The Cost of a Hobby

The expense is no joke!

In my real life, I own a quilting business. I make quilts for people and finish quilts for people. I repair and restore quilts. I also sell a bit of fabric to those that enjoy creating quilts. What likely started as a practical activity designed to use the fabric from items that were no longer wearable and to create a household good to keep a family warm has turned into a billion dollar industry. As much as I try to keep quilting an affordable hobby, for some people, they can’t afford to use new material or my services as a longarm quilter. As much as it hurts my soul, I have to pay bills and employees, and they have to find a way to complete their project that is in their budget.

Thinking about the issue of affordability got me thinking about reading. I read a ton of books. In the past two years, I have read more than 1300 books. This was possible due mostly to a Kindle Unlimited subscription. I also was able to get a Kobo subscription later last year. I get my money’s worth from both. Maintaining my reading hobby at this rate would be unsustainable without them. I would have to slow down – way down. I would be dependent on ebooks from my library, and they mostly seem to have books by major publishers. I would miss books published by small publishers and independent authors.

From a business owner’s perspective, I know that getting people started on quilting and enabling them to keep making quilts is how I make my money. I have loyal clients who make up to 20 or more quilts a year. Reading is much the same. If I wasn’t able to pick up a book when I had a free moment, I would fill those moments with other things.

Yesterday, I saw an ad on social media with a book blurb that I was interested in. The ebook was $12.99! I was fairly stunned. I exited Amazon without even saving the book to my wishlist, and I couldn’t tell you the name of it today. I filled my time with a tour of social media sites, picked at my fingernails for a bit while mulling over a thirteen dollar ebook, and then found another book to read. I realize authors and publishers have to make a profit. They have bills and employees to pay. But man, am I thankful for those authors who have found a way to keep costs down and/or are a part of a subscription service.