I kinda see Goodreads as my "library". It gives me a huge sense of satisfaction to look back on everything I've read over the years. No need to collect those books in my small home. I've begun to wonder if I ought to donate the money I spend on digital books to my library instead and help them buy a larger collection. I'm not really sure how all that works. But it seems silly to have a huge audiobook collection that only I have access to.
I have a lot of complicated feelings with the booktube consumerism too. It bothers me when people complain about the prices of books, considering they're usually 10 to 20 bucks for something that people took thousands of hours to create, write, rewrite, edit, market, distribute, etc. I want authors to be compensated for their work. I love when people enthusiastically support authors. At the same time though, I don't believe in wasting money either, and I've found that the general mindset/impulse seems to be owning as many possessions as possible = happiness. And it doesn't. So my point is FUND LIBRARIES Libraries will pay thousands of dollars to purchase multiple print copies and thousands of digital distribution licenses happily in order to provide people free access to books. Authors get paid and you don't need to clutter your house 😎😎 The more support we get, the more we can expand our services. Especially electronic/digital services. But for the love of God if you're gonna donate books to your local library, please please call ahead to ask how many they're taking and what they can accept. And please make sure they're in good condition. You have no idea how many hundreds of books I get a week that are college textbooks (I'm at a public library! We don't keep those) from 1994 with doddles on them and dead cockroaches in between the pages. I thought all the books you donated looked to be in wonderful condition so 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 Also thank you for pointing out the environmental impact. I've had patrons complain when we've had to recycle old, unused books in bad condition. Like. It's the most ecologically sound thing I can do considering no one wants to check them out or purchase them.
Absolutely! Very well said. I could make a whole other video in itself about libraries specifically, I was just thinking in this particular video I would focus on the "buying" side of things. I take it you're a librarian? I think you guys are legends 🙏
@@CamWolfeAuthor yup librarian! (by day, writer by night, as the cliche goes). On the purchasing aspect, I think my favorite patrons are the ones who utilize the library but also every now and then buy an ebook or physical book from their favorite authors in support. There's happy balances out there.
😂 haha at least that's another collecting hobby your friends can enjoy too! That actually sounds f--king amazing if I'm being honest, 100 board games??
@@CamWolfeAuthor probably even more 🤔 it's like cardboard crack xD I literally have no space for more, yet at least 20 more have to arrive sometime in the near future...
Chiky - Relatable! 😳 My BG collection is DOWN to about 270 now. For shame! 🙈🙈 I mean, I’m old, so I’ve had time to accumulate a lot of games...but I feel I need to cut my collection by 150 at least. As for books.... not even going to count.... Enjoyed this video, Cam! 👍👍
If you'll indulge me for a moment, I have some thoughts on Marie Kondo and the difference between Tidying and Minimalism. If you get rid of some of your stuff when using her method it should be because that stuff isn't giving you joy, not because you want to own less stuff. I think part of the reason why people get rid of so much stuff while using her method is that it tells you to bring together all the items of the same type and most people don''t realize how much they own (and how many redundant items they own). Marie Kondo gets marketed with images of pristine white minimalist spaces, but she's not prescriptive about the amounts or kinds of things one should own. If it makes you happy to collect, then collect! But do so mindfully, and remember to keep those items that bring you joy. I will say that I think the way you opened the video by celebrating the books that brought you joy was Very Marie Kondo of you.
Thanks so much for weighing in on the Marie Kondo discussion, I was hoping someone would! To be honest, I think you said it better than me. Very VERY well put 👏
There was a meme going around where it misconstrued Marie Kondo saying that it's ideal to keep 30 books. But she was talking about her own collection. I'm not sure if there's more to the Marie Kondo debate than that.
@@americanbookdragon having read her book,she mentions in one part that if you have thousands of books and they all bring you joy then you should keep them.it’s not about the number but about the emotions they invoke
Recently Got rid of all my books recently as I began a Swedish death cleaning experiment and it was quite a task …1000 books !!!! Many art books I had inherited from loved ones… and donating them ( to local library) was a lot of work but a good reminder how very HEAVY they are! Both physically and emotionally..it took over a month of trips to the library !! my home is so much lighter and it felt good to let go of some attachments that were taking up much needed living space in our home…also my grown kids have thanked me for letting go of so many physical items as they would have ended up having to deal with the enormous task …no regrets!
That's a great point! I planned on doing a whole other video talking about Libraries, because I wanted to focus the "buying" side of things in this video. I probably still should have mentioned libraries at least a bit anyway. Thanks for watching! 😊
@@CamWolfeAuthor omg, I can't wait! There are so many people who don't realize that libraries are still a thing. (Here in America anyway.) It bums me out when people tell me "I'd read more but books are so expensive." and I'm like libraries! You don't even have to go there if it's too far away, you can just check things out online. Then they think that libraries cost money and I'm like noooo, it's free!
I don't know how these Booktubers have the means to buy so many books. I just watçh to get ideas for what to read or buy at my own pace. I don't feel pressured to buy the choices they share. I had my own Library before it became a thing. Mine has developed over time .
My book collection took years to accumulate, love being surrounded by them. Most all of them came from used bookstores. But it's not needed. I live next to a library and I have an eReader. I will say... every time I say that I'll stop buying books, I fail. I need to stop failing here.
I started downsizing my collection because I couldn’t find anything. What’s the point of having books if when I go to reread a series I can only find book 2, 7 and 10? What bothered me a lot was that when I started downsizing some people acted like I wasn’t a real reader anymore. Whether I own the book or not doesn’t change the knowledge and experience I have from reading a book. And I realized that for some people it is more about owning the book and showing off then it is about reading it. Not everyone of course. But that sent me on a course to try to only keep books that I thought I would read again and be confident in the fact that I knew who I was and what I had read and my lover books regardless of whether or not I physically kept a copy. This revelation came from two books I read as well “The More of Less” and “Goodbye Things”
hey! I really liked your analysis on this issue that keeps coming and going, I just wanted to point out that there is a big chain of professionals involved in the making of a book beside authors themselves - editors, designers, reviewers, translators etc - and their work also reflects on the price of ebooks. I totally agree that they are excessively expensive, but if you consider that, it kinda does make sense that they cost more than just data that wasn't printed and shipped. I watched a lecture by an editor once and it really changed the way I think about ebooks, and it actually made me think they should definitely more encouraged!!
Oh for sure! I was more talking specifically about the price of distribution, comparing eBooks and physical books, rather than the creation of the story. Whereas physical books cost shipping etc. eBooks are just a transfer of data. I didn't make that super clear in the video though, so thanks for your comment!
God I have SO many books. Most of which I’ll probably never get around to reading. I have literally hundreds of books up my loft(attic). I have the occasional clear out but it never makes more than a dent.
These days I get way more books from my library than I do from bookstores--and by these days I mean like the last year or two, not just the pandemic. But that's because I find myself reading soooo much faster on my phone. It might just be that I can make the letters bigger and therefore read more easily, or something, but I just get through stuff so much faster if I'm not holding a book! Plus then my arms don't get tired haha
I've been downsizing my book collection but it's more capitalist than anything because I'm selling them and using the money to put towards my savings for a house!
I have not downsized my collection yet but I 'stopped' buying books when I wasn't reading as much as I used too and I was faced with an overwhelming 60 unread books. I felt like I would never get around to reading them if I kept on reading my newer buys instead. These days if I have the urge to read a newer release I read it from the library. I am such a mood reader that libraries never really worked for me. I'm the chaotic type to read 10 books at the same time so it takes too long to finish one of these books and I never have time to finish the book before its due date. BUT recently I have started reading a lot of audiobooks from the library! I read them on my phone, along short ebooks from time to time. So basically zero waste because I didn't buy a new device just for it. But I have been considering buying an e-reader because reading on a phone is not ideal.
I think about consumerism and impact all the time, I mostly tend to buy a book only after I've read it and loved it else where first (library). I also tend to only purchase the book used. If I want to support an author I'll buy a kindle version of the book. Using you library also supports authors.
I recently bought a Kindle to borrow library ebooks and came to learn that ebooks are notorious for having more typos than physical books. If you report to Amazon, they will be corrected. Ebooks are made from optical character recognition from physical prints in order to maintain the original formats (i.e. page numbers). It really angers me that publishers charge obscene amount for ebooks but still rely on their customers to do their quality control.
Oh wow, I didn't know that! You're absolutely right though, if they aren't going to at the very least do some proper formatting, rather than just copying them over, they should be pricing them accordingly
I actually prefer to buy ebooks and the only reason is cos I don't really ever reread books so if I buy a physical book cos I would never touch it again after I finish the book. It'll just sit there, no love, collecting dust. As a book lover, it's just too sad. Book should be read.
I’m currently purging my own bookshelf because I want to donate to my local library. I recently decided to adopt a minimalist lifestyle not only in the amount of physical objects I own but also the amount of money I spend. I have a kindle and i realized that I’ve spent a ton of money on digital copies of books that I’ll probably never read again when I could have just downloaded them from my local library. I’ve started my own big box of paper books that I’m going to give away. I thought I’d feel sad but I feel elated to be sharing such wonderful stories with other people. I’m keeping a few select books that I absolutely love but that’s it. My goal for 2021 is to read 50 books and to not buy a single one!
Also, thank you for bringing up the environmental impact. This was another major factor in why I’m choosing to not buy any more physical copies of books unless it was completely life changing for me and I need it in my possession always.
Love your copy of Sherlock Holmes. My book collection sucks. As a voracious reader, I’ve always used libraries or second hand stores. Ebooks have changed everything for me - I absolutely love being able to highlight stuff, see what others have highlighted, and it’s easy to have a book on any device. Also I agree with EVERY point you brought up. Buying “excessive” books really isn’t the worlds biggest problem, not even really a “problem” considering the world today, but there are certainly arguments to be had. I think A LOT of people just become defensive and ignore the nuances of the argument.
I love my kindle too, the same with Audiobooks! Very well said. Just because something may not be a "huge" problem, it doesn't mean it shouldn't be discussed before it does become one 🙏
you've got so many classics I haven't even considered reading yet! I think the only one I've read in your pile is Jekyll and Hyde (my autocorrect tried to turn Jekyll to Jerky lol)
I hadn't even considered the environmental effects of the different formats. I got Kindle because it's so nice that you can adjust the text size to what is easiest for you to read. And I definitely wouldn't have considered publishing anything of my own if it hadn't been for Kindle, because very niche hobby books in physical format aren't exactly the best idea. I live in a country where paper industry is an important part of exports, so there are probably quite a few people here who want to see printed books survive.
For sure! I would never want to see paper books die out completely, I just think recycling is a huge factor as well, although that's on the readers just as much as the publishers
just chanced upon this video and thank you for verbalising all these impacts of excessive book buying, especially the environmental aspects. I totally agree with taking a more nuanced approach to how we get our books, I do think that secondhand/borrowing of physical copies seems the most sustainable option. Also really enjoyed all your reflections on booktube in general. I just started in this scene and I feel quite left out when I'm not reading the 'popular' titles nor having a massive bookshelf behind me haha I am quite vocal about minimising book purchases in my own way so I'm super happy to have watched this video :) Looking forward to your other videos!
Well done! I am glad somebody finally said... all of that, really...so coherently and concisely. Although the cat fell asleep with her head on the screen (Feel flattered. She usually hates electronics.) so it turned into bookradio at one point and I have no idea what you got rid of.
You touched on so many good things that I don't know what I want to respond to. I never use the library, not because I don't want to bit because they never have the books I'm interested in. The downfall of reading a genre that isn't really a thing in my country. I've always been a huge reader so when the first e-reader came onto the market I jumped on that train so fast. But again, in my country super expensive so hand in hand with that I very quickly became familiar with PayPal. And I have only had 2 e-readers since I bought my first one...14 years ago? But I still buy physical books. And somehow people can't seem to understand why I have so many different formats of books. Why I want to spend so much money on them. But I'm actually very intentional with buying books. I have to because most of them I have to import. So I buy the ones I want to reread, or had such an impact that I have to have them just to touch it. It means I buy stuff multiple times but to me that's worth it. I get to support an author I love so much multiple times and I have editions of books I love that are gorgeous. I do think about my footprint and I think this way it's less than people who buy massive amounts on events but then never read them or just chuck them (not even in the recycling 😱). At the end of the day I like the philosophy of Marie Kondo. Buy stuff that nurtures you. And I think as a whole we should be buying stuff that you can use for years. Which is why I think where consumerism went mad. I don't want to see how long this comment is or how many mistakes I made so I'll just thank you for the work-out my brain got! Very interesting video!
Thanks so much for watching! I think you said it very well, there's no issue with collecting books, as long as we do take some time every now and then to consider the environment etc.
15:02 The reason and their claim is that they produce the e-book separately, from scratch. Instead of doing both, the print layout and the e-book in/from the same process, they have some e-book designer/producer doing pretty much the same things as for a physical book, and then metadata too, marketing or submitting to distribution channels, having poor customers/readers pay for additional, artificial DRM restriction stuff, software licenses, and so on. Big publishers ordering lots of copies for popular titles, the production price for a single copy is unbelievable low. E-book production costs stack up as well, if not done in a digitally/technologically smart way. For older books/texts, the publisher might not have the source files any more (if there is a digital manuscript file, sometimes they might not have the manuscript in digital form), or it's just PDF for printing, and a new e-book edition requires it's digitization (OCR + proofreading?). Very unfortunate, slow, inefficient, expensive and backwards.
My relationship with books has changed quite a lot since I first started watching booktube. I suppose it's the case ofr a lot of people. I used to want to read everything just to say that I had, even if I wasn't that interested in the story. I wanted all the pretty hardbacks and all the popular stories. I wanted to read 1 or 2 books a week and collect them all like Pokémons. Fast forward a few years, I have read maybe not even 10% of these books, because I couldn't afford them all and I just don't care that much anymore. I feel bad about buying books and don't buy that much because I have to import them since it's impossible to find the books I want in English here. I take my time to read and mostly buy paperbacks. If I wanted to read a book in my language I would go tot the library or buy it if they didn't have it and I was really interested in it. I share your opinion on not really caring about how many books people buy, if it makes them happy, but I think it's a shame that a lot of people don't even read half of them. What grinds my gears however is when people buy books online when they have a bookshop nearby that they can access easily. It creates unnecessary shipping and hurts local bookstores. In the end, I really don't think books are the worst thing to buy and collect, and though it's nice to have the conversation, it only really applies to people who buy humongous amounts of books just because they're new and then don't read half of them. I think paper books are beautiful and don't want them and bookstores to disappear.
I've mostly read books from the library this year. I have bought some, but I try and restrict myself to only buying when I have a weekend away somewhere. Last year I think I mainly bought books from the lifeline sales!
I've seen a few talks about consumerism but I've never heard about the environmental aspect, that's interesting to consider :D My brother loves ebooks, but that's because my cousin had so many boxes with books when we helped him move that he thinks it's easier to just carry an e-reader :D I love the library for that reason though. And I can still buy the book afterwards if I want to read it again :)
I always try and get my books used or buy them at a charity shop. I feel so much better and its much cheaper, I'm a student so I don’t have a lot of money.
I’m a collector (of only 300ish, but I’m only 26). Almost all my books have come from thrift stores apart from the odd few I adore and want to display pretty copies of I do actually read everything I purchase (outside some classics I own just to own, like The Wealth of Nations or Don Quixote, maybe I will someday) but all this talk about the overconsumption of books as left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t buy the new trendy water bottles, I don’t buy fast fashion unless I’m broke and my cat pissed in my laundry basket (that was fun), and I don’t see how it’s any different from someone collecting mugs or Pokémon cards? I mean what would I even do, donate them back to the same goodwill I bought them from? What good would that do anything?
also, if you don’t like reading on a device (like me) MAKE REQUESTS FROM YOIR LIBRARY!! they may buy the book and you can just check it out from them AND then other people can enjoy it as well!
I agree with you in the aspect of the enviroment, but alot of countries like mine, getting an e-reader is hard because purchasing with the currency exchange is tends to make it harder for 3rd world countries, so. And in my country most books are thrifted because new books nobody buys causing stores to close. Some people clame they buy books so thy don't end up in fields.
I buy the majority of my books on my Kindle and occasionally second hand or I use my library. But with new releases or books from my favorite authors, I tend to buy the physical book. And with new releases sometimes theres a very small price difference between the ebook and hardback, which is quite annoying!
I’m new to this community but when I was in the fragrance community, they have the same issues. I have so many bottles of fragrances that I barely use. Told myself I will not that mistake with this community.
I would probably buy less books if my local library stocked things like obscure Marvel Omnis or EC archives / boxsets etc, my local library doesn't even stock a half decent graphic novel section. Buy more Kindle books now but there are still lots of great books I love to buy. If I didn't buy books, I would probably spend money on too much chocolate, too many drinks etc ...
It is data but what about considering the amount of energy going into the e-reader and the data while reading. The areas where the data is stored gets hot resulting in needing to keep it cool. It is not sustainable in the long run considering the energy usage.
Wow - It warms my aging heart. It's so great seeing someone with a fondness for real classics. Such a shame so many younger readers will never know the joy of reading Dickens, H.G. Wells, Conan Doyle, and Victor Hugo. Yes, they might take a bit of effort - but sometimes that is what it takes to uncover a real treasure.
Thanks so much Rex, and very well said 😊 The language may be a little old in the classics, but most of the stories are timeless and just as fun. That's what I've found most of the time anyway
I'll take that Slash bio. I went to Barnes and Noble today to get some iced tea and, yeah, I bought a few books. I was almost distracted from this very serious discussion by your grey sweatpants. ;)
I had to think hard about packing away all my band biographies, they were some of my best reads, especially 'Slash' 😓 Haha I'll have to remember to only bring out these pants on special occasions in future 😂
Those copies of The Hunger Games were beautiful and it hurt my soul to see them go... Also the hole in your joggers really elevated the crotch shot. 10/10.
I'll admit, it did sting a bit to pack those ones, I had to go well out of my way to get all 3 in that glossy look. Hopefully they make someone else as happy as they made me though. Sorry about the pants 😂
Who gives a crap what she says. If people love buying new books who cares it's not hurting anyone. If I have the money I am gonna buy physical copy. People need to stop hating.
@@CamWolfeAuthor YAY another aussie! I am from Melbourne haha so exact opposite :D that's awesome! I will definitely be tuning into more of your videos! really awesome work :)
I've seen a few people talking about consumerism on Booktube, but no one ever mentions the environmental impact. Nice work!
Thanks for watching 😃
I kinda see Goodreads as my "library". It gives me a huge sense of satisfaction to look back on everything I've read over the years. No need to collect those books in my small home. I've begun to wonder if I ought to donate the money I spend on digital books to my library instead and help them buy a larger collection. I'm not really sure how all that works. But it seems silly to have a huge audiobook collection that only I have access to.
That's definitely an interesting way of looking at it!
I have a lot of complicated feelings with the booktube consumerism too. It bothers me when people complain about the prices of books, considering they're usually 10 to 20 bucks for something that people took thousands of hours to create, write, rewrite, edit, market, distribute, etc. I want authors to be compensated for their work. I love when people enthusiastically support authors.
At the same time though, I don't believe in wasting money either, and I've found that the general mindset/impulse seems to be owning as many possessions as possible = happiness. And it doesn't.
So my point is FUND LIBRARIES
Libraries will pay thousands of dollars to purchase multiple print copies and thousands of digital distribution licenses happily in order to provide people free access to books. Authors get paid and you don't need to clutter your house 😎😎 The more support we get, the more we can expand our services. Especially electronic/digital services.
But for the love of God if you're gonna donate books to your local library, please please call ahead to ask how many they're taking and what they can accept. And please make sure they're in good condition. You have no idea how many hundreds of books I get a week that are college textbooks (I'm at a public library! We don't keep those) from 1994 with doddles on them and dead cockroaches in between the pages.
I thought all the books you donated looked to be in wonderful condition so 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
Also thank you for pointing out the environmental impact. I've had patrons complain when we've had to recycle old, unused books in bad condition. Like. It's the most ecologically sound thing I can do considering no one wants to check them out or purchase them.
Absolutely! Very well said. I could make a whole other video in itself about libraries specifically, I was just thinking in this particular video I would focus on the "buying" side of things. I take it you're a librarian? I think you guys are legends 🙏
@@CamWolfeAuthor yup librarian! (by day, writer by night, as the cliche goes).
On the purchasing aspect, I think my favorite patrons are the ones who utilize the library but also every now and then buy an ebook or physical book from their favorite authors in support. There's happy balances out there.
**me, sitting in a room with barely enough space to move because of literally almost 100 board games in there** yeah, consumerism of books is bad
😂 haha at least that's another collecting hobby your friends can enjoy too! That actually sounds f--king amazing if I'm being honest, 100 board games??
@@CamWolfeAuthor probably even more 🤔
it's like cardboard crack xD I literally have no space for more, yet at least 20 more have to arrive sometime in the near future...
Chiky - Relatable! 😳 My BG collection is DOWN to about 270 now. For shame! 🙈🙈 I mean, I’m old, so I’ve had time to accumulate a lot of games...but I feel I need to cut my collection by 150 at least. As for books.... not even going to count....
Enjoyed this video, Cam! 👍👍
@@foxedfolios hahaha it's a not that bad vice hahaha
I dont have too many books, as I haven't read too much in thr last few years unfortunately :/
If you'll indulge me for a moment, I have some thoughts on Marie Kondo and the difference between Tidying and Minimalism. If you get rid of some of your stuff when using her method it should be because that stuff isn't giving you joy, not because you want to own less stuff. I think part of the reason why people get rid of so much stuff while using her method is that it tells you to bring together all the items of the same type and most people don''t realize how much they own (and how many redundant items they own). Marie Kondo gets marketed with images of pristine white minimalist spaces, but she's not prescriptive about the amounts or kinds of things one should own. If it makes you happy to collect, then collect! But do so mindfully, and remember to keep those items that bring you joy. I will say that I think the way you opened the video by celebrating the books that brought you joy was Very Marie Kondo of you.
Thanks so much for weighing in on the Marie Kondo discussion, I was hoping someone would! To be honest, I think you said it better than me. Very VERY well put 👏
There was a meme going around where it misconstrued Marie Kondo saying that it's ideal to keep 30 books. But she was talking about her own collection. I'm not sure if there's more to the Marie Kondo debate than that.
@@americanbookdragon having read her book,she mentions in one part that if you have thousands of books and they all bring you joy then you should keep them.it’s not about the number but about the emotions they invoke
Recently Got rid of all my books recently as I began a Swedish death cleaning experiment and it was quite a task …1000 books !!!! Many art books I had inherited from loved ones…
and donating them ( to local library) was a lot of work but a good reminder how very HEAVY they are! Both physically and emotionally..it took over a month of trips to the library !! my home is so much lighter and it felt good to let go of some attachments that were taking up much needed living space in our home…also my grown kids have thanked me for letting go of so many physical items as they would have ended up having to deal with the enormous task …no regrets!
You forgot about libraries. That how I read 80% of my books, both physical and digital.
That's a great point! I planned on doing a whole other video talking about Libraries, because I wanted to focus the "buying" side of things in this video. I probably still should have mentioned libraries at least a bit anyway. Thanks for watching! 😊
@@CamWolfeAuthor omg, I can't wait! There are so many people who don't realize that libraries are still a thing. (Here in America anyway.) It bums me out when people tell me "I'd read more but books are so expensive." and I'm like libraries! You don't even have to go there if it's too far away, you can just check things out online. Then they think that libraries cost money and I'm like noooo, it's free!
Me too. I love taking advantage of my library especially the digital conted during a the pandemic
I don't know how these Booktubers have the means to buy so many books. I just watçh to get ideas for what to read or buy at my own pace. I don't feel pressured to buy the choices they share. I had my own Library before it became a thing. Mine has developed over time .
My book collection took years to accumulate, love being surrounded by them. Most all of them came from used bookstores. But it's not needed. I live next to a library and I have an eReader. I will say... every time I say that I'll stop buying books, I fail. I need to stop failing here.
As long as it makes you happy, and you can afford it, it's okay to take your time 😊
@@CamWolfeAuthor "A home without books is like a body without a soul" - Marcus Tullius Cicero 😉
I don't see any orc erotica novels in there. This deeply saddens me.
All that is on the Kindle of course, Matty 😉
I think spending money how people sit fit is fine, until they start asking for money from the audience between 50+ book hauls
I started downsizing my collection because I couldn’t find anything. What’s the point of having books if when I go to reread a series I can only find book 2, 7 and 10? What bothered me a lot was that when I started downsizing some people acted like I wasn’t a real reader anymore. Whether I own the book or not doesn’t change the knowledge and experience I have from reading a book. And I realized that for some people it is more about owning the book and showing off then it is about reading it. Not everyone of course. But that sent me on a course to try to only keep books that I thought I would read again and be confident in the fact that I knew who I was and what I had read and my lover books regardless of whether or not I physically kept a copy. This revelation came from two books I read as well “The More of Less” and “Goodbye Things”
hey! I really liked your analysis on this issue that keeps coming and going, I just wanted to point out that there is a big chain of professionals involved in the making of a book beside authors themselves - editors, designers, reviewers, translators etc - and their work also reflects on the price of ebooks. I totally agree that they are excessively expensive, but if you consider that, it kinda does make sense that they cost more than just data that wasn't printed and shipped. I watched a lecture by an editor once and it really changed the way I think about ebooks, and it actually made me think they should definitely more encouraged!!
Oh for sure! I was more talking specifically about the price of distribution, comparing eBooks and physical books, rather than the creation of the story. Whereas physical books cost shipping etc. eBooks are just a transfer of data. I didn't make that super clear in the video though, so thanks for your comment!
You approach topics like this in a very balanced and thoughtful way. It’s massively appreciated.
Thanks so much Mason, I really appreciate that! ❤
Having a Toni Morrison on hand is something that I respect.
Of course! I actually have a few more of hers, but they've been "borrowed" so who knows when I'll get them back 😂
God I have SO many books. Most of which I’ll probably never get around to reading. I have literally hundreds of books up my loft(attic). I have the occasional clear out but it never makes more than a dent.
better be careful with putting candles around, if you have that many books laying about 😂
These days I get way more books from my library than I do from bookstores--and by these days I mean like the last year or two, not just the pandemic. But that's because I find myself reading soooo much faster on my phone. It might just be that I can make the letters bigger and therefore read more easily, or something, but I just get through stuff so much faster if I'm not holding a book! Plus then my arms don't get tired haha
I wish I could get used to reading on my phone, that would make things waaaay easier
I've been downsizing my book collection but it's more capitalist than anything because I'm selling them and using the money to put towards my savings for a house!
I have not downsized my collection yet but I 'stopped' buying books when I wasn't reading as much as I used too and I was faced with an overwhelming 60 unread books. I felt like I would never get around to reading them if I kept on reading my newer buys instead. These days if I have the urge to read a newer release I read it from the library.
I am such a mood reader that libraries never really worked for me. I'm the chaotic type to read 10 books at the same time so it takes too long to finish one of these books and I never have time to finish the book before its due date. BUT recently I have started reading a lot of audiobooks from the library! I read them on my phone, along short ebooks from time to time. So basically zero waste because I didn't buy a new device just for it. But I have been considering buying an e-reader because reading on a phone is not ideal.
I think about consumerism and impact all the time, I mostly tend to buy a book only after I've read it and loved it else where first (library). I also tend to only purchase the book used. If I want to support an author I'll buy a kindle version of the book. Using you library also supports authors.
That's a great way of putting it Shannon!
I recently bought a Kindle to borrow library ebooks and came to learn that ebooks are notorious for having more typos than physical books. If you report to Amazon, they will be corrected. Ebooks are made from optical character recognition from physical prints in order to maintain the original formats (i.e. page numbers). It really angers me that publishers charge obscene amount for ebooks but still rely on their customers to do their quality control.
Oh wow, I didn't know that! You're absolutely right though, if they aren't going to at the very least do some proper formatting, rather than just copying them over, they should be pricing them accordingly
I actually prefer to buy ebooks and the only reason is cos I don't really ever reread books so if I buy a physical book cos I would never touch it again after I finish the book. It'll just sit there, no love, collecting dust. As a book lover, it's just too sad. Book should be read.
I’m currently purging my own bookshelf because I want to donate to my local library. I recently decided to adopt a minimalist lifestyle not only in the amount of physical objects I own but also the amount of money I spend. I have a kindle and i realized that I’ve spent a ton of money on digital copies of books that I’ll probably never read again when I could have just downloaded them from my local library. I’ve started my own big box of paper books that I’m going to give away. I thought I’d feel sad but I feel elated to be sharing such wonderful stories with other people. I’m keeping a few select books that I absolutely love but that’s it. My goal for 2021 is to read 50 books and to not buy a single one!
Also, thank you for bringing up the environmental impact. This was another major factor in why I’m choosing to not buy any more physical copies of books unless it was completely life changing for me and I need it in my possession always.
Love your copy of Sherlock Holmes. My book collection sucks. As a voracious reader, I’ve always used libraries or second hand stores. Ebooks have changed everything for me - I absolutely love being able to highlight stuff, see what others have highlighted, and it’s easy to have a book on any device.
Also I agree with EVERY point you brought up. Buying “excessive” books really isn’t the worlds biggest problem, not even really a “problem” considering the world today, but there are certainly arguments to be had. I think A LOT of people just become defensive and ignore the nuances of the argument.
I love my kindle too, the same with Audiobooks!
Very well said. Just because something may not be a "huge" problem, it doesn't mean it shouldn't be discussed before it does become one 🙏
you've got so many classics I haven't even considered reading yet! I think the only one I've read in your pile is Jekyll and Hyde (my autocorrect tried to turn Jekyll to Jerky lol)
I was lucky enough to find most of them at various Lifeline Bookfests, so the circle is kind of completing itself with me donating some back 😂
I hadn't even considered the environmental effects of the different formats. I got Kindle because it's so nice that you can adjust the text size to what is easiest for you to read. And I definitely wouldn't have considered publishing anything of my own if it hadn't been for Kindle, because very niche hobby books in physical format aren't exactly the best idea. I live in a country where paper industry is an important part of exports, so there are probably quite a few people here who want to see printed books survive.
For sure! I would never want to see paper books die out completely, I just think recycling is a huge factor as well, although that's on the readers just as much as the publishers
just chanced upon this video and thank you for verbalising all these impacts of excessive book buying, especially the environmental aspects. I totally agree with taking a more nuanced approach to how we get our books, I do think that secondhand/borrowing of physical copies seems the most sustainable option.
Also really enjoyed all your reflections on booktube in general. I just started in this scene and I feel quite left out when I'm not reading the 'popular' titles nor having a massive bookshelf behind me haha I am quite vocal about minimising book purchases in my own way so I'm super happy to have watched this video :)
Looking forward to your other videos!
Thanks so much! I'm glad I could add something to the conversation 😊
Well done! I am glad somebody finally said... all of that, really...so coherently and concisely. Although the cat fell asleep with her head on the screen (Feel flattered. She usually hates electronics.) so it turned into bookradio at one point and I have no idea what you got rid of.
You touched on so many good things that I don't know what I want to respond to.
I never use the library, not because I don't want to bit because they never have the books I'm interested in. The downfall of reading a genre that isn't really a thing in my country.
I've always been a huge reader so when the first e-reader came onto the market I jumped on that train so fast. But again, in my country super expensive so hand in hand with that I very quickly became familiar with PayPal. And I have only had 2 e-readers since I bought my first one...14 years ago?
But I still buy physical books. And somehow people can't seem to understand why I have so many different formats of books. Why I want to spend so much money on them.
But I'm actually very intentional with buying books. I have to because most of them I have to import. So I buy the ones I want to reread, or had such an impact that I have to have them just to touch it. It means I buy stuff multiple times but to me that's worth it. I get to support an author I love so much multiple times and I have editions of books I love that are gorgeous.
I do think about my footprint and I think this way it's less than people who buy massive amounts on events but then never read them or just chuck them (not even in the recycling 😱). At the end of the day I like the philosophy of Marie Kondo. Buy stuff that nurtures you. And I think as a whole we should be buying stuff that you can use for years. Which is why I think where consumerism went mad.
I don't want to see how long this comment is or how many mistakes I made so I'll just thank you for the work-out my brain got! Very interesting video!
Thanks so much for watching! I think you said it very well, there's no issue with collecting books, as long as we do take some time every now and then to consider the environment etc.
Love the convo! Agree on all points.
“Every book that I urn”
15:02 The reason and their claim is that they produce the e-book separately, from scratch. Instead of doing both, the print layout and the e-book in/from the same process, they have some e-book designer/producer doing pretty much the same things as for a physical book, and then metadata too, marketing or submitting to distribution channels, having poor customers/readers pay for additional, artificial DRM restriction stuff, software licenses, and so on. Big publishers ordering lots of copies for popular titles, the production price for a single copy is unbelievable low. E-book production costs stack up as well, if not done in a digitally/technologically smart way. For older books/texts, the publisher might not have the source files any more (if there is a digital manuscript file, sometimes they might not have the manuscript in digital form), or it's just PDF for printing, and a new e-book edition requires it's digitization (OCR + proofreading?). Very unfortunate, slow, inefficient, expensive and backwards.
My relationship with books has changed quite a lot since I first started watching booktube. I suppose it's the case ofr a lot of people. I used to want to read everything just to say that I had, even if I wasn't that interested in the story. I wanted all the pretty hardbacks and all the popular stories. I wanted to read 1 or 2 books a week and collect them all like Pokémons. Fast forward a few years, I have read maybe not even 10% of these books, because I couldn't afford them all and I just don't care that much anymore. I feel bad about buying books and don't buy that much because I have to import them since it's impossible to find the books I want in English here. I take my time to read and mostly buy paperbacks. If I wanted to read a book in my language I would go tot the library or buy it if they didn't have it and I was really interested in it.
I share your opinion on not really caring about how many books people buy, if it makes them happy, but I think it's a shame that a lot of people don't even read half of them. What grinds my gears however is when people buy books online when they have a bookshop nearby that they can access easily. It creates unnecessary shipping and hurts local bookstores.
In the end, I really don't think books are the worst thing to buy and collect, and though it's nice to have the conversation, it only really applies to people who buy humongous amounts of books just because they're new and then don't read half of them. I think paper books are beautiful and don't want them and bookstores to disappear.
I've mostly read books from the library this year. I have bought some, but I try and restrict myself to only buying when I have a weekend away somewhere. Last year I think I mainly bought books from the lifeline sales!
I love the Lifeline sales! Such a win/win situation, cheap books for us/more money for charity
@@CamWolfeAuthorOh most definitely! Then I can re-donate the books back when I'm finished reading them.
I've seen a few talks about consumerism but I've never heard about the environmental aspect, that's interesting to consider :D
My brother loves ebooks, but that's because my cousin had so many boxes with books when we helped him move that he thinks it's easier to just carry an e-reader :D
I love the library for that reason though. And I can still buy the book afterwards if I want to read it again :)
e-reader's are great if you don't mind screens, so many books on one small device, you can't go wrong 😊
I always try and get my books used or buy them at a charity shop. I feel so much better and its much cheaper, I'm a student so I don’t have a lot of money.
I prefer books to ereaders. It's lovely to look at people's bookshelves . A home without books is just a House.
I’m a collector (of only 300ish, but I’m only 26). Almost all my books have come from thrift stores apart from the odd few I adore and want to display pretty copies of
I do actually read everything I purchase (outside some classics I own just to own, like The Wealth of Nations or Don Quixote, maybe I will someday) but all this talk about the overconsumption of books as left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t buy the new trendy water bottles, I don’t buy fast fashion unless I’m broke and my cat pissed in my laundry basket (that was fun), and I don’t see how it’s any different from someone collecting mugs or Pokémon cards? I mean what would I even do, donate them back to the same goodwill I bought them from? What good would that do anything?
I appreciate this video. I’m a big fan of the library 📚
also, if you don’t like reading on a device (like me) MAKE REQUESTS FROM YOIR LIBRARY!! they may buy the book and you can just check it out from them AND then other people can enjoy it as well!
I agree with you in the aspect of the enviroment, but alot of countries like mine, getting an e-reader is hard because purchasing with the currency exchange is tends to make it harder for 3rd world countries, so. And in my country most books are thrifted because new books nobody buys causing stores to close.
Some people clame they buy books so thy don't end up in fields.
I buy the majority of my books on my Kindle and occasionally second hand or I use my library. But with new releases or books from my favorite authors, I tend to buy the physical book. And with new releases sometimes theres a very small price difference between the ebook and hardback, which is quite annoying!
I’m new to this community but when I was in the fragrance community, they have the same issues. I have so many bottles of fragrances that I barely use. Told myself I will not that mistake with this community.
I just watched you casually toss Good Omens and Neverwhere into a box to be removed from your life and I don't even know what to say, Cam.
hahaha 😂 I promise it wasn't an easy decision to donate them!
I would probably buy less books if my local library stocked things like obscure Marvel Omnis or EC archives / boxsets etc, my local library doesn't even stock a half decent graphic novel section. Buy more Kindle books now but there are still lots of great books I love to buy. If I didn't buy books, I would probably spend money on too much chocolate, too many drinks etc ...
It is data but what about considering the amount of energy going into the e-reader and the data while reading. The areas where the data is stored gets hot resulting in needing to keep it cool. It is not sustainable in the long run considering the energy usage.
Some joker: *complains about consumerism*
Me: Why do you hate the global poor?
Grey sweatpants..... King knows what he is doing.
Ahh I miss Lifeline book sales! Well done Cam.
I miss them too ☹ stupid COVID
Lifeline has opened a pop-up bookstore in my suburb! Must restrain myself...
Wow - It warms my aging heart. It's so great seeing someone with a fondness for real classics. Such a shame so many younger readers will never know the joy of reading Dickens, H.G. Wells, Conan Doyle, and Victor Hugo. Yes, they might take a bit of effort - but sometimes that is what it takes to uncover a real treasure.
Thanks so much Rex, and very well said 😊 The language may be a little old in the classics, but most of the stories are timeless and just as fun. That's what I've found most of the time anyway
I'll take that Slash bio. I went to Barnes and Noble today to get some iced tea and, yeah, I bought a few books. I was almost distracted from this very serious discussion by your grey sweatpants. ;)
I had to think hard about packing away all my band biographies, they were some of my best reads, especially 'Slash' 😓
Haha I'll have to remember to only bring out these pants on special occasions in future 😂
Ugh! Honestly Joe Hill and his writing is so underrated. You have great taste in books in general
Agreed! Thanks Julie 😊
Those copies of The Hunger Games were beautiful and it hurt my soul to see them go... Also the hole in your joggers really elevated the crotch shot. 10/10.
I'll admit, it did sting a bit to pack those ones, I had to go well out of my way to get all 3 in that glossy look. Hopefully they make someone else as happy as they made me though.
Sorry about the pants 😂
Who gives a crap what she says. If people love buying new books who cares it's not hurting anyone. If I have the money I am gonna buy physical copy. People need to stop hating.
love how many books you have read. Congrats on donating I did that a while ago too. Unhauling is good as well :) are you Australian?
Thanks for watching Miranda! I am indeed Australian. I'm in Brissy (I like not being too far from a beach 😂)
@@CamWolfeAuthor YAY another aussie! I am from Melbourne haha so exact opposite :D that's awesome! I will definitely be tuning into more of your videos! really awesome work :)
that's awesome, I'm always looking for more Aussie booktubers to follow. Good luck with the lockdowns down there 😬
@@CamWolfeAuthor haha aww thank you! Nearly out of them once October finishes HAHA! you guys are lucky up there!
I always buy second from charities
If your looking for new books I’d recommend the faithful and the fallen by John Gwynne fantastic book series i put it on par with game of thrones
The Library is Your Friend!
Awzum! You've read so many! 😎💪💪👏👏👏👏🤘🤘🤘🤘
Most of my reading was done in my younger days, now writing takes up all my spare time haha 😂
@@CamWolfeAuthor I need to read more, maybe that will remedy my poor analysis 😂😂.
Great video 👌🏼
‘Sup Cam!
Hey Angelia!
if you wanna own lots of books another great thing to do is go thrifting
I find it a little shocking how few books you have by female authors.
huh? 😕 a ton of the books I showed in this video were written by women...?