This librarian and my colleagues very much appreciate your sticking up for us with the Authors’ Guild. We’ve been discussing that report this week in our Teams chats. It’s so annoying the way they’ve phrased it. Because libraries buy the books. Often at great cost and in great quantity. And many books wouldn’t get read or bought if it weren’t for libraries. And we very much promote and create buzz for the books, which should have some value. I guarantee libraries are struggling as much or more than authors. The tone of that report was pretty tone-deaf, if you ask me.
In all fairness, I think the Authors Guild quickly realized that, too, which may be why they quickly deleted some passages. In any case, I believe Mary Rasenberger is being completely sincere when she says, "We’re not against libraries. We love libraries.” (Thanks for being a subscriber, Julie. It's an honor to be read by a librarian!)
I also bought that Simple Machines book for my private collection and made sure that the library has purchased Reality in Ruins and Beyond Belief in all formats, as I am very interested in reading myself and telling others about them. Thank you so much for supporting libraries!! Your column is a highlight of my week!
I'm a librarian as well and this gets missed so frequently in these discussions! Publishers are not giving us the books for free - in fact, in the case of ebooks and eaudiobooks they're charging us far more than they're charging individual consumers! Also, libraries are not free in the first place - they're funded with tax dollars so there's no shame in using what you've already paid for! Please do!
Every time I have asked my local public library to consider adding a book to their collection, they have purchased multiple copies, compared to the one copy I would have bought. And the library has never turned me down!
Excellent that you used the quote from Hebrews to skewer the MAGAts misappropriation of the Christian story. And thanks for the section on the Authors Guild report. It does inspire me to purchase more books that I know I will read more than once instead of automatically checking those out of the library.
Our house is overflowing with books, and our unusually good public library is just a few blocks away (on my way to everywhere else I go). I read several books a week, but I don't buy books to read once. If I'm going to give a public review of a book, I do want to own a copy, and I buy some used books that are out of print and not available at the library, but I do NOT need to add to our humongous collection of books kept mostly out of nostalgia (such as college textbooks). Even reference books (of which I have many) collect dust when I can find the answer I need online without having to get up from my desk chair and cross the room or go downstairs!
I would be interested in reading the whole report and see the statistics (I'll look it up on the internet), and how they might have changed. Here in France, a similar study a number of years ago (things could be changing here, too) showed that buying books and library use are linked. People who read library books are also the people who buy the most books, and vice versa. It's also true that people are reading less and buying fewer books, to the despair of authors, other readers, and the publishing industry. Like several commenters, at 76, facing a move, thinking about what my children will inherit and not necessarily want, I am making a concerted, or should that be constant, effort to buy fewer books and use my librairies, including one in the US, where I can borrow e-books, for English books not available here. E-readers (Kobo in my case, NOT Kindle), one of the modern world's great inventions, right up there with wheeled suitcases!
There have been other studies here indicating that people who read library books also buy more books. Libraries use these to support their case that publishers should not charge so much for licensing of e-books and audiobooks, and there are some efforts at legislation here to control those costs for libraries. I think the Author’s Guild study is pushing back against that a little.
Always wondered what creates beliefs. This is actually THE issue of the current political horror-show. (Without you, Ron, we might not find these books. PLEASE keep amplifying these voices - you are becoming our one singular sensation.)
Well, I must know all the wrong readers, and I know a lot of readers, 'affluent' and 'non-affluent'. All of them treasure books, the feel, the look, and the content--to be read and reread, to look up a passage, a line, a marginal note, to remember. They also use libraries, to see what's new, to be with other readers, to create new readers, to ask questions only their librarian can answer, to be guided toward a book they may read and want to own. I don't think libraries and book buyers are two exclusive categories; they work together beautifully.
Talking with Ron Charles about book reviewing was one of the coolest things ever to happen to me. And hanging around with the Emerson bookstore cohort is up there too. Come on Substack, let’s make this an even better place for our greatest and funniest man of letters than the newspaper-that-shall-not-be-named!
You're very kind. Talking with you was a delight, and the Emerson bookstore cohort enlivens my faith in the future of books. Thanks so much for the encouragement!
Oh my goodness, yes to the library! They give you stuff for free and then you give it back so it isn’t cluttering up your house. I cannot imagine what my house would look like had I purchased everything our family had ever read. That said, I do buy books as gifts for others and occasionally for myself when the library waitlist for a title is interminable. I think that totals 25ish books per year.
My Friday is complete…..you’ve posted another wonderful newsletter with so much info.
Thank you!
Of course I appreciate the substance of your reviews, but I look for and enjoy the nuggets like “drifting back into the medieval vapors”.
That quote by Mike Johnson, the Squeaker of the House, needs to live in infamy along with Kelly Ann Conway’s “ alternative facts”.
Thanks, Ppl. Much appreciated.
Squeaker of the house-love it🤓😜
Of course we dedicated readers use the library!!
I read about 120 books annually, many of them newly released. New books often cost $30.00.
$30x120= a cost unaffordable on a retirement income. Elizabeth Baer
This librarian and my colleagues very much appreciate your sticking up for us with the Authors’ Guild. We’ve been discussing that report this week in our Teams chats. It’s so annoying the way they’ve phrased it. Because libraries buy the books. Often at great cost and in great quantity. And many books wouldn’t get read or bought if it weren’t for libraries. And we very much promote and create buzz for the books, which should have some value. I guarantee libraries are struggling as much or more than authors. The tone of that report was pretty tone-deaf, if you ask me.
In all fairness, I think the Authors Guild quickly realized that, too, which may be why they quickly deleted some passages. In any case, I believe Mary Rasenberger is being completely sincere when she says, "We’re not against libraries. We love libraries.” (Thanks for being a subscriber, Julie. It's an honor to be read by a librarian!)
I also bought that Simple Machines book for my private collection and made sure that the library has purchased Reality in Ruins and Beyond Belief in all formats, as I am very interested in reading myself and telling others about them. Thank you so much for supporting libraries!! Your column is a highlight of my week!
I'm a librarian as well and this gets missed so frequently in these discussions! Publishers are not giving us the books for free - in fact, in the case of ebooks and eaudiobooks they're charging us far more than they're charging individual consumers! Also, libraries are not free in the first place - they're funded with tax dollars so there's no shame in using what you've already paid for! Please do!
Well said!
Every time I have asked my local public library to consider adding a book to their collection, they have purchased multiple copies, compared to the one copy I would have bought. And the library has never turned me down!
Excellent that you used the quote from Hebrews to skewer the MAGAts misappropriation of the Christian story. And thanks for the section on the Authors Guild report. It does inspire me to purchase more books that I know I will read more than once instead of automatically checking those out of the library.
Our house is overflowing with books, and our unusually good public library is just a few blocks away (on my way to everywhere else I go). I read several books a week, but I don't buy books to read once. If I'm going to give a public review of a book, I do want to own a copy, and I buy some used books that are out of print and not available at the library, but I do NOT need to add to our humongous collection of books kept mostly out of nostalgia (such as college textbooks). Even reference books (of which I have many) collect dust when I can find the answer I need online without having to get up from my desk chair and cross the room or go downstairs!
I would be interested in reading the whole report and see the statistics (I'll look it up on the internet), and how they might have changed. Here in France, a similar study a number of years ago (things could be changing here, too) showed that buying books and library use are linked. People who read library books are also the people who buy the most books, and vice versa. It's also true that people are reading less and buying fewer books, to the despair of authors, other readers, and the publishing industry. Like several commenters, at 76, facing a move, thinking about what my children will inherit and not necessarily want, I am making a concerted, or should that be constant, effort to buy fewer books and use my librairies, including one in the US, where I can borrow e-books, for English books not available here. E-readers (Kobo in my case, NOT Kindle), one of the modern world's great inventions, right up there with wheeled suitcases!
There have been other studies here indicating that people who read library books also buy more books. Libraries use these to support their case that publishers should not charge so much for licensing of e-books and audiobooks, and there are some efforts at legislation here to control those costs for libraries. I think the Author’s Guild study is pushing back against that a little.
Yikes. Misremembered my own title... https://williammarquand.substack.com/p/the-gilded-autocrat?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=ad2br
Did I buy a copy of Simple Machines Made Simple? Yes, yes I did.
Oh! I had forgotten the word "kook" -- and so useful right now. Good column, too. Scary.
Always wondered what creates beliefs. This is actually THE issue of the current political horror-show. (Without you, Ron, we might not find these books. PLEASE keep amplifying these voices - you are becoming our one singular sensation.)
Thanks for the encouragement, Lenore. I had these two on my desk just waiting for the right moment!
Your desk should be a designated Ideological Oracle.
Well, I must know all the wrong readers, and I know a lot of readers, 'affluent' and 'non-affluent'. All of them treasure books, the feel, the look, and the content--to be read and reread, to look up a passage, a line, a marginal note, to remember. They also use libraries, to see what's new, to be with other readers, to create new readers, to ask questions only their librarian can answer, to be guided toward a book they may read and want to own. I don't think libraries and book buyers are two exclusive categories; they work together beautifully.
That’s my impression too, Rhonda.
Talking with Ron Charles about book reviewing was one of the coolest things ever to happen to me. And hanging around with the Emerson bookstore cohort is up there too. Come on Substack, let’s make this an even better place for our greatest and funniest man of letters than the newspaper-that-shall-not-be-named!
You're very kind. Talking with you was a delight, and the Emerson bookstore cohort enlivens my faith in the future of books. Thanks so much for the encouragement!
Oh my goodness, yes to the library! They give you stuff for free and then you give it back so it isn’t cluttering up your house. I cannot imagine what my house would look like had I purchased everything our family had ever read. That said, I do buy books as gifts for others and occasionally for myself when the library waitlist for a title is interminable. I think that totals 25ish books per year.
A book is usually my go-to gift for anyone, but especially for my granddaughters, who are voracious readers.
I think of buying books as a bit of an investment.