Hello my Freaky Darlings,
I found out over the weekend that my novel, Shadows, has been Pirated. In some ways I’m flattered, and in other ways I’m incredibly pissed off.
I’m not a big name Author, hell I’m not even sure I qualify as being a low list Author. I don’t make enough on royalties to pay my rent, so every book sale counts for me. I know that some authors, like JA Konrath, don’t really have a problem with the whole piracy thing, but I’m not selling 300 books a day, I’m not even selling that a month, in fact I haven’t sold that many ebooks in six months. Mr Konrath is currently running an experiment to see if piracy has an effect on his sales, and I’m very curious to see what the results of that experiment are.
When I found out about being pirated, I posted about it on Facebook and got some interesting reactions. Some think that Piracy is the scourge of writers, while others think it’s a way of improving book sales. Some think it’s a way of going viral and getting your name out there, and others, like Mr Konrath, feel it has absolutely no impact on sales what so ever.
I, on the other hand, just think it’s damn rude. For me it’s about the principle. It’s theft! Plain and simple. Some schmuck has gone out of his way to break the drm code on my book, joined a book sharing site and uploaded my book, the book I spent years working on, so that people don’t have to spend a measly $4.99. The fee to join these file sharing sites is more expensive than buying my book. So I have to wonder why? Why go to all that effort for a book that isn’t even expensive, by an unknown Author? I don’t get it. I really don’t.
So, what are your views on piracy? Have you been pirated? Have you downloaded a pirated book? Have you downloaded Shadows from one of these sites? If you have downloaded Shadows illegally, you can make it up to me by posting a nice review on Amazon or any of the other sites that sell it.
If you haven’t downloaded Shadows illegally and would like to help me pay my rent, you can pop in over here. Thanks!
Oh! And if you’re the wanker who is responsible for putting Shadows on that File Sharing site, I hope your fingers turn to fish hooks.
Pingback: Tweets that mention Pirates afoot « Joan De La Haye -- Topsy.com
Amazon said:
“Thank you, your order has been placed.
We’ve sent you an e-mail confirmation.
Order Number: 102-1620776-8789820 ”
Take that Pirate Wanker.
Thank you Andrew!
I hope whomsoever is responsible for hacking int the security codes to post all these book for free downoad has some sense of shame. The authors have worked long and hard to produce their work. Publishers and all those involved in the production of the book – ebook or tree book – have also spent a great deal of time ensuring that each book is the best that it can be.
These sites are denying every one involved their rightful income – wihch isn’t huge in the first place.
It’s silly to pirate a 5 dollar book. Though, people who are going to pirate a book would not have bought it anyway. Piracy does not lose you sales but it does negate your MBA in Marketing’s raison d’etre.
If I were a writer, I would never, ever sign over the rights to my blood, sweat and tears to a publishing house. I would essentially put my book in pdf format for free on the web and let those who really want to read a tree book order it from a reputable on-demand publishing spot, whereby I still maintain all the publishing and copyright rights to my work. I would self-publish and promote my book with cheese and wine events until the edition is all sold out, then wash, rinse and repeat. Maybe you won’t sell as many copies as a retailer, but you would make more profit and – more importantly – you maintain control over your estate.
Pirating wankers should be made to walk the freaking plank after being covered in chum.
Shame on you!
And Greg – it’s not nothing to do with signing with a publisher. They pirate tree books too. There are programs out there to scan books into digital format. I’ve heard of more tree books being pirated than eBooks. You cannot control what happens after someone has purchased your book or indeed borrowed it from a library. These pirating bastard wankers have no shame.
Ok I have several points on this one.
1st – yes, undoubtedly the guy who broke your drm and sent your book up is a wanker.
If book pirating follows the lines of CD’s then:
2nd – a lot of will download something for free that they would not have been willing to pay for, so it is unlikely you are losing too many sales from this.
3rd – There will be people who download a load of pirated books read some and like them or the author so much they buy the tree copy, or buy the next one, so it can bring sales in time.
4th – regardless of what happens pirates are still wankers but I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over it.
Whilst I understand all the arguments about giving away free pdfs, trusting the thieves to be so impressed with an author’s work, they will buy other books, whether e or tree, I am taken aback by the complacency demonstrated.
The perpertrators are cheats and thieves – we all spit teeth when elected politicians or large bankers (spelled with a ‘w’)cheat, steal our taxes or misuse the national coffers – these matters of integrity, accountability and responsibility apply to piracy in exactly the same way . As does fair play.
Hey Joan, how about I sell you my thoughts on piracy? Just $9.95 in paperback (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1452818932/) or $4.95 on Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003KVKRSG/).
Seriously though, I agree with what you said in your article. It’s simply a lack of respect due to the increasingly narcissistic culture of entitlement.
Pingback: Piracy | Joan De La Haye