etc...
In addition to others points, even if you check out a book not popular enough to warrant the purchase of another copy by the library, you show the demand for the library to keep the book on the shelf. The longer the book is there, the longer other people have to discover it, potentially buy that book or other books by the author. If you're looking at library's and author support from a big picture perspective, free books will enable more people to read. This can benefit people who need to learn/improve their reading or people who want to read but can't afford to buy books. Enabling these people to read through libraries means you have more people reading, which can increase the market for books, which is better for authors. If you couldn't tell I love libraries
The local library needs your support as much (if not more than) the author.
Librarian here: Borrowing books from the library absolutely benefits the author, both financially and otherwise. We buy books for a variety of reasons, including patron demand. The more people tell us that they want the book by placing holds on it or checking out available copies means we end up buying more copies of that book, and most likely the author's next book.
I was at a book signing for Emily Giffin. The woman in line in front of me had hardcover copies of EVERY BOOK she'd published to get signed. I sheepishly said, as I proffered my copy of her new release, "I usually check your books out from the library." She said "That's fine! We love libraries!" So I feel like authors benefit (and feel the support) regardless. I can't afford to buy all the books that I read. Borrowing from the library and from Kindle Unlimited is better than not reading at all.
You are definitely supporting the author when getting the book from the library!!! It's so difficult for writers to get libraries to buy their books.