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My characters kill people so I don't have to.

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The Death of Livi Talbot (Extended Explanation)

Buckle in for a long one.

This is an incredibly difficult post for me to write but I want readers to have a heads-up about the situation, and I’ve always tried to be as transparent as I can (much to the chagrin to those who think I should just shut up and write).

I warned about this when Solomon’s Seal was first published in 2016.

I said this series is on life support when piracy first started. I explained about delays. I have said over and over that I cannot continue a series that isn’t selling, especially when it is being stolen more than bought. I have had pirate after pirate hit my page set up with certain search terms for them to find, so they know what is at stake.

Now here we are.

The Numbers

I hate bringing up the numbers because it’s so embarrassing and demoralizing but it feels like the only thing some folks will understand.

The latest Livi Talbot book, Yampellec’s Idol, released June 1–six months ago.

It’s been in my head since I wrote the first book in 2012.

I started writing it in 2018.

It is 150 000 words and required several drafts. We’re talking a good four to five hundred hours of my time just with the physical act of writing/revising. Not including the hours of research, reading books and academic papers (books and papers that ran me about $120, btw). Not including the time spent on the cover (just the stock ran me another $40 btw) and the interior formatting and all the administrative stuff that comes with publishing a book. The editors and proofers involved all worked on it as a favour to me–if not for that, and because I can do just about everything else myself, the book would not have been published.

In those six months, Yampellec’s Idol has made about $900. Canadian. (That’s $700 USD.)

Please really consider those numbers for a moment. Consider that to produce that book, I have to a) spend money out of pocket to begin with, b) favour it over paid work, and c) strain my physical health with long hours at the computer. Consider what your own bills cost just a month let alone for a year.

This is not even poverty wages at this point–it’s well beyond that.

I write because I have to–it’s the only thing I can do. But what I write and certainly what I publish comes down to money.

I’ve gotten this far, hands down, because of monthly support on Patreon. There is no question about that. It does not mean that those who buy the books and support them the traditional way don’t matter–but it means those sales alone simply cannot support the series. Look at those numbers. The bulk came in June and July, the rest petering out to a couple of books sold a month afterward. As much as I appreciate every single one of those sales–$150/month covers my hydro bill!–in another six months that’ll be down to maybe $15/month for that book since it’s still a “new” release. It’s the regular income from Patreon that has allowed me to keep writing these books because that money buys me time.

Factoring theft into it now? Work from nearly ten years of my life being copied and distributed without my consent, while I live in poverty and these are my sales numbers? Nope.

I have made the books affordable and available everywhere I conceivably can with no geographical restrictions. I run sales regularly. I gave away books at the start of the pandemic. I am super cognizant of all the excuses folks have for stealing. I have warned that there are consequences when you steal from a poor person, and that is: no more books.

Talked Off the Ledge

Last night, I was so upset I wanted to nuke my entire career and just walk away

So many writers complain about piracy and keep going anyway. And I cannot speak to them and their circumstances or how they do it.

But I…have been through things in my life. Terrible things that involved having control and autonomy forcefully taken from me. Violation of my rights sets off all kinds of sparks in my brain where I go into a panic and relive all kinds of things and the feeling of being trapped. Therefore my first instinct is to grab for any control I have–like cancelling a series.

Do I need professional help for this? Probably! (But therapy? In this economy?) Even if I had that, it wouldn’t change the fact that sales are not sustaining the writing of these books.

I pointed out, last night, “I cancelled River Wolfe over this. I cancelled Demons of Oblivion. I cancelled Elis outside of Patreon. I have done this before and never regretted it.”

“Yes,” my very tired platonic murder wife said, “but this is different. Because you have built this series with the support of all these other people at Patreon. You’ll feel different if you nuke the series this time because of what they’ve invested. But I still support you if you’d rather sell panties on the internet instead.”

She is not wrong.

So no, I am not here today to push the nuclear button and blow everything up.

But I have very limited paths forward at this point and there are choices to be made.

A Different Set of Numbers

I have been rationing groceries all month.

That is probably not as dire as it sounds because, due to pandemic anxiety, I have like ten boxes of oatmeal and other supplies. I’m not starving, I just have to get creative with certain meals being out of various supplies (tonight I’m trying vegan mac and cheese with a tin of coconut milk).

Shawn needs some teeth out. His poor little mouth is red and enflamed, and while he’s still eating, we’ve had to stop brushing his teeth because he’s sore. His surgery is next month and the worst-case scenario quote is $1500. Every extra penny I get has been going there which means I don’t get groceries, I don’t get to rent a movie, I don’t get takeout, I can’t do my Xmas shopping until next month when I’m sure Shawn is paid for. I’m running various sales in the hopes someone will be interested because I’m still short, and though I’m sure I’ll make it up through work in the next four weeks, we might need to see the vet sooner with an eye infection he’s developed.

This is not unusual for me. This is how I live day to day. One expense means I can’t afford to eat. When I’m sick and bedridden–as I was for much of this year–I can barely get enough work done to keep a roof over my head.

I cannot pay my vet in screenshots of all the illegal downloads of my books.

The End Is Nigh (with caveats)

Charon’s Gold, Livi 6, went up for preorder last month. Those numbers are…embarrassingly low. I know a lot of folks don’t know it’s scheduled yet, and others will wait until next year to preorder, but I also know plenty were upset about Yampellec’s Idol (*cough*thebooksaren’tromancesFFS*cough*) so there’s going to be a big dip in readers from 5 to 6. That’s just a fact: as low as YI’s sales numbers are, CG’s are going to be even lower by the time it comes out.

This is to say I was already considering where I can end this series when all this went down last night.

A big part of me wants to just…walk away right now. Take my toys and go home. Cancel Charon’s Gold and be done.

But last night I spent a lot of time rereading old messages from readers who reached out about how much Livi means to them. I went through my Patreon messages. I looked at the years of support folks have given me there, investing their extra pennies monthly to buy time away from freelancing for me to write.

You have trusted me with these stories.

I have to write these books, so yes, my feelings are important here, but this isn’t just about me. There must be recognition for what these books mean to so many of you and what you’ve invested in them. I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t want to give the impression that you don’t matter. You do matter. You matter more to me than you probably will ever know.

I’m trying to balance that against what else I know is true: this series is not sustaining itself and the psychological damage from theft of my labour cannot continue.

The likelihood is that Livi #7 will be the last widely published book.

It wouldn’t be the end of the series, and it won’t have an HEA, but it doesn’t have an emotional cliffhanger the way some of the others do and I might be able to tie off some broader plot things.

I will not leave you hanging. I will ensure it’s satisfying and caps off an arc, and can be interpreted as a sort of HFN (NOT a romantic one–that was never going to be in the cards).

This is not what I want but, to be perfectly honest, I need to do this for my own health–both physical and mental.

“Widely published” is the operative word there. There are five more books after #7 that are stories I want to tell and I will have to find other ways of doing so, whether it’s Patreon only and paperback releases like Elis’s books or something else I haven’t thought of. I don’t know yet. But I’m going to take some time to figure it out. #7 doesn’t have a final title and isn’t written yet, so the very earliest you’ll see it is late 2023. I have two years to make firm plans.

tl;dr

So here’s what all this looks like:

  • Charon’s Gold (Livi 6) releases October 22 2022 as planned
  • Untitled Livi 7 releases late 2023/early 2024 (tbd–it’s not written yet) and for all intents and purposes it’ll act as the last book.
  • Livi 8-12…I figure something out, probably using them as Patreon rewards.

Here’s what I can guarantee about the end of 7:

  • it’s will work as an HFN (happily for now) for Livi as a person (NOT romantically)
  • it will not end on a cliffhanger
  • I will (hopefully) cap off one of the story arcs

Still…Maybe?

Maybe things will change?

I’m doubtful after all this time.

Livi has had five years to find an audience. Five years. That is more than a lot of series get. I don’t have money for Amazon or FB ads and I never will. I’ve had to rely entirely on word of mouth, and I know so many of you talk up the books–I appreciate that–and have helped spread the word, but… *points to numbers above* Every single year, the series picks up a few more readers than the one before, so I’ve given it a lot of time–and going on six books now–as a leap of faith.

I think I’m about to hit the ground.

There is always hope things will change. I don’t need to be a bazillionaire–I just need to pay my bills and take care of my cats. Maybe regular series readers will jump to a few thousand over the next two years. Maybe Patreon income will continue to rise. Maybe something else I write will take off and bring in more readers, although Livi was the most high-concept and commercial of my books so I don’t know about that.

I’ve added a new Patreon goal detail–at $1000/month, whatever Livi Talbot books written past the seventh will be published widely regardless of low series sales because I’ll be able to devote more days a week to writing. That is the best promise I can make right now. That might take another ten years to reach, however, so don’t rely on that.

Why do you keep talking about this?

There is basically no winning as a public person with obligations to your readers.

I can keep quiet, reach book 7, and announce then “Yeah, guys, series is over! Sorry if it feels a bit unfinished but we’re done unless you head to Patreon!” And deal with the ensuing complaints.

I can be vague and and say “Oh my health’s not great” or “sales aren’t good” and get emails for years about why the next book isn’t out on Kindle yet.

And I can be upfront and say, look, this is what’s going on.

The thing I want folks to realize is that, although my first instinct is always to nuke everything, I ultimately give this a lot of thought. I never, ever am hasty about these decisions and weigh a lot of factors. And I don’t take the obligation to, and support from, readers lightly.

This comes with a risk that I’ll piss off even more people who find me off-putting, but I opt for transparency always. This is what’s going on. This is how I feel. Do with that what you will.

Is there something I can do?

Buy the books.

Tell your friends to buy the books.

Remove the books from piracy sites.

If you find a link to illegal downloads of my books, send them to me (anonymously, if you prefer) so I can get them taken down.

Do not request other books at piracy sites.

Do not upload the books to piracy sites.

Do not tolerate theft among your friends and family.

Join Patreon if you’re so inclined.

Honestly, many of you reading this are already doing everything. This isn’t your fault. You’ve already done so much and for that I thank you.


Only Read This Next Part if You’re a Thief

For several months this year, I was fairly certain I was going to die.

I was stuck in this no man’s land of healthcare where I couldn’t get seen. My autoimmune disease relapsed and I spent the better part of the year getting worse and worse until the pain was intense enough, the daily fevers worsening, the coughing and vomiting constant, that it suggested things were getting very bad for me. I had an emergency notice on the inside of my door with my medical history and emergency contact in the event I was found unresponsive. And I am the kind of person who doesn’t got to the ER when she has a fever of 104.3F or a broken foot, so when I am scared about something, it’s pretty serious.

This is who you’re stealing from. This is what the stress YOU create does to me. This is why, when I say I have to walk away from publishing to prevent you from stealing for the sake of my health, I’m being deadly serious.

If you have ever downloaded, uploaded, or requested a book from this series–if you’ve ever come to my site looking for illegal downloads or ways to bypass Patreon’s paywall (yes, I get your search results)–you have contributed to this decision. You have killed multiple series and now you’ve done it to Livi too.

How can you purport to love books when this is what you do to the people responsible for them existing?

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November 28, 2021 By Skyla Dawn Cameron 2 Comments

The Death of Livi Talbot

This is really hard for me.

I really debated posting this all day. Like I want to get this out of the way as soon as possible, but I also don’t want to clog up the blog with another big long depressing thing that a lot of folks probably don’t want to read.

I warned about this when Solomon’s Seal was first published in 2016.

I said this series is on life support when piracy first started in 2017. I explained about delays. I have said over and over that I cannot continue a series that isn’t selling, especially when it is being stolen more than bought. I have had pirate after pirate hit my page set up with certain search terms for them to find, so they know what is at stake.

Now here we are.

Like sure, I've only been rationing groceries all month to save for my cat's surgery, and taking expired medication to get myself through until I can see a doctor, but it's totally fine to steal! Who cares!

— Skyla Dawn (@skyladawn) November 28, 2021

So to summarize: sales have been not-great for the latest book and series in general. Preorders for the next are embarrassingly low. New books have popped up for illegal download this month.

These combined factors and ensuing stress has had me debating for the past twenty-four hours what to do, and after talking it over with a friend, and weighing all the factors including the tremendous support from so many of you…

The likelihood is that Livi #7 will be the last widely published book.

  • Charon’s Gold will still release October 2022 as planned, in ebook and paperback.
  • The as-yet untitled Livi Talbot seventh book will hopefully release late 2023/early 2024
  • It will conclude the series of publicly available books.
  • The final five (#8-12) will probably find a home on Patreon somehow (I haven’t decided how yet but I’ve got a few years to plan; Elis will finish up and I could serialize Livi there next)

I am sorry this hurts some people. I don’t want to hurt anyone. You’ve had so much faith in me and the books, I don’t want to let you down. But I…I can’t handle anymore of this with these books. I cannot handle the violation of my rights and what the triggers for me. Ultimately, this feels like a better option then just cancelling everything outright. #7 doesn’t end on a cliffhanger and I think it can close off some of the arcs so it’s satisfying–it gives me time to close some loops and gives you time to know what’s coming.

I do not make this decision lightly but I think I have to do it in order to protect my mental and physical health.

I have a longer explanation here that gets personal and goes into a lot of factors I weighed, for those interested, including the financial considerations.

I will guess at a couple of FAQs:

Is this a done deal? More than likely. The series has had five years to pick up enough sales to sustain it. #5 and #6 were only written because of monthly Patreon support covering bills so that I could write them–this has been a long time coming. I cannot fathom suddenly gaining enough readers to change things.

Can you still keep writing them with Patreon? I can and I will–that’s what I’ve said here. They’ll just go the way of Elis’s books and become Patreon stories rather than publicly published.

Will Livi and West– No. This series is not paranormal romance; it’s urban fantasy. No one is getting a romantic HEA; I wouldn’t tack that onto the end of a book where it doesn’t fit to begin with. Livi, on her own, will get a happily-for-now because I don’t want to leave folks hanging, but nothing about this series has ever been Genre Romance. Their relationship is one aspect of MANY that make up the books. Please stop yelling at me.

Is it a ploy for more patrons? Nope! I figure those who want to join can but I don’t anticipate many regular readers who buy to translate into the subscription model. That’s why I’m trying to give them some kind of closure with Livi #7, so they don’t feel they need to join as patrons.

This is completely and totally for my own health. I’ve spent twenty-four hours crying and shaking, paralyzed and unable to write, and the only reason I’m not vomiting is because I’m so stressed I can’t eat anything.

I want loyal (paying) readers to see the end of where this is going–I know the ending of the twelfth book and I am still eager to get there. But I cannot handle this situation any longer.

Sometimes self-care isn’t a bubble bath–it’s protecting your intellectual property any way you can.

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Filed Under: blog Tagged With: charon's gold, epub, livi talbot, mobi, patreon, pdf, piracy, shiva's bow, tiger's memory, torrent, yampellec's idol

November 9, 2019 By Skyla Dawn Cameron 1 Comment

A (Lengthy) Word About Livi #5

Nov 21 update: the series has been cancelled prematurely.

As mentioned on the blog, it’s been a rough couple of months. Well, a rough year. Years. Decade. Life. Whatever.

But anyway, this fall also brought also brought a sudden inexplicable sales drop on all sites but Kobo, the worst it’s been in several years, right after I had a good month with Shiva’s Bow‘s release. It was baffling, honestly, and completely against the trend of this past year.

Except it also coincided with a sudden spike in piracy.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: blog Tagged With: azw, emperor's tomb, epub, free download, livi talbot, mobi, odin's spear, pdf, read online, shiva's bow, skyla dawn cameron epub, skyla dawn cameron mobi, solomon's seal, tiger's memory, yampellec's idol

Looking for “Free” Books?

Hey folks hitting the page (yes, I see you), this note Yampellec’s Idol is about you:

Guess what?
THE LIVI TALBOT SERIES HAS BEEN CANCELED.

It’s ending after book seven. The last five books will not be published.

You did this. YOU DID THIS.

All your google search terms like “skyla dawn cameron shiva’s bow epub” and “livi talbot torrent” and “yampellec’s idol free download”. All your requests on piracy forums. Your uploads at Z-library and the mirror sites for celz and on VK. I know about these things. I warned, over and over, that this would happen, and I know in your searches you found this page and knew it was coming. I warned in the author’s notes of my books–in fact, it said right on the copyright page “You will be responsible when there are no future books.”

You were warned and you did it anyway. You did this. You killed another series.

Yes, I mean you, Susan Bontly from NMSU (who is a fucking librarian and should be ashamed of herself). Y’all think you’re anonymous? You aren’t.

If you have downloaded, requested, or uploaded any Demons of Oblivion book, know that you are the reason why the series was cancelled after Oblivion.

I know every time one of you does this. I see you hitting this page after searching google. I see you on piracy forums making requests. You are not anonymous.

You are pirating books I am lucky to sell one copy of a month. Illegally distributing my work tells me I shouldn’t publish more. 

You are why that series was cancelled.

I see you making requests and googling where to steal the books.

Yes, I mean you. Right now, you reading this. I see you in my site stats. I know what you’re doing.

Why not take a gander at my blog–notice how I’ve had multiple deaths in the family? How I’m struggling with poverty with vet bills piling up for the animals I care for? How I’m sick and risk getting sicker if I can’t buy medication for my autoimmune disease?

You’re not “cool”, you’re not “sticking it to the man”, you’re kicking a human being while she’s down.

People who love books support those who create them.

Try using Scribd, which is like Netflix for books (and even has a free trial): each download of my books there nets me FULL royalties while you pay a small monthly fee. There are inexpensive ways of supporting writers.

*

Coming here looking for illegal downloads of River/Wolfe?

That series was cancelled due to piracy.

Looking for illegal downloads of Bloodlines, Hunter, Lineage, Exhumed, or Oblivion?

I had to take future books off my plate due to low sales and guaranteed I would never return to it due to piracy.

Did you miss Soulless when it was serialized and want a free version of that?

It is a FUNDRAISER book for my vet bills–wtf is wrong with you?

Going after the Livi Talbot series next with Solomon’s Seal, Odin’s Spear, Emperor’s Tomb, Shiva’s Bow, etc? The Patreon serials like Tiger’s Memory?

This was a twelve-book series. It’s now ending at book seven for the public.

Great job–you’ve killed another series.

How about the Elis O’Connor books?

Any sequels, starting with Witch Hunt, will be going on Patreon and then paperback only. Because I cannot afford to continue them.

You’re attempting to steal from someone CHRONICALLY ILL, living well below the poverty level, who has had several deaths in the family, whose elderly pets are sick, and who can’t afford to publish books.

Congratulations: you’re a terrible person.

*

Either you’ve stumbled across this page while poking around my site, or–more likely–you have been directed here because you came looking for Skyla Dawn Cameron torrents, “free” downloads or epub mobi pdf or “read online free Skyla Dawn Cameron”, and the like.

On the author’s own website.

tumblr_ltsp25YIc81qf9mevo1_500

Dude, WHY WOULD I HAVE THAT HERE?

No no, hold on a sec. I’m actually glad you’re here. Stay. Read the message below. Because it involves what series have been cancelled, what series are on the verge of cancellation, and my answers to your explanations of why you have to steal from me.

Here’s the truth: piracy kills series. It does. River Wolfe, those books about the wolf-turned-teen girl y’all keep coming looking for? There were two of them. There was going to be a third. I stopped writing it because of how heavily pirated the first two books were. I will never finish writing it and it will never be published.

Bloodlines? Hunter? Lineage? Exhumed? The whole Demons of Oblivion series?

Bloodlines has already been pirated more than it’s been bought. Read that again. More illegal downloads than legal purchases. For a full-length novel that was priced for years at $2.99.

Do you get that, dear pirates? I am not some big time author.

I lost my full-time job in Sept 2013. I have to choose what I work on right now very, very carefully; anything I write must carry a reasonable expectation of being financially viable. If you continue pirating my books, series will be canceled.

Whatever your excuses are? I’ve heard them. I don’t care.

I can’t afford books!

Really? Because you can afford the iPads and laptops and Kindle Fires you’re visiting my site on while you look for illegal downloads of my books.  Books which are full-length novels for the most part and priced at $3 – $6, which is several dollars cheaper than other books in their genre. I understand poverty. I know poverty. 99% of the people visiting my site for torrents are not the downtrodden.

I want it in a different format!

ALL of my books are available in mobi, epub, and pdf. All of them. DRM free so you can convert them yourself to another format you need. What is this magical format you require?

tumblr_ml2ld3DiEa1qdiynco1_500_large

It’s not available in my country!

Uh, yeah, it is. All of my books are available at dozens of different retailers with no geographical restrictions.

I don’t have a credit card!

Me either! So here’s what you do: get an iTunes gift card and check out my work in the iBookstore. Or do what I do and get a VISA gift card from the store, which is usable online. Or use PayPal.

My country doesn’t allow PayPal!

Go to the bank. Take out a money order in Canadian funds. Send it to me. I will send you the books. There, problem solved. (Seriously, I know ebook authors who have worked this out with readers before. If you can put in the effort to find a pirated copy, you can put in the effort to get a legal one.)

Information wants to be free!

I’m not selling non-fiction. I’m not publishing a cure for cancer. The secrets of the universe are not found in a book of mine about vampires. These books are entertainment, which you are not automatically entitled to like air and water.

I don’t want to support big publishers and their gold toilets and yachts!

Dude, my books are put out by me. You are hurting me. And those I am responsible for. Also? I’ve worked in publishing. I don’t know anyone with a yacht. I know a hell of a lot of good editors who were laid off because of low profits. And I know a lot of authors who had to cancel series because sales were so low that publishers didn’t want to buy more of their books.

I already bought an ereader, books should be free.

So…you enjoy screwing over the little guy, then? Give your hard-earned cash to Apple and Microsoft and fuck those content creators who work for 50c an hour writing books? We don’t get a cut of those iPad sales, dumbass. Let’s be honest: it comes down to convenience. It is more convenient for you to steal from me than it is to walk your ass to the store and take a tablet off the shelf.

peggy-bonk

It’s not stealing, it’s SHARING!

No, actually, it’s copyright infringement: the illegal copying and distribution of work you do not have the rights to. I and others choose to use the word theft for a very specific reason.

Taking my books to read without paying is theft of my labour. Artist’s rights are worker rights. You are a thief of the very worst kind when you take from workers who have very little (probably less than you).

It’s not like I’m SELLING your books illegally.

Yes, but the people who do sell illegally? Where do you think they get ebooks from? Torrents and download sites like you do. They take those books and make money off of them and they don’t give a dime to the authors. I know because I’ve had to send takedown notices to ebay and the like when users sold my book and others without permission and without giving me a cut. Putting ebooks up for illegal distribution means you don’t control how they’re then used. They’re put on CDs or online stores and sold for money; they’re converted to RTFs and have the names changed and then sold as original content (yes, this is A Thing That Happens, and it’s growing widespread).

If I like it, I’ll buy it later.

Do you think that’ll work at the grocery store? I can take home a bag of chips, eat them, and come back and pay for them if I DO like them? Really? I mean, should I try? Maybe you can go first and let me know how it works out for you?

I’m going to pirate your stuff anyway because you bitched about it.

You know why you react that way? With that defiant little “I’ll show you!” sneer? Because you know I’m right. So VERY mature–you sure showed that writer standing up for her rights! Your mother must be so proud of you.

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Didn’t you know [insert famous author here] says piracy helps them?

Good for that author. Go and take their work. I would rather take my chance with obscurity than have you take that choice from me. You dig that?

*mumble mumble* Libraries!

Libraries are great. Hey, did you know that in Canada, we have something called Public Lending Rights, which means the government gives us some pennies depending on how many of our books are in libraries? So if you walk your ass down to the library and request a book, they’ll get in copies–then YOU get to read free and *I* not only make a bit of money on the initial sale but, in Canada, make a little extra.

I’m just one person, it doesn’t make a difference if pirate.

Yes it does. You choose to buy, you teach your kids to do things legally, you encourage your friends to do their part, and it all trickles down until we have a culture that supports content creators rather than punishes them. You absolutely can make the difference. And literally every sale counts with me. That is how few books I sell.

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Every time you visit one of those piracy forums? See the ads there? How about when you click a link to Rapidgator or DepositFiles or Zippyshare or FileFactory? See those ads that pop up? Your clicks, your pageviews, put money in the pocket of thieves. They make money from your illegal activities. Do you think they give a cut of that to the writer? No.

No book is “free”, even if you didn’t take money out of your wallet to pay for it.

I make money as a writer on a per-purchase basis. No patron or magical rent fairy coming by to hand a cheque to my landlord. Every sale counts.

Piracy has an actual place in the world: in countries under brutal regimes, like North Korea, where everything is so tightly controlled, the only way to change the tide is smuggling illegal content over the border. I’m cool with that. But y’all visiting my site, pirating my books? You’re not from North Korea. You’re primarily from the US, Canada, a few from the UK, Australia, and the odd one from India (oh and Brazil–I haven’t forgotten about you, Andrea, pretending you had no idea where you could get my book legally). All countries where my books can EASILY be legally obtained.

Your inconvenience is not oppression.

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Let me speak very plainly here for a moment: illegally copying and distributing my work violates me.

Psychologically, it makes it more difficult to work; it’s hard enough spending hundreds and hundreds of hours on a manuscript knowing you’ll never make minimum wage on it, but it’s even more difficult when you’re aware of how many motherfuckers are going to hit your website looking for illegal copies the day of release. Financially, it means the books you enjoy reading will be fewer and far between or will disappear all together because most writers already work multiple jobs to pay the bills and they will not continue a series that costs them more to produce than they’ll make on it.  In terms of quality, it means writers will try churning out crap so they can live on quantity rather than quality work, and it means there are fewer editors around to work on the books because of lay-offs. 

Exhumed meant a hell of a lot to me emotionally, and if it ends up pirated, Zara and Nate are DONE. <– I wrote this BEFORE that book was pirated. I’ve left the note intact because I did cancel the series.

I do not need to spend my time writing more Zara books. Nope, I have ideas here lined up around the block and then some–I have TONS of stuff I can work on. Books that might reach a wider audience to make up for the piracy. Or ideas I want to write, just for me, and never publish for my readers. You are hurting yourself by pirating.

If you love books, like you claim to–if you love reading, if you love devouring a new series–you will not leech from the people producing them. Because readers and writers have a symbiotic relationship, and writers cannot do their part if you do not do yours.

DrHorribleDanceGif

Still here? Think I’m alone in my feelings on the subject? Why don’t you read what Patricia Briggs, Dina James, Shiloh Walker, Jeaniene Frost, and Lilith Saintcrow have to say on the subject.

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Writer of urban fantasy, thrillers/mysteries, and horror. Fifth-generation crazy cat lady. Bitchy feminist. So tired all the goddamn time.

My characters kill people so I don’t have to.

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