A Message about e-piracy by Anna Rock ~
It all seems so very easy. A new book comes out, I want the title... but then find either I can't afford the new book, or maybe a friend with a Nook (while I have a Kindle) wants to 'borrow' it... you Google the title of your desired book, and there it is. Like a beacon of literacy, it's siren song calls to you. Click on download... nobody gets hurt... it's just ONE book. Seems so innocuous... so tame and innocent. I just want to read a book, I could check it out of the library so why not just cut the library out of the equation.
That's the 'dark side' talking. The inner criminal. Don't try to sugar coat it, you've just become a pirate. You can try to dip it in chocolate and justify it 1,000 ways... but you've broken the law. Yes, books (even eBooks) cost money because they are a product; a product that took time, talent, formatting, and a variety of other things to make it. You may think, "Oh, but an eBook doesn't cost anything to make." Is the author's hard work, time, energy, blood, sweat and tears that were spend to make the story worthless? What about the cover artist? The editor? The publisher (even if it's self-published there are costs involved for formatting.) I will agree, I think the perceived high cost of eBooks is making piracy more predominant. If those prices came down, I would venture a guess that there would be less piracy. BUT... not being able to afford it is not justification- it's an excuse for breaking the law. You may say, "But I can check out books from the library, I'm just wanting to read this eBook." If you can check it out from the library, why not do that? Yes, you need patience to wait your turn, something sorely lacking in the more youthful generations of today. Instant gratification, in this case, comes with criminal charges if you are caught.
Another problem with the 'library' excuse. When I buy one physical book, unless I go crazy with a Xerox machine, it's still just ONE book at the end of the day. So yes, once I bought that one book, should I want to lend it to friends- that is perfectly legal. The problem lies in the numbers for eBooks. I buy one eBook, I have one copy, but I want to lend it to a friend... (this hypothetical is not using the Amazon Lending feature) now I've sent the file to my friend, and I have a copy AND she has a copy. It's no longer just ONE book. Let's take it a step further, and say that friend puts it up on a file sharing site. Now hundreds, if not thousands of people can download that book, each download essentially becoming a new copy. So all that work... all the effort, all of the cost of putting that eBook together has just been flushed down the toilet. The author can't show the publishers how popular they are- publishers care about sales- about numbers. If all those numbers are on a pirate site instead of their bottom line. Guess what, author gets cut. So now how are you going to get your next-in-series fix? How likely, if an author has already been pirated when with a publishing house, would it be for them to say, "Well I have a pirate fan base I need to keep writing and self-publishing for." And how can they keep writing if they can't support themselves by their craft?
I entreat you, if your only reason is "I can't afford it." There are LEGAL ways around this. Start reviewing books, and you'll get free books (if you have talent or at least practice, practice)... exercise patience and wait for that physical or electronic copy at the library to come available. Enter giveaways... heck, sometimes you can even contact writers and have them send you the book (not every time mind you, but it happens.) There are ways to read the books you want without breaking the law and stealing from the writers and publishers. Because you ARE stealing. It's not as obvious as stealing a purse on a street corner, or looting an electronic store during a riot, but the crime is still there and not victim less. How would you feel working at your job for free, no payment. Because that is what you are demanding writers do when you steal their books. Food for thought. ~Alana Rock~
My thoughts on E-Piracy is, I think the Authors spend a lot of hard work on their books -
Then they have the Publishers and Editors that work just as hard to get their book published.
Everyone gets a percentage of the book, and I think they really deserve that percentage.
Sharing a book with a friend, yes, but what Alana Rock is saying in this message makes a lot of sense.
What are your thoughts about this? Leave a comment and let us know :)
5 comments:
I loved this post. I whole-heartedly agree with everything said.
Personally, I am one of those with a small book buying budget which was one of the reasons I got into reviewing books and entering giveaways. I know several authors personally and I know how much work they put into their writing and they barely break even at times.
Thanks for sharing!
Stealing is wrong, no matter how you dress it up to justify your activity it is wrong. If I worked outside my home, getting up and going forth at an hour sleep called my name, put forth long hours toiling at a job that I loved or hated and then never brought home a dime of compensation that is called "being a volunteer". Needing that missing income just like everyone else authors deserve to get paid for their books, they do not deserve to have people "give" their work away!
There is the library... so seriously people there is no excuse to steal someone's work. Not only in writing/books, but in other artistic areas as well.
Stealing is wrong. People work hard on these books and they deserve the credit not someone else. If you want to write a book, write a book. Don't steal someone else's hard work. Tore923@aol.com
Thanks for posting this! It's spot-on (and I say that as both an author and an editor).
One other thing for would-be pirates to remember is that illegal copies may be Trojan horses for malware, and downloading illegal copies might put viruses or other bad stuff onto your computer.
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