Quote:
Originally Posted by Deskisamess
Because that is what public libraries do, they lend books. And I pay tax dollars to support my local library system.
No one is talking about freebies here.
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Except your tax dollars pay for everything at a library. Which means you’re effectively probably paying less than cents for an ebook loan.
Now I’ll stop here to say yes the library pays for the license and I’ll assume everyone who worked on the book sees the profits they’re owed under whatever agreement they have with the publisher. As to how what amount and how fair it is that’s a topic for a different thread.
So circling back here you are tossing fractions of a cent and getting cross that the publisher is going to treat you differently than the person who’s going to buy the book outright.
If you’re a business which person do you care about appeasing more? The one who gets you the most money or the least?
Sure the library patrons who like the book might sing its praises but those praises might only go back to more borrows from the library. And the people who buy the book are just as likely if not more so to sing its praises if they like it if only to justify buying it in their own mind. So at best this comes out a wash.
And for the people who say “I won’t buy a book anyway I’ll just wait” congratulations you’ve already been factored out of the equation since nothing the publisher does would sway you short of ceasing to sell licenses to the library.