As a reader/ As a writer

I have read this discussion and I am trying to digest it. First let me say that, I buy my books, hard bound, first edition of my favorite authors. At least 90% of my books are bought brand new. But I am thinking about how authors are paid, now I may not know what I am talking about here and correct me if I am wrong, but don't publishing companies pay enormous amounts of money for the rights to market and then sell the books? A new and up coming author may not be paid up front as much at first, all the more reason to have your book read so that the next time you are paid more. I know there is an issue with royalties, but lets think about this for a minute. Even hard bound books get destroyed over time and have to be replaced, so there is a new book bought.

I can not even begin to fathom what would happen to our educational system if every student were to be required to buy a new book from the beginning of kindergarten though out his entire school years. The very foundations of how libraries work and operate, how research is conducted to how we share information would crumble. Then I think about how this would even affect the internet and our abilities to gather information on line.

Then this thought leads me to thinking about our economy and agriculture how devastating and detrimental it could be to farmers who would not be able to glean the information they need to operate with out high costs. I mean my imagination sees no limits to the far reaching effects and what could happen to us as a society if books were not free and readily available to us.

This takes copyrights to the extreme. I get very attached to my books, but my library is available to any of my friends and family. I just can not see it any other way.

related resources: buy leads, internet leads

I'm a writer who has written a book. To me it isn't about the money, but it is about how many people read my book. It's about the message I want to get across to my readers, not how much money I get from it.

Yes, I do want people to buy my book, but if they can pass it on to someone else and that someone else get something out of it, then I've done my job. I run a writing business, so that's where I make my money. If my book makes a lot of money, then that great, but if it doesn't, my heart isn't broken.

One word....think.....
LIBRARY.......
any book you have is quite possibly at the local library...what's the difference between lending out a book and checking one out?

well, a person can definitely be a reader alone but a person cant be only a writer, because one who hasthe capability to write will definiely be a sound reader, and for myself i am both reader and writer, i want to say that yes sharing books with your friends harm that particular writer, but there are some books which cant be shared when it is used simultaneously by all the reader, so at that condition it becomes mandatory for them to buy the books sperately ..so it depends on the reder and his use...

I think your friend has a narrow attitude. Your neighbour may not have thought to buy any book by your friend but once they have read the book after you lent it to them they might buy the next book or recommend it to their other friends. It's daft to think people only ever read books they have bought themseves. I think your writer friend must have thought they had lost a sale but at the end of the day your neighbour probably wouldn't rush out to buy that book if you said you had been told not to lend it to them.

I am a writer. I have two published books "Gifts From God" a collection of poetry. And "Defend God's Word" in which I share the wisedom God's Word has taught me on many subjects (Prayer, Sin, Salvation, Heaven, etc.).
I have to try to promote my books myself, which can be hard at times. I would not mind if someone lended one of my books to others. If they liked it they might look into buying it themselves. Or look into buying one as a gift for a friend. Yes, it would be nice to make a profit with my writing. But I also want others to read my work. To be touched by my words.

It's totally legal to pass along books to friends, and even to sell them to bookstores, online, etc. In a lot of cases it can actually increase the sales for an author: I've heard of a lot of people who first come across an author from a book a friend lent them, and once they read that book they go out and by other works by the author.

And with the high price of books these days, especially hardcovers, fewer people are going to take a chance on a book that costs $25.

Well I think she is being unfair there as a Reader yes I would lend the book out because like you say why not

As a Writer I would not mind at all I am writing a book and I have sent quite a few of my Friends the chapters I have already done so they will more then likely not buy it well it does not bother me at all it either sells or it doesn't I am writing because I enjoy it and not to get rich on it lol it might never be published

One of the nicest things about books is sometimes sharing them. Much of the time the person who borrows the book would not have otherwise purchases anyway. Some of the time a person who reads and loves a book may go out and buy his own copy to keep.

One advantage writers have when their book is shared is having their work read and having their name associated with any particularly good piece of work. Its a form of advertising. What they may lose in royalties for each shared book could be considered an advertising expense.

While many people write books for the sole purpose of making money, most avid readers and many writers have a particular appreciation of books, know how each book can have its own meaning and a life of its own, and even sometimes be a friend of sorts. Readers and writers often see books as a compilation of ideas and sharing ideas as one of the main points to books.

Books are different from any other product that is ever sold. Writers who write for reasons beyond just selling their work generally would share that view. Writers who write only to make a buck would not. Even the business-only writer, though, may see some benefit in getting his work circulated as advertising.

If and when I ever have a best-seller (or even a loser-seller) I would welcome the sharing of my ideas in the spirit in which I wrote the book in the first place.

As a reader, I think this is exactly the same thing as loaning someone your car, a dress, a watch, a CD or DVD. You bought it, it is yours and you can do with it as you please. The thing that would be unethical would be making copies, like with CD's, and worse, selling copies. I buy used books all the time, and I also swap books with friends. There is nothing wrong with that.

As a writer, I still think this is ridiculous. Your friend should be grateful taht you bought her book, and that you liked it enough to recommend it to someone else. Instead she is upset that she won't get paid for your friend reading it? If she is a new author, she should be glad for the extra exposure, since the friend you loaned it to will know her name, and be more likely to buy another book of hers in the future, or recommend her to another friend.