Quote:
Originally Posted by BWinmill
Now my question is: why would the situation be any different for the author if the virtual library didn't exist? Just because a book is lent out, doesn't mean the book was read.
...I would suggest that the author needs to look at how they can get their book to their customers, rather than complaining about libraries.
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I think you have perhaps misunderstood the question I was answering. Someone proposed that people could lend their eBooks to friends just like they do printed books. I pointed out that a virtual "library" where people who have never met could become "friends" such that a single eBook could be distributed over and over again to a large number of people, with that eBook only being bought once, was trivially easy to set up. A physical book has some limitations with borrowing, in that you are restricted to a small geographical area and limited circle of people with which to share a book. As such, a physical book owned by a private party probably does not pass through hundreds of homes as an eBook could, and if it did, it would probably be rather ratty at the end, rather than pristine and new.
I have nothing against libraries. In fact, I paid for a copy for my local library and happily donated it to them. I want people to hear about my book. But I also want people to buy my book, and if it were possible for everyone to get a copy for free via a virtual "library" where "friends" share a single copy, I suspect my sales would be rather anemic.
In devising any system for exchange, the needs of both the consumers and producers have to be considered, and it simply does not make sense to permit unlimited borrowing of eBooks the way it does for physical ones.