@thomasfuchs Published author here. I get paid somewhere in the region of 5-10p (let's call it a dime) every time someone checks one of my books out of a library, on top of the royalties from the library buying it. So yeah, if someone borrows Basic Maths For Dummies[^0], I get compensated *whether or not it turns them into a highly paid professional*.
[^0]: Available wherever good books are loaned.