You Don't Use the Library?

I find it hard to believe that any serious reader would refrain from using the library. Yet I hear it all the time. How could anyone pass up free reading?

Authors might not like this. Of course they would rather you buy a copy than borrow one from the library. I get it, and no one could ever accuse me of not supporting horror and the writers I love. I've spent untold thousands of dollars on books over the decades.

Take the two books I just picked up from the library. Two hotly anticipated titles. Now, I love Joe R. Lansdale above most other writers. I've bought at least a couple of dozen books by him. From bookstores, Amazon, small presses, and direct from the man himself at cons. I'd love to keep helping, but who is my biggest loyalty to?

I liked Bird Box, even if I don't consider it to be the classic some others do. It's a damned good book, and it scored extra big points for originality. But, man, it's like Malerman slipped me a roofie with Bird Box. I read it fairly recently, and I have trouble remembering any details.

Josh Malerman and Joe R. Lansdale are pretty big league writers, and they both probably make a better living than I do. My conscious is clear.

Very soon my friend Adam Cesare will see the publication of his new book, Clown in a Cornfield. That one I am buying. Why? I can probably get it from the library, even if I have to request it. Well, for one, I consider Adam a friend. That isn't always a deal-maker for me, but Clown in a Cornfield may be a pivotal book for Adam. It could be his breakthrough title. These sales are critical, and mean more than a mere royalty.

It does help a writer to check out a book from the library. The more loans for any given title, the greater the chances of the system buying more of the author's books.

Plus I sometimes try out a writer from the library, and love the books so much I feel compelled to purchase them later on. My recent infatuation with the work of Don Winslow is a case in point.

I follow no set rhyme or reason. I buy books and I sometimes keep them, and I sometimes resell them. I borrow books from the library. I mean, again, they are free.

Books, movies, music, resources, services, activities, and much more. The library is one of the greatest institutions of our society. You should be taking advantage of them.

Written by Mark Sieber