The “Anti-Library” Comment From Heidi McCahan That Has People Upset

Small-town romance writer Heidi McCahan faced some serious heat from folks at the end of May 2026 over a comment she left on a book influencer’s post regarding the excessive use of library materials. The initial post, shared by Sarah Schiel according to Fauxmoi, offered people a way to download additional content to their Kindle through libraries, meaning they could access books for free rather than pay for them.

But McCahan wasn’t exactly too thrilled about the “hack” and has subsequently been dubbed “anti-library.”

Many people are now just learning about McCahan because of her “insane take,” as one Reddit user described it, so here’s the gist if you’re looking to get caught up on the drama.

After book influencer Sarah Schiel reportedly shared a post on Instagram about downloading library content to Kindle devices, author Heidi McCahan chimed in in the comments section, suggesting this was a form of excessive use of library materials. She also suggested people be conscious of their library usage and how it impacts authors. Huh?

Here’s what she wrote, per a screenshot Fauxmoi shared via Reddit: “While I’m thrilled for you that you’ve found a way to consume so much content at little or no cost, please remember that authors are generally not paid per borrow. Please consider how your excessive use of generous lending policies impact the people creating the content you enjoy consuming.”

So, is McCahan suggesting people don’t use the library as much? While it would certainly benefit authors if every reader went out and bought their book or downloaded a paid version on Kindle rather than checking it out for free at the library, that’s just not realistic, especially in these trying times when the cost of essentials is through the roof.

Plus, libraries promote reading, which very much needs promoting, and give people a place to explore different types of content they otherwise might never have access to.

Needless to say, those who found out about McCahan’s comment weren’t too thrilled by it. “I don't know who this idiot is, but what an INSANE take for an author to have about libraries. Won't be picking up any of her work,” one person commented under the screenshot Fauxmoi shared on Reddit.

Another person shared their take on why McCahan has taken this stance on libraries in the first place, writing, “Sounds like her books won’t be making it to a lot of circulation desks anyway."

They added, "If her books were flying off library shelves she’d be enjoying the spoils of multiple copies in a collection and ongoing replacement copies being purchased by multiple libraries.”

Another offered a similar take, writing, “She legitimately doesn't know how libraries work so I'm not surprised she has this asinine take.”

In response to the backlash surrounding her comments, including one apparently discussing collecting multiple out-of-state library cards, McCahan wrote on Instagram, “Digital borrowing is not free. Readers are not entitled to unlimited access to content. Authors, narrators and publishing industry professionals deserve to be compensated fairly.”

She then addressed borrowing from libraries in places where a person doesn’t live, writing, “When people borrow books from libraries where they don't live or don't pay taxes to finance those library systems, the patrons at the local level may be negatively impacted (budgeting decisions, community programming, longer waits to borrow, etc.).”

Despite how much clarification and explanation McCahan has tried to give, people still don’t seem to be on board with her take on what she considers excessive digital borrowing.