Every reader knows the struggle. The fact of the matter is, books are addictive. Nobody who has ever read a book and loved it has ever stopped at just one. But, I don't have a problem! You have the problem! Leave me alone!
Personally, I have become a friend of secondhand books and charity shops. I know that some booklovers want to have their shelves filled with brand new books, all matching, so that their shelves are social media ready, but I am much more interested in the contents of the books. So, I am not too bothered by having odd, mismatched, dog-eared, notated books on my shelves. As long as I can access the words that have made their way, through time and space, to my eyeballs, I am happy.
But, of course, the problem here is that, instead of saving money, buying the same number of books as you would if you bought them brand new, you might just end up spending the same amount of money and buying more books. This leads to another problem that book lovers face - the finite bookshelf space conflicting with your unending desire for more books!
But, let's deal with one problem at a time, shall we . . .
There is a little twinge of guilt that goes with buying secondhand books; knowing that the authors very rarely earn royalties from the sales.
It seems that authors and writers are earning less and less as time goes on. Almost gone are the days when a writer could earn enough to live on from their work as a writer alone, instead they must supplement their income with other jobs.
Authors do, however, earn a modest payment each time one of their books is borrowed from a public library. The Public Lending Right (PLR) provides writers with up to £6,600 a year from library book borrows. It's not an awful lot, but it's another good reason to visit the local library.
If you want my advice, make friends with libraries and secondhand books. I know the purse strings can pinch. But, as you make friends with these invaluable resources, bear in mind how little authors and writers are being paid. And, when you see a campaign to gain writers a percentage from the sale of secondhand books, consider putting your name to that campaign. And, go pay a visit to your local library. Show them they're still needed, and wanted.
Thank you for reading. Before you go, can I ask you to consider supporting this blog with a coffee on ko-fi.com - the caffeine keeps me considering all the ways I can get my hands on books, books, books!
I resist ad space as much as possible - I would rather generate conversation than sales! However, with writerly ambitions and desires, it would be unrealistic to seek no remuneration whatsoever, so I kindly ask readers to consider a small donation through ko-fi.com. And I thank every reader and supporter wholeheartedly!
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