Oh, I can see the reality is very different there, then. PLR is supposed to compensate authors for the loss in sales, essentially. A quick search tells me there was a campaign to implement a similar scheme in the US, but I guess it didn't take off.

Small business isn't nearly as politicised in the UK; indie bookshops certainly don't make enough revenue to make significant contributions to political parties, as they're usually a labour of love. Amazon's destroying traditional bookshops everywhere, so I always advocate for readers to remember them whenever possible.

>As far as libraries go, I don't think they make anything off the physical books you check out.

They do actually. Each country will have its own law, but in the UK we have the PLR (Public Lending Right) that entitles authors to be paid for the public lending of their books, just like when songs are played on the radio or anywhere public the artist gets paid.

So, OP, checking books out from your local library is still a way to support authors. Also, depending on where you live, most indie bookshops will be happy to ship books to you, and you'll be supporting small businesses at the same time.

Edit: I don't know about how it works in the US, as different states might have different laws regarding this.

>another went for a swim and never came back

Not the weirdest way to quit a job, to be honest.

BA-DUM-TSS!! 🥁