I rarely make New Year’s resolutions. This year, I did: I vowed to not purchase any new books so that I could work through some of the sizable library I had already acquired. The single exception I allowed myself was kickstarter/pledgebox campaigns. I wanted to support small writers and independent publishers whose dreams might not otherwise come to fruition.

I made it less than six months.

The problem with subscribing to so many talented authors’ newsletters and following so many others on social media was that I kept finding out about all their great books; and their friends’ great books; and this cool book that the friend of a friend just released.

And on it went. I kept a running Wish List of books that I intended to purchase at the start of the next year, but that list just kept getting longer and longer. And I knew I was forgetting to add books, which just frustrated me further.

And then I came across a couple of books that I just had to read. And a few more. And a few more.

Angry with myself and my inability to keep my resolution, I put a pause on any and all purchases, and sat back to have a serious think. There had to be a way to slow my book purchases, but still support those great authors out there, and do it in a way that kept my hard-earned money out of the hands of unethical book distributors.

This is what I came up with:

1. Download a digital sample of whatever book has caught my eye. The sample will often be the first two to four chapters, which is also usually enough to tell me if I’ll enjoy the book or not. If it doesn’t hold my interest (for whatever reason), I delete it and move on. If the book does prove to be compelling enough that I want to purchase it ….
2. I investigate which formats the book is available in. It is unfortunately true that we do not own the ebooks on which we spend our money; we’re just buying access to them through Amazon, B&N, et cetera. So, if I truly want to own the book, I need either a physical copy, which is expensive and takes up space; or a digital copy purchased direct from the author.
3. If the book is available in physical format, I stop and ask myself: do I really want it? Is it worth the expense of a physical copy? The space it will take up on my shelves, potentially forcing me to get rid of a different book?
   
   If the answer is yes, I look into my purchase options. Ideally, I get it straight from the author, ensuring that they make a decent profit; but that isn’t always a possibility. Not many authors sell physical copies direct (it can be a huge undertaking; I understand). In that case, I order it through my local independent bookstore. If, for whatever reason, my local shop can’t acquire it, I check the big book distributors. (Used sites like Biblio and Thriftbooks are always an option, but I want the author to receive royalties, however little that might be.) Then I place the order and sit back and wait for my present to come in the mail.
4. If the book is only available in digital format, I repeat the same steps. I order it direct from the author if I can; many authors sell straight to their fans through Payhip or Bookfunnel. So far as I am aware, in this situation, I do own the book, which is much better than paying an “access” fee to Amazon or B&N. And, of course, the author gets all or most of the money. Win-win!
   
   If direct purchase is not an option, I get the ebook through B&N (first choice) or Amazon (second choice). I discovered early on that the vast majority of self-published authors release their ebooks only through Amazon. That is the site guaranteed to deliver them the most sales, and having only one distributor to worry about cuts down on administrative headaches. So, in some cases, as much as I may dislike it, my money does to Amazon.

This is the method that seems to work best for me. If you want to conscientiously consume literature — making sure that authors are paid their due, that you rightfully own what you purchase, and that local businesses are supported — this might work for you, too. Or maybe some combination of direct purchases, local bookstore, used book sites, and local library (if you are fortunate enough to live near one that hasn’t been gutted by financial cuts and book bans). Or maybe just the library, which is a valid and wonderful option; libraries are more likely to order books from small presses and self-published authors of they receive requests for those books — repeated requests! — from their patrons.

There are many ways to read the books we love by authors we admire. And we don’t have to go through the big distributors and play by their rules to do it.