To Buy, or Borrow?
Recently, one of the authors I follow on Twitter tweeted something about people borrowing her book to read, instead of buying it, being heartless. Being an aspiring author, who hopes to sell a lot of books someday, I could understand where the author was coming from. But, being an avid reader too, I could not help but wonder whether it was possible to buy all the books that one wanted.
So, I decided to make a case both for and against this dilemma that every book lover faces.
A Case for Buying
Buying a book is one of the best, if not the only, way to appreciate the hard work put in by the writer. It is an unfortunate fact that money makes the world go around, and many talented writers had to give up on their dreams midway because they could not make enough money from their writing. So, if you want to encourage a writer to go on writing, there is no better way to buy his, or her, book.
It’s not just the writer. Buying a book helps the publisher, the editor, the marketeer, and all the people involved in the process of getting the book to print. If there were not enough people to support it, the publishing industry would soon find itself in trouble, and you would have to say goodbye to the joy of holding a good book in your hands.
Buying a book is important, because for the true book-lover there are very few things in life that can beat the joy of holding a good book in his, or her, hand. A good book is one that you want to read more than once, and you can’t but help buy such books.
A Case for Borrowing
Let’s accept it. Even if you do want to buy all the books in the world, you have to first worry about the cost that goes into it. Most readers find it difficult to buy all the books they want, because money is always scarce, and things you could do with that money are unlimited. So, it is simply not possible to buy all the books you want to read.
In today’s time the living spaces are getting smaller, and the number of things you have to put in them is increasing. This puts an additional limit on the number of books you can keep in the house, without one or the other members of your family taking up arms against your habit of buying any book that you lay your eyes upon. Thus, you have to ensure that the limited space you have for storing books is used wisely, and you buy only the best books.
The recent rise of the eBook is also a threat to the printed book. While you can find enough articles on the internet debating on the issue, a simple fact is that eBooks make it convenient to carry and store a large number of books, which you can read at your convenience. The eBook is usually cheaper than the printed version anyway, so the arrival of the eBook is hurting the sale of the printed book as well.
The Result
From the above discussion, it seems borrowing a book to read seems like a better idea than buying it, unless you are somehow sure beforehand that buying the book is completely worth your time, money and space.
Which side of the debate are you on?
(Image Courtesy: topfer from freeimages.com)
Where’s the option to steal? I like to steal.
I try to keep a blend of buying and borrowing. As a writer, and as someone who is friends with many fine authors, I understand the value of spending the money to buy a book. It is my way of supporting artists. However, like many, borrowing is a more economic option at times. Libraries are such an important institution, keeping reading available to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status– and they are a large buyer of books, both print and ebooks. I will almost always support a tax increase to aid libraries. Tough times we live in– as artists and consumers.