diff --git a/ChangeLog.md b/ChangeLog.md
--- a/ChangeLog.md
+++ b/ChangeLog.md
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # ChangeLog for file-embed
 
+## 0.0.12.0
+
+* Use the `Bytes` literal on newer GHCs to reduce memory usage during compilation [#36](https://github.com/snoyberg/file-embed/pull/36)
+
 ## 0.0.11.2
 
 * Haddock markup fix
diff --git a/Data/FileEmbed.hs b/Data/FileEmbed.hs
--- a/Data/FileEmbed.hs
+++ b/Data/FileEmbed.hs
@@ -46,11 +46,7 @@
 
 import Language.Haskell.TH.Syntax
     ( Exp (AppE, ListE, LitE, TupE, SigE, VarE)
-#if MIN_VERSION_template_haskell(2,5,0)
-    , Lit (StringL, StringPrimL, IntegerL)
-#else
-    , Lit (StringL, IntegerL)
-#endif
+    , Lit (..)
     , Q
     , runIO
     , qLocation, loc_filename
@@ -58,6 +54,10 @@
     , Quasi(qAddDependentFile)
 #endif
     )
+#if MIN_VERSION_template_haskell(2,16,0)
+import Language.Haskell.TH ( mkBytes, bytesPrimL )
+import qualified Data.ByteString.Internal as B
+#endif
 import System.Directory (doesDirectoryExist, doesFileExist,
                          getDirectoryContents, canonicalizePath)
 import Control.Exception (throw, ErrorCall(..))
@@ -155,7 +155,11 @@
     return $ VarE 'unsafePerformIO
       `AppE` (VarE 'unsafePackAddressLen
       `AppE` LitE (IntegerL $ fromIntegral $ B8.length bs)
-#if MIN_VERSION_template_haskell(2, 8, 0)
+#if MIN_VERSION_template_haskell(2, 16, 0)
+      `AppE` LitE (bytesPrimL (
+                let B.PS ptr off sz = bs
+                in  mkBytes ptr (fromIntegral off) (fromIntegral sz))))
+#elif MIN_VERSION_template_haskell(2, 8, 0)
       `AppE` LitE (StringPrimL $ B.unpack bs))
 #else
       `AppE` LitE (StringPrimL $ B8.unpack bs))
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 ## file-embed
 
-[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/snoyberg/file-embed.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/snoyberg/file-embed)
-[![Build status](https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/status/vlgo8uudpt374uoy/branch/master?svg=true)](https://ci.appveyor.com/project/snoyberg/file-embed/branch/master)
-
+![Tests](https://github.com/snoyberg/file-embed/workflows/Tests/badge.svg)
 
 Use Template Haskell to read a file or all the files in a directory, and turn
 them into (path, bytestring) pairs embedded in your haskell code.
diff --git a/file-embed.cabal b/file-embed.cabal
--- a/file-embed.cabal
+++ b/file-embed.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:            file-embed
-version:         0.0.11.2
+version:         0.0.12.0
 license:         BSD3
 license-file:    LICENSE
 author:          Michael Snoyman <michael@snoyman.com>
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
                  embedded in your Haskell code.
 category:        Data
 stability:       Stable
-cabal-version:   >= 1.8
+cabal-version:   >= 1.10
 build-type:      Simple
 homepage:        https://github.com/snoyberg/file-embed
 extra-source-files: test/main.hs, test/sample/foo, test/sample/bar/baz,
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
                     README.md
 
 library
+    default-language: Haskell2010
     build-depends:   base               >= 4.9.1   && < 5
                    , bytestring         >= 0.9.1.4
                    , directory          >= 1.0.0.3
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@
     ghc-options:     -Wall
 
 test-suite test
+    default-language: Haskell2010
     type: exitcode-stdio-1.0
     main-is: main.hs
     hs-source-dirs: test