I have a couple of weird hangups about stuff that I’m not sure have any basis in logic and might just simply be more signs of some of my deeper anxieties. I just realized this morning that two of them kinda go together, so I thought I’d share them with you and see if your thoughts are “Wow! That’s an interesting perspective that I’ve never considered!” or if your thoughts are, “Zoot really should be medicated.”
Too bad I’m not verified on Twitter or I’d totally do a poll with those two options.
Thing 1: I Refuse To Use Ad Blocks
I have this idea that, if I’m visiting someone’s website then I should have to see their ads as a way to support their content. Most websites only make money because of the ads on the sites and even if I’m not clicking them, blocking them entirely is basically blocking any chance they have of making money off my eyeballs and I feel like – if I’m using their content in some way – then my eyeballs should pay for that somehow.
I don’t have ads on my site, but if I did and it was actually a way where I could make money to pay for the server space I use, I think I’d be irritated that people turned on some sort of ad block to keep me from making any money. They want to read my words, but they don’t want me to make even one cent off of them reading my words and that would really upset me. SO! No ad block.
BUT! If a site has an annoying pop-up ad that is impossible to get rid of? I close out the site and never return. No content is worth annoying ads to me.
Thing 2: I Feel Sometimes Feel Guilty About Reading Books From The Library.
If I checked out a book at the library and REALLY loved it, then I kinda feel guilty that the author has not compensation for that. If I loved it and there’s any way I think I might want to read it again, I’ll buy it just so that they’ll get some sort of financial kickback for my enjoyment. I like using the library to test out books, and if I read them but didn’t LOVE them, I don’t feel guilty. But if I truly loved it and would recommend it to someone else? I feel bad that the author gets not even one penny from my enjoyment.
I wish there was a way to just like, donate $1 or something to an author if you read their book at the library and liked it. I can’t afford to buy EVERY book I love, but I do wish I could do SOMETHING. I do try to recommend books I love if I don’t buy them so that maybe SOMEONE will buy them in my place. And I do still buy a lot of books, just not ALL of the ones I love because if I did that we’d be sooo poor.
So – do you have any similar hangups? Or is this simply me overthinking life ONCE AGAIN.
Erm, well, while I can kinda understand your logic on the first one (it makes sense but I don’t like cookies tracking my habits and also am terrified of somehow being vulnerable to viruses so I block away) I never thought about the library thing. Authors receive compensation when libraries buy copies of the books so I guess I always considered that fair. And books from libraries too. I wonder if the authors get the same compensation as from a retailer though. Now I’m curious!
Huh. I hate ads. If they’re on the sidebar, OK, but if they are popups or whatever, I block.
Library books are great. Sorr,y but not having to purchase a book is, well, part of the American Dream for folks with limited budgets and limited shelf space. Plus think of your ecological footprint.
I have felt similar guilt in reading a library book, but I also feel guilty for not using my library more since it is such a great place for any town. Then there are all the book I bought and never finished and feel guilty lending them out like a library. Yikes it is complicated.
Library books! Do you feel bad when you borrow a book from a friend? Libraries pay for the books, we buy so many that we get a discount but we pay as much for the book as Barnes and noble does. I think you are doing your part if you talk up the books and buy what you know you love. Libraries are different because our society as a whole has decided it is a common good for our citizens to be able to access books, even the poor ones.
I never felt guilty when I was poor 🙂 But now that I can afford Netflix and Starbucks I’m kinda like…”Um…” 🙂
Well, as a librarian, I guess I would say that if the people who can afford Starbucks and Netflix stop using the library, policy makers will stop funding us. That is obviously not an absolute truth, but generally for a shared good to be effective, it needs to be shared somewhat across economic lines.
If the only people using a road were poor people, eventually richer people are not going to want their tax dollars to pay for it.
You paid for that new rainbow Rowell book, you just did it with your property tax or sales tax at your local Starbucks.
GREAT way to look at it! And I use the library a lot without guilt, I only feel guilt when it’s a book I end up LOVING, because then I feel like I should compensate the author somehow as a “thanks!” 🙂
Share those books with us when you find something at the library that you love. You’ll do the author more good by talking it up on your blog & social media…which will lead to more than 1 sale of the book.
That’s the same reason that publishers give away advanced reader copies of the book. They know the cost is worth it in the word of mouth reviews.
I don’t do ad block for the same reason. I want those people to earn something for their content. My kids on the other hand do have ad block because somethings are just not appropriate. But on my daughter’s favorite sites she pauses the ad block.
I have read many authors’ blogs and they LOVE libraries. They see it as free advertising and would rather someone check a book out form the library than to pirate it. At least they get that first library sale. And I agree, if you love a book tell us. That will help the author the most. You could check out if they are on patreon or if their blog has a donation button; some do.
As someone who used to work in publishing, I can assure you that taking books out of the library totally helps the author. They do get paid royalties for those books, for one, but more importantly, libraries are used as really important barometers of what people are looking for. This is why putting books on hold is really important, because libraries use those numbers to judge how many books they need to order (if it is pre-release) or if they need to order more books. The same theory holds true if you’re buying a book, actually. It means a lot if you pre-order the book, versus just making a note to buy it on release.
As for the poll thing, I’m not verified and I can make a poll. Have they only rolled that out to a certain group? I’m nothing special to Twitter, I promise.
I think if John Green loves libraries, we all should 🙂 Granted this is comparing libraries to illegal piracy, and not vs. legal buying, but he makes some very good points about why libraries are important to authors. And like Jen W above, I’ve read other blogs and quotes from authors with similar sentiments.
http://fishingboatproceeds.tumblr.com/post/19953477001/why-libraries-are-different-from-piracy
I also work in publishing, and I can tell you our authors make most of their money on the advance (before the book even comes out). Also, we really count on libraries to buy our books. If they didn’t, our sales numbers would be a lot worse, so you are supporting authors and books by using the library. And, at the same time, you are proving the need for libraries in our country. If people don’t use them, they’ll go away, and that would be a really terrible thing for our society.
It’s not as much guilt for using the library – I do that constantly! It’s guilt for not THEN buying the book I love 🙂 Since I kinda could, financially anyway!
I get that. I guess I would say that supporting the lesser-known authors is most important. The big names will be okay. So, if you can’t buy every book you love but want to buy some, maybe that can be a factor in your decision-making. ; ) Less guilt, more reading! Also, I feel guilt about lots of things, one of them being dealing with sick kids, school, and being a household with two working parents, so thank you for your recent post on that! So nice to not feel alone!