Author says Libraries "have had their day."

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by odiakkoh

Well actually I do but I was talking for my children more than myself.

One of the great pleasures of being a parent. I miss it.

One of the things I learned, for those not there, or not there yet, or there but don't know this - slow down your reading speed when you read to the kids. Deliberate is the word.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Harmon

The "money/choice" thing I certainly agree with. But for him, it's not merely a matter of opinion. It's his livelihood that's impacted, which gives him the right to have his say, in my view.

I have no idea what makes you think that I wish to deny him the right to have his say. He has the right to his say; I have the right to spend my money how I choose, and I am in no way obliged, ethically or otherwise, to buy an author's books rather than borrowing them.

[mrscoach]

When I was young I was lucky to get one or two new books a month because money was tight for my family. Did I end up with a shelf full of books? Yes, and they were all read repeatedly, but that gets old after a time. The library was always there for me, with new stories I hadn't read/heard yet. Some of the books I later bought were by the very authors I had been introduced to in the library.

That author is allowed his opinion, but I have the right to think he is cutting off his nose to spite his face. I also have the right to not buy his works because I don't like HIM. Same reason I will not watch a Tom Cruise movie, even the old ones I have seen before. I refuse to put my money or interest toward something/someone I dislike.

[UnderControl]

There's so much free information online and when you need really in depth info you can just buy the ebook, which is probably fairly cheap. As for fiction, those are pretty cheap too, you can just buy those all or join Amazon Prime.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by UnderControl

There's so much free information online and when you need really in depth info you can just buy the ebook, which is probably fairly cheap. As for fiction, those are pretty cheap too, you can just buy those all or join Amazon Prime.

Well... Except there are families that can't afford the $60/month (or whatever cable costs these days). There are families that can't afford the cost of Amazon Prime, much less the cost of purchasing books.

Are only the privileged allowed to read?

[meeera]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Well... Except there are families that can't afford the $60/month (or whatever cable costs these days). There are families that can't afford the cost of Amazon Prime, much less the cost of purchasing books.

Are only the privileged allowed to read?

Doesn't Amazon Prime get you one book a month? That's hardly a solution for any but the most casual of readers.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by meeera

Doesn't Amazon Prime get you one book a month? That's hardly a solution for any but the most casual of readers.

Actually isn't it $70.00 something a year for Prime? I agree that it's a bit steep to pay that out even if once a year for some. I'm on a limited income so I have to make sure the important bills are covered and having a large expense hanging over me even once a year isn't an ideal situation. Libraries or free ebooks are a much more workable solution for me.

[Fluribus]

Originally Posted by Harmon

The "money/choice" thing I certainly agree with. But for him, it's not merely a matter of opinion. It's his livelihood that's impacted, which gives him the right to have his say, in my view.

Of course, he might have been wiser to consider the possible impact that his opinion could have on his livelihood. I also suspect that his opinion is a knee-jerk reaction rather than based upon sound economics. On the other hand, I might simply be biased against people named Deary. At least he's not Sweetums.

[BadBilly]

Originally Posted by meeera

I have no idea what makes you think that I wish to deny him the right to have his say. He has the right to his say; I have the right to spend my money how I choose, and I am in no way obliged, ethically or otherwise, to buy an author's books rather than borrowing them.

Absolutely right. Actions have consequences. If he wants to be an an a-hole, the consequence is that people will think "What an a-hole!" and not want to give him money.

Every action has a reaction. That's something I learned in school!

[Sregener]

Originally Posted by UnderControl

There's so much free information online and when you need really in depth info you can just buy the ebook, which is probably fairly cheap. As for fiction, those are pretty cheap too, you can just buy those all or join Amazon Prime.

In one sense, I agree with you. Books are pretty cheap. eBooks can be (but often aren't) cheaper still. And if you're willing to read the classics, you could probably spend a lifetime and not exhaust all the free eBooks that are out there (with more popping up all the time.) The amount and quality of materials have never been available for so little real money.

On the other hand, a family that literally cannot afford to put food on the table isn't going to be able to spend $50/month on books. They're not going to be able to spend $10/month. They probably don't have high-speed Internet, may not even have a computer, and they may not know how to access all the free content out there. When they have an issue, there's no one to help them. If they can't find something (and I know people who have no idea how to use Google), they have no one to turn to for help.

Libraries represent something that is really important: free access to information for all, regardless of ability to pay. And that is why we must keep them.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

Let him withhold his books from libraries. There's plenty of other content to read. And plenty of other authors I will buy from.

I've said this several times already, but I'll say it again.

HE CANNOT WITHHOLD HIS BOOK FROM LIBRARIES.

That's the whole point of his complaint - the fact that he can't. What mechanism do you believe he could employ to do so?

[Katsunami]

Stop writing books.

Or publish them in a country without a system where your books end up in a library by default, and then set up his own company to import those books.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Stop writing books.

Or publish them in a country without a system where your books end up in a library by default, and then set up his own company to import those books.

Unfortunately for him, none of that would do anything for his currently-existing, highly-successful, books.

[Katsunami]

True. In his case, he sees a library loan as a lost sale. But who could guarantee him that a person had bought the book if encountered in a bookstore? Instead of seeing loans as lost sales, he could see them as extra income *and* free promotion.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

True. In his case, he sees a library loan as a lost sale. But who could guarantee him that a person had bought the book if encountered in a bookstore? Instead of seeing loans as lost sales, he could see them as extra income *and* free promotion.

Well, they probably are a lost sale for him. It's just the price he has to pay for civilization.

I pay, through property taxes, about $200 a year for my local library. This is a good deal for me, but probably 50% of the people who pay that much don't use the library at all, and a good chunk of the people who do use the library probably aren't getting their $200 worth. But that's how taxes work - I also pay thousands a year in taxes for schools I don't use; presumably someone's kids are getting their money's worth.

I think the issue is as simple as that, and he's probably gotten more attention for his actually fairly mundane complaint than it deserves.