Yeah, I don't really accept the argument. The idea is that it's better to read from libraries/second-hand because that's finite, I gather... but it isn't. Either of those can be used infinitely as long as they're well-treated. Besides which, I haven't seen people benefiting financially from uploading ebooks, as far as I'm aware, but if I just walk across town, both my library and the local second-hand bookshop are profiting by the book business, without any of it going to the poor starving authors. (The library earns money loaning DVDs out, etc, and because it makes some profit by selling various services. In the main library, they sell food, and have several competing restaurants sharing the library space.)
Personally, I contribute a lot to developing artists -- I helped crowd-fund Kat Flint's album, Dirty Birds, and would've bought into Thea Gilmore's attempt at it, if I could blinkin' afford it. Technology has provided such wondrous ways to engage with projects in that way.
I like what Amanda Palmer says, about artists coming to people hat in hand, cutting out the middle man. If it happens in the book industry, it'll change things a lot -- which scares people to death, I think. They don't know what to expect. They want to bury their heads in the sand, because "the old system worked fine". Clearly not.
I'd love to see the 'hat in hand' model work out for authors, too. It's more difficult to apply in the book industry, I think... but we'll see.
I agree with you on most everything you said. It really doesn't pay (ha) to underestimate the power of blogging and book reviews. I bought Silver Phoenix because of those posts, and added my own review, which in turn brought Cindy Pon to the notice of other readers, who in turn would blog... Definitely, definitely valuable.
I encourage my local library to buy large print books, since all they have is two shelves' worth. They're probably sick of my badgering. ("We buy them and you don't read them!" "That's because I'm not asking for them for me." "*huff, huff, incomprehension, huff*")
I've always tried to be responsible in my reading, to support the authors I love. I felt sick, recently, when I looked at how much it'd cost me to buy Jo Walton's Ha'penny -- £25. I don't have that much to spend, I barely have an income at all. So in the end I bought it second-hand, and bought several of my friends copies of Farthing, which is affordable. It's not always like that -- sometimes I just spot a book in a charity shop and want it now now now, or get a free ebook copy from Baen or whatever. But whatever it is, I do try to give back to the author in some way. To hear some authors talk, you'd think that made me some kind of impossible mythical creature.
(I always feel so incoherent trying to talk about what I think/feel about all this -- I envy how clear your posts/comments are! Thank you for sharing.)
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regna
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-23 07:15 pm (UTC)Personally, I contribute a lot to developing artists -- I helped crowd-fund Kat Flint's album, Dirty Birds, and would've bought into Thea Gilmore's attempt at it, if I could blinkin' afford it. Technology has provided such wondrous ways to engage with projects in that way.
I like what Amanda Palmer says, about artists coming to people hat in hand, cutting out the middle man. If it happens in the book industry, it'll change things a lot -- which scares people to death, I think. They don't know what to expect. They want to bury their heads in the sand, because "the old system worked fine". Clearly not.
I'd love to see the 'hat in hand' model work out for authors, too. It's more difficult to apply in the book industry, I think... but we'll see.
I agree with you on most everything you said. It really doesn't pay (ha) to underestimate the power of blogging and book reviews. I bought Silver Phoenix because of those posts, and added my own review, which in turn brought Cindy Pon to the notice of other readers, who in turn would blog... Definitely, definitely valuable.
I encourage my local library to buy large print books, since all they have is two shelves' worth. They're probably sick of my badgering. ("We buy them and you don't read them!" "That's because I'm not asking for them for me." "*huff, huff, incomprehension, huff*")
I've always tried to be responsible in my reading, to support the authors I love. I felt sick, recently, when I looked at how much it'd cost me to buy Jo Walton's Ha'penny -- £25. I don't have that much to spend, I barely have an income at all. So in the end I bought it second-hand, and bought several of my friends copies of Farthing, which is affordable. It's not always like that -- sometimes I just spot a book in a charity shop and want it now now now, or get a free ebook copy from Baen or whatever. But whatever it is, I do try to give back to the author in some way. To hear some authors talk, you'd think that made me some kind of impossible mythical creature.
(I always feel so incoherent trying to talk about what I think/feel about all this -- I envy how clear your posts/comments are! Thank you for sharing.)