Theft =/= Flattery
December 4, 2009
Today an author who is much more famous than me and makes way more money casually said, in the context of a story about another writer, that he thought there was no greater flattery than someone stealing your books.
As a small press author who's first novel has been illegally downloaded more times than it was purchased in ebook (no small feat, as the ebook did well), I'd like to say that is unequivocally shit of the bull variety.
Real fans don't steal books. Readers who truly *love* books don't steal them.
(clipping this now to save those tired of my bitching--you're quite welcome to skip this entry)
I appreciate that there are people who can't afford new books, and for those people, there's this awesome place you can go to get stuff for free--it's call the fucking library. Google it--I'm willing to bet there's one near you.
Yes, writers like to be read. They also like to pay their bills with some of that writing income so that they don't have to work three or four jobs, and therefore have more time to write books for people to read. How can so many people possibly miss the cycle? Readers buy books. Publishers pay writers with that money. Writers write more books. Readers then buy and read those books.
That's how it works, folks. That's how those books on your shelf or hard drive got there--people bought books and the publisher then had money to invest in more books. If people stop buying, publishers have no money, and fewer books get picked up (gosh, wait, isn't this fucking happening RIGHT NOW?! Oh, yeah, it is...).
There is no rent fairy. Publishers aren't secretly running drugs so that they have an income to pay writers. We're long past the days of arts patrons paying our ways, nor do we have sugar daddies.
Spare me the fucking, "Everyone's doing it and you can't stop it" argument. I've addressed it. A hopeless cause does not make it any less wrong, and does NOT in any way excuse apathy.
Spare me the "The file is already out there, and other people will pirate it, so why shouldn't I?" argument from goddamn pirates too. You know what? E-pirates aren't some monolith, just as writers aren't. E-pirates are people. Individuals. And each and every person who gets a fucking clue and decides to stop stealing and stop illegally handing out copies of people's books *can* make a difference in this fight. (And yeah, it's a fucking fight--it's war at this point for a lot of people who are struggling to provide for their families.) When you see someone ask for a book illegally, you *could* step up and say, "You know, if you want the book, why not request it at your local library?" and choose NOT to upload the file.
Now, let's be clear--there isn't a single writer out there who is automatically entitled to readers' money. I'm not saying that. However...here's the logic fail that pisses me off: pirates at a forum all whining that an author's upcoming book isn't out yet. They think she should write faster. They whine because they want to read it.
Dude, these writers have day jobs too! If *you* want to have more books to read, *you* need to fucking pay for them. Nothing is free. A professional content provider's time has value--we can't work for nothing. If you don't want to throw in five fucking dollars for a goddamn book, YOU are not allowed to bitch that the next one in the series isn't out yet, nor are you allowed to call yourself a fan.
You're not a fan.
You're a leech.
You're a parasite helping to suck the life out of this industry at a time when it needs the support of readers.
Illegally distributing my book with a note for people that it's "really funny and unique" and encouraging them to "give it a try" is not the behaviour of someone who enjoyed the book. That's the behaviour of someone who hates content providers and quality fiction.
So here's my challenge to you, pirate: fucking grow a pair. Have the ovaries to resist the lure of "free" illegal books, grow the hell up, and show support for the writers you claim to love.
Theft of books is not flattery. It's an insult.
Now please excuse me--I have several more DMCA notices to send.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"skyla dawn cameron" river bloodlines wolfe torrent "children of the apocalypse" part 3 4shared rapidshare
(Adding some search terms there for when the leeches hit my site looking for the above things, they'll get my thoughts on the subject. Sadly, what they won't get--but deserve--is syphilis.)
Comments
#1 Ugh...
I want to say so much, but instead, I'll say this...
Right now, I write to make money. The accolades, praise, and "OMG, they like me!" is all well and good -- but it doesn't pay the rent, buy groceries, or ensure I will be able to write in the future. This isn't creative writing 101, or a popularity contest.
Is there much we can do about piracy? No. But we do have voices, and by speaking out, at least we inform those stealing books illegally that they are hurting those that have spent time and energy to craft them. I refuse to pat someone on the back and give them a cookie for leeching from my bank account.
~J
#2 piracy
I'm not sure how much can be done to stop eBook piracy, but I *do* know this. I had every chance to download "The Best Laid Plans" via podcast (a free book! score!) but DIDN'T because I just wasn't motivated enough.
However, when I was at the WCDR breakfast on Saturday and they had physical signed copies I could buy, I did so - because it was signed, and it was right there.
Long story short, if there's a way you can add value to the book that can't be transferred into digital, then that's a good thing.
#3 It's an issue
Well, piracy *is* an issue. Unfortunately, most people don't see it as 'illegal'. Most would just think they're sharing.. perhaps.
#4 Well, that's the thing--they
Well, that's the thing--they think they're sharing and they show an astounding delusion for exactly who the work belongs to. They sit around and thank each other for uploading books, and if one of them reuploads it, they give thanks to the original uploader. Not, "thanks to the writer who spent hundreds of hours writing the book", or "thanks to the editors, artists, and marketing people who spent hundreds of hours working on the book." They thank the douche bag who spent a total of five-freaking-minutes uploading someone else's hard work--that the pirates have no claim on or entitlement of--to a file sharing site. It's maddening that they don't seem to realize books will cease to exist if people involved in publishing stop providing them. So these people aren't just assholes--they're fucking idiots.
#5 Piracy/ Downloading eBooks
Okay, I completely understand, as I'm aspiring to be an author. But what about on Goodreads.com, when you can download free eBooks? I don't think that's illegal, is it? As I'm fairly sure they only put the eBooks on there if the author requests it. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
#6 Goodreads is a legit site and
Goodreads is a legit site and I'm fairly certain that anything uploaded there was done so legally (that is to say that I haven't personally seen any piracy going on there). Scribd is another that strives to be legit and works hard to stop copyright infringement. And if the e-rights holder chooses to put work online for download, that's okay. My serials, which are mostly freebies, were made available on Goodreads (and Scribd) for download by me. What's not okay is when people take a book that they aren't free to share, and upload it for distribution to everyone, and it's especially frustrating because there *are* already free alternatives for people. That's why I get so damn annoyed with pirates--I have four novels available, in their entirety, for free download to further my fanbase and give people a free taste of my work. No need to steal my other work. It's also *really* inconsiderate to all the artists, editors, and publishing peeps who also aren't rich and deserve fair compensation for their work.
Post new comment