I read everything on my phone. It’s been a slow progression to this point. A few years ago I only read physical books that I purchased—then I went through a Marie Kondo phase and got rid of them all. From there I bought a Kindle and purchased ebooks until I discovered the Libby app and started reading them for free.
I know this has already been mentioned in the comment thread, but it is super important.
Libraries pay for the digital books they lend. Publishers pay a royalty rate to an author for an ebook or audiobook licensed to a library, just as they do for any retailer. Then, the license expires (usually in 2 years or 26 lends) and the library has to purchase it again, triggering another royalty payment.
I emphasize this because libraries are fighting an ongoing battle against public perception on this front—that library lending is like stealing money from from authors. It is not! Authors get paid for library lending and they get discovered through library lending.
There are some situations where self-published authors may have their titles in libraries with limited or no compensation, but that is their decision. It is not how traditional publishers work.
Oh, this is very interesting. Thank you so much for the information! Are there any good articles you could point me to that explain the breakdown of how it works? And how much the author gets paid for an ebook at the library vs. other ebook purchased? This is an element I'm still trying to understand.
In the meantime, I have amended my article so as not to spread misinformation, thank you so much for bringing this to my attention!
The only article I know about (truly) is the one I wrote. Library earnings are unfortunately a black box, which I think benefits the publishers more than anyone. Here's what I reported a couple years ago.
For the life of me I cannot concentrate on a book for an extensive period of time if the letters aren’t printed on paper! I truly wish I could, my suitcase would be significantly lighter. It’s interesting (and very logical) that you test a book out before purchasing it. I do the opposite. I’ll buy the book, and if I like it enough, and want to carry it everywhere with me, I’ll get the Kindle version too.
Also, I cherish my Easton Press Edgar Allen Poe’s tales. Their books are works of art.
ALSO, thank you SO much for your kind words!!! And for summarizing my short stories in a way I never am able to! You are the bessst, and I’m looking forward to your next article! <3
Great post. I’ve started to cycle through multiple books at a time. One audiobook, one ebook, one hardcopy. This helps me keep the books separate in my mind since they are in different mediums and let’s me access them at different times depending on my mood and what I’m doing. Looking forward to your book!
Oh I do this sometimes too! If I'm reading philosophy I love to have a physical copy, it feels more like I'm "studying" it. And if I'm reading a memoir, I almost always splurge for the Audible so that they can read it to me themselves. :)
We do need to support actual bookstores, too, I feel-- as writers. If we don't, who will? I don't order from little-a amazon (ugh) unless the book is available nowhere else, which means the author has made a certain choice. And in Canada, we don't have Bookshop yet--alas. If I buy second-hand, it's because the author is either dead or wealthy (!).
It is, in fact, relatively quick to order a book using the ISBN from my local bricks & mortar store, AND to point out to the employee what you are ordering, and why, and try to get it onto their radar, especially if published with a smaller press. And then to review it/talk it up.
In Canada, we have the PLR--public lending rights--which sends authors a cheque each year based on the number of times their book shows up in randomly selected libraries--which is just such a wonder!
It is significant for writers to support each other. I've come to think of it as "arts tithing" and have written some Medium pieces about it as such. Since dedicating 10% of my income to support arts, I've had the pleasure of finding a number of musicians and writers and others, whose work I so appreciate :)
I'm with you about "arts tithing" (I love that term)! As an artist myself, I make sure that I support other artists by buying art (even dishes and clothing, etc.) directly from the artists themselves on Etsy. And of course, I love supporting writers via Substack, Patreon, Kickstarter, buying their books, subscribing to independent magazines, etc.
As to supporting bookstores, I like that we can do that here with Bookshop and I do use that whenever possible, but (and I really hate to admit this) I'm not sure that the independent book store will survive outside of being a hobby for much longer. Brick-and-mortar is hard no matter what industry you're in, but with such small margins, niche book sales seems like an upside-down revenue model. And how much longer can that model survive solely on the goodwill of people who decide not to buy from Amazon?
I hope I'm wrong, and I will continue to "arts tithe" as much as I am able and support independent book stores whenever I can, but I also think that writers will be better off selling directly to their readers, and that bookstores will eventually become obsolete (no matter how hard we try to keep them afloat).
Actually, small bookstores are doing well. In the US as well as Canada! So I am convinced individuals CAN change things: our $$ do speak. We can decide where they talk.
As for selling directly writer-to-reader, so long as the Editor is in there, somewhere, whether privately hired or someone who has real knowledge of this too-quickly-disappearing-art... The editor is mid-wife to the process. I am excited to see positive change, and artists empowered. But I don't want to lose certain pieces along the way.
This is a great discussion, perusing the posted thoughts! Thank you!
This is so so cool! Thank you so much for sharing!
I feel conflicted on the editor piece of things. I didn't use one for my first novel, but I did self-edit, have a small group read it, and hire a sensitivity reader to read it. Which I felt was enough. But I think it depends a lot on the book and how it is being published. Some might require more editing than others. And some maybe shouldn't have been edited from their original brilliance. Maybe like most things, it's subjective.
Yes, I love all the conversation that results from these posts. Thank you so much for engaging in it all with me!!!!
Given my history of eye health, I'm not sure reading on a phone would be a good option for me. I'd have to talk to my doctor first, but if others want to, have at it.
Actually, libraries do contribute to the author--even through Libby. I sell through Draft2Digital and there's several library options--Hoopla is the one connected to Libby, I believe--and the pricing is usually 2x that of the regular price.
I gave up trying to read on my phone--aging eyes don't do well with it. But I have an iPad that I read on, and like you, I don't do social media on the phone. No notifications allowed on either iPad or phone.
I too am a book phone reader and it greatly increased my reading frequency. Over the last 1.5 years with no commute and no long elevator rides up to my office, I found my reading time went off a cliff.
To your point about library checkouts, libraries have to purchase the ebook/audiobook copies they lend so the author will still receive income on library e-lending. And some libraries subscribe to catalogs where the author gets paid per checkout/borrow.
It's true, commutes are a great time to read. Now that I'm mostly remote I read a lot in the bathtub, on work breaks, while eating a meal, while waiting in line, and just anytime I have free time!
The problem with library copies is that they mostly compensate the publisher. Though I'm not super knowledgeable about how that works exactly. Good to know that some libraries compensate the author by the borrow. That seems like that could be a winning strategy if implemented widely!
Royalty rates for library sales versus retail sales are the same in most contracts. It would be a very unusual contract if the publisher earned more, percentage-wise, than another type of sale.
That's true if you're traditionally published. If you are self-published, you can also get your ebooks/audiobooks into libraries, but it just takes some more effort. You can use Draft2Digital and Findaway Voices, which allow libraries to have access to your ebooks and audiobooks to purchase individual copies and put them into the pay-per-borrow catalogs. You can then ask your newsletter subscribers to recommend to their local libraries that they purchase a copy of your book.
I have never adjusted to reading on a phone, but I like your idea of removing apps to make it less cluttered and easier to use as a reader. Because I'm a slow reader, I'll keep a book around me for a long time, and I like how it becomes almost an extension of the body - the cover getting more pliable with use, pages dog-eared, that one coffee stain you swore you wouldn't cause this time appearing midway through. That said, of course I'm serializing my novel here. Looking forward to your launch in September.
Yes, I think making my phone a very minimalist experience has been key to me reading on it. Because there is nothing to do on it apart from read and write, I see it as an extension of my body the same way you do your book. Something I can always tap into and immerse myself in at any moment.
I do love physical books though too, for that very same reason. Coffee stains and all!
Thank you so much!! I am so pleased that you're enjoying Anamnesis. Once you've devoured Gaiman's prose fiction, I highly recommend his nonfiction collection The View from the Cheap Seats, his retelling of Norse Mythology, and all of his graphic novels (with The Sandman being the absolute best). I am... a bit of a Gaiman stan, if I'm being honest.
I still love the feeling of reading a physical book, but I definitely vibe with your change to reading on your phone. I have hundreds of books still stored in my parents' attic, which I left there when I moved to Europe 6 years ago, and that's when I transitioned to mostly ebooks and audiobooks.
I'm with you, I love the feeling of reading a physical book. But practically, it hardly ever happens for me that way. Maybe that will make it easier for me to move to Europe too someday....
I know this has already been mentioned in the comment thread, but it is super important.
Libraries pay for the digital books they lend. Publishers pay a royalty rate to an author for an ebook or audiobook licensed to a library, just as they do for any retailer. Then, the license expires (usually in 2 years or 26 lends) and the library has to purchase it again, triggering another royalty payment.
I emphasize this because libraries are fighting an ongoing battle against public perception on this front—that library lending is like stealing money from from authors. It is not! Authors get paid for library lending and they get discovered through library lending.
There are some situations where self-published authors may have their titles in libraries with limited or no compensation, but that is their decision. It is not how traditional publishers work.
Oh, this is very interesting. Thank you so much for the information! Are there any good articles you could point me to that explain the breakdown of how it works? And how much the author gets paid for an ebook at the library vs. other ebook purchased? This is an element I'm still trying to understand.
In the meantime, I have amended my article so as not to spread misinformation, thank you so much for bringing this to my attention!
The only article I know about (truly) is the one I wrote. Library earnings are unfortunately a black box, which I think benefits the publishers more than anyone. Here's what I reported a couple years ago.
https://mailchi.mp/2782ee381ce9/macmillan-embargo#mctoc2
https://mailchi.mp/2782ee381ce9/macmillan-embargo#mctoc1
I was wondering about that. And these are great! Thank you so much for sharing these with me!
For the life of me I cannot concentrate on a book for an extensive period of time if the letters aren’t printed on paper! I truly wish I could, my suitcase would be significantly lighter. It’s interesting (and very logical) that you test a book out before purchasing it. I do the opposite. I’ll buy the book, and if I like it enough, and want to carry it everywhere with me, I’ll get the Kindle version too.
Also, I cherish my Easton Press Edgar Allen Poe’s tales. Their books are works of art.
ALSO, thank you SO much for your kind words!!! And for summarizing my short stories in a way I never am able to! You are the bessst, and I’m looking forward to your next article! <3
Isn't that interesting how it all works out? (And that we have so many options for how to read?)
I agree with you about Easton. Absolutely stunning!!! Poe is a good find!
And I love your fiction dearly. Some of my favorites!
Great post. I’ve started to cycle through multiple books at a time. One audiobook, one ebook, one hardcopy. This helps me keep the books separate in my mind since they are in different mediums and let’s me access them at different times depending on my mood and what I’m doing. Looking forward to your book!
Oh I do this sometimes too! If I'm reading philosophy I love to have a physical copy, it feels more like I'm "studying" it. And if I'm reading a memoir, I almost always splurge for the Audible so that they can read it to me themselves. :)
Interesting pop quiz, about supporting writers.
We do need to support actual bookstores, too, I feel-- as writers. If we don't, who will? I don't order from little-a amazon (ugh) unless the book is available nowhere else, which means the author has made a certain choice. And in Canada, we don't have Bookshop yet--alas. If I buy second-hand, it's because the author is either dead or wealthy (!).
It is, in fact, relatively quick to order a book using the ISBN from my local bricks & mortar store, AND to point out to the employee what you are ordering, and why, and try to get it onto their radar, especially if published with a smaller press. And then to review it/talk it up.
In Canada, we have the PLR--public lending rights--which sends authors a cheque each year based on the number of times their book shows up in randomly selected libraries--which is just such a wonder!
It is significant for writers to support each other. I've come to think of it as "arts tithing" and have written some Medium pieces about it as such. Since dedicating 10% of my income to support arts, I've had the pleasure of finding a number of musicians and writers and others, whose work I so appreciate :)
So good to read about reading!
I'm with you about "arts tithing" (I love that term)! As an artist myself, I make sure that I support other artists by buying art (even dishes and clothing, etc.) directly from the artists themselves on Etsy. And of course, I love supporting writers via Substack, Patreon, Kickstarter, buying their books, subscribing to independent magazines, etc.
As to supporting bookstores, I like that we can do that here with Bookshop and I do use that whenever possible, but (and I really hate to admit this) I'm not sure that the independent book store will survive outside of being a hobby for much longer. Brick-and-mortar is hard no matter what industry you're in, but with such small margins, niche book sales seems like an upside-down revenue model. And how much longer can that model survive solely on the goodwill of people who decide not to buy from Amazon?
I hope I'm wrong, and I will continue to "arts tithe" as much as I am able and support independent book stores whenever I can, but I also think that writers will be better off selling directly to their readers, and that bookstores will eventually become obsolete (no matter how hard we try to keep them afloat).
Actually, small bookstores are doing well. In the US as well as Canada! So I am convinced individuals CAN change things: our $$ do speak. We can decide where they talk.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/pandemic-independent-bookstores-1.5797276
As for selling directly writer-to-reader, so long as the Editor is in there, somewhere, whether privately hired or someone who has real knowledge of this too-quickly-disappearing-art... The editor is mid-wife to the process. I am excited to see positive change, and artists empowered. But I don't want to lose certain pieces along the way.
This is a great discussion, perusing the posted thoughts! Thank you!
YEAH to arts tithe!
This is so so cool! Thank you so much for sharing!
I feel conflicted on the editor piece of things. I didn't use one for my first novel, but I did self-edit, have a small group read it, and hire a sensitivity reader to read it. Which I felt was enough. But I think it depends a lot on the book and how it is being published. Some might require more editing than others. And some maybe shouldn't have been edited from their original brilliance. Maybe like most things, it's subjective.
Yes, I love all the conversation that results from these posts. Thank you so much for engaging in it all with me!!!!
Given my history of eye health, I'm not sure reading on a phone would be a good option for me. I'd have to talk to my doctor first, but if others want to, have at it.
Actually, libraries do contribute to the author--even through Libby. I sell through Draft2Digital and there's several library options--Hoopla is the one connected to Libby, I believe--and the pricing is usually 2x that of the regular price.
I gave up trying to read on my phone--aging eyes don't do well with it. But I have an iPad that I read on, and like you, I don't do social media on the phone. No notifications allowed on either iPad or phone.
I too am a book phone reader and it greatly increased my reading frequency. Over the last 1.5 years with no commute and no long elevator rides up to my office, I found my reading time went off a cliff.
To your point about library checkouts, libraries have to purchase the ebook/audiobook copies they lend so the author will still receive income on library e-lending. And some libraries subscribe to catalogs where the author gets paid per checkout/borrow.
It's true, commutes are a great time to read. Now that I'm mostly remote I read a lot in the bathtub, on work breaks, while eating a meal, while waiting in line, and just anytime I have free time!
The problem with library copies is that they mostly compensate the publisher. Though I'm not super knowledgeable about how that works exactly. Good to know that some libraries compensate the author by the borrow. That seems like that could be a winning strategy if implemented widely!
Royalty rates for library sales versus retail sales are the same in most contracts. It would be a very unusual contract if the publisher earned more, percentage-wise, than another type of sale.
That's true if you're traditionally published. If you are self-published, you can also get your ebooks/audiobooks into libraries, but it just takes some more effort. You can use Draft2Digital and Findaway Voices, which allow libraries to have access to your ebooks and audiobooks to purchase individual copies and put them into the pay-per-borrow catalogs. You can then ask your newsletter subscribers to recommend to their local libraries that they purchase a copy of your book.
Oh, that is great to know! Thank you so much for sharing that.
I have never adjusted to reading on a phone, but I like your idea of removing apps to make it less cluttered and easier to use as a reader. Because I'm a slow reader, I'll keep a book around me for a long time, and I like how it becomes almost an extension of the body - the cover getting more pliable with use, pages dog-eared, that one coffee stain you swore you wouldn't cause this time appearing midway through. That said, of course I'm serializing my novel here. Looking forward to your launch in September.
Yes, I think making my phone a very minimalist experience has been key to me reading on it. Because there is nothing to do on it apart from read and write, I see it as an extension of my body the same way you do your book. Something I can always tap into and immerse myself in at any moment.
I do love physical books though too, for that very same reason. Coffee stains and all!
Thank you so much!! I am so pleased that you're enjoying Anamnesis. Once you've devoured Gaiman's prose fiction, I highly recommend his nonfiction collection The View from the Cheap Seats, his retelling of Norse Mythology, and all of his graphic novels (with The Sandman being the absolute best). I am... a bit of a Gaiman stan, if I'm being honest.
I still love the feeling of reading a physical book, but I definitely vibe with your change to reading on your phone. I have hundreds of books still stored in my parents' attic, which I left there when I moved to Europe 6 years ago, and that's when I transitioned to mostly ebooks and audiobooks.
I'm adding these books to my list, thank you!
I'm with you, I love the feeling of reading a physical book. But practically, it hardly ever happens for me that way. Maybe that will make it easier for me to move to Europe too someday....
That's a great way to look at it :)
An interesting perspective. Glad I discovered you a few weeks ago. Looking forward to your story coming out.
Thank you so much Tim!