This is a really common question, probably because the library/author relationship can seem pretty opaque from the outside. But libraries do benefit authors! A lot! Here’s how-
First, libraries buy their books, often in bulk. Large library systems, like the New York Public Library, buy a LOT of copies of the same book. This can be a huge boost to an author’s quarterly sales report. AND the more a book is checked out, the more copies the library will buy
Second, libraries can keep an authors back catalogue in circulation. Bookstore shelves are limited, so it’s easy to have a book I made just a couple years ago become difficult to find. BUT I still get readers who’ve just read my first ever novel because it was at their library
With everyone excited about The Green Knight, here's a thread on the myth behind it. It's a story about strange games, beheadings, and a lot more gay kissing than you'd expect (spoilers, I guess? For a centuries old story???)
It's New Years Eve, and King Arthur and his court are gathered to celebrate. Everyone's hanging out, probably getting a bit tipsy, and the party is starting to drag. King Arthur asks for a wonder, something marvelous to ring in the new year. That's when the door is kicked in.
A massive, unnatural, green figure rides in on a horse (who in some versions is also green), carrying a really cool axe in one hand and a holly branch in the other. The court is freaked out by this, but the Green Knight insists he is simply there to play a fun holiday game.
A friendly reminder for my fellow freelancers in the US; the recently passed pandemic survival bill extends special Unemployment benefits for freelancers through at least March! It's a tough time for us all, and any help is helpful, so remember to apply if help is what you need.
There's been very little outreach to freelancers during this pandemic to let them know that they could qualify assistance under the new bills. The pandemic is a disruptive force, gigs fall through, deadlines and payments are indefinitely pushed back. Use what help you can get.
I've lately seen folks on here say they've felt guilty for getting books (mine and other authors) from the library, or people insinuating some authors might be against libraries. This is nonsense, and here's a thread on how using your local library supports authors.
It's easy to see why people would think, at first glance, that getting books from the library is depriving a writer of their dues. It's free, after all! You're not paying anything, so how would the author be getting paid anything for your reading? This is a misconception.
While it IS true that, in the US, authors are not directly paid each time someone checks out a book, they DO benefit, in multiple concrete ways.
Really usefully info, and I humbly submit we don't break ourselves to boost the traffic a company that couldn't care less about us. My tip is diversify your social media presence, and focus on the ones that give you what you're looking for without demanding your life in return.
Tumblr's actually still really fun and good to post art to, and while I find TikTok's navigation kind of inscrutable, people on there have been really lovely and nice and it's been great chatting with them. In the meantime, keep an eye for new platforms with less corporate ideals
I still post to Instagram! I post as regularly as my other platforms (here, Tumble, TikTok). Despite being on insta longer than any of the others, it's consistently my least followed, least interacted with, and least helpful. And I refuse to pour any additional effort into it.