Thread. The argument that you're going to defeat capitalism by pirating the work creative people make is obnoxious. It's not going to end capitalism, you're just going to insure that artist has less wherewithal to create the art you want (but don't want to pay for). Foot, shoot, etc.
Look, I’ve made it a practice to not care about individuals pirating my books, and to make my books available DRM free everywhere possible, for a lot of reasons, including my not actually caring and also not having any executive function.
(And with authors at least, if you can't afford their work, you can just get it from a library, which is good for you (the book itself is no additional cost!), good for the author (libraries pay for books!), and good for the library (they're being used and justifying their budgets!). Libraries FTW!)
It's my job to buy books for my local library. One thing I wish more people knew is that we are very open to suggestions for new titles. I buy 90% of books that people suggest. Please, let your library know the kinds of things you want to read. It's helpful!
My local library system notifies you if a title you requested is brought into the system, and if I remember right it also automatically places a hold for you. I've loved making suggestions, it's a literary gift for future me when they take them
The library system in my town is one of the few good things about it. They bought some books I suggested even after I told them I would not be checking them out since I have the paperbacks on my shelf.
My then-12yo not only got our library to buy a book he was looking for but the children's librarian told him how excited she was about the book, which was part of a really interesting non-fiction series she had not encountered before, and she bought several others in the series as well. So cool!
I have a friend whose mother was her town's head librarian, she got to have a lot of influence on book purchases growing up in part because they weren't overburdened by requests from the borrowing public, enjoyed it a lot.
I'm a self-published writer and artist of children's books. I have 3 series, 2 of picture books, and one for mid-graders adjusting to chapter books. Is there a preferred way to let librarians know about my work? Are self-publishers allowed to "cold call" public libraries? Thank you for your time!
In person is definitely best. But I know that doesn't work for everyone. You can certainly call. Or email. Every library will have a slightly different process. I suggest that you make it clear that you are a patron of the library upfront, though. We get lots of solicitation calls and emails.
A lot of libraries have forms on their websites you can fill out to request a book. You just have to put in the title and author, maybe the ISBN (which you can get from any online bookstore or Goodreads), and you usually get to be first on the list to check it out if they buy it.
I don't know how all library systems work, but at my local Orange County Library (Orlando), you fill out a webform which just asks for the author, title, and how you heard about the book.
They don't always buy the book, but I think it's worth asking anyway.
Our local large library decided, on their own, to stock that hellish anti-trans book.
When they got called on it, they dug their heels in, and ended up with Pride breaking all connections to it.
It was a real "People will get hurt for our principles" as terfs piled in
