Book Piracy.

[Michael O'Gara]

I recently read about eBook piracy and apparently there is a lot of "piracy" taking place.  Here's my take on the subject.   If someone downloads or copies an eBook without paying for it then they are stealing.  Taking someone's property, including intellectual property, without their knowledge and consent is by definition theft.  That makes anyone who takes an eBook without paying a thief; yes a thief.  They are taking money from someone's pocket and it is usually directly from the author.  My eBooks all sell for less than $3.50 as do most eBooks.   If someone can afford an e-Reader they can probably afford to pay to add books to their library.  They might also get legitimate free downloads during book promotions.  If someone can't afford to pay for the books they want to read then at least they should go to their public library and borrow an eBook.  The library can afford to buy a library copy so the author gets something.  P.S.  Most libraries buy books at a large discount; even eBooks.

What do you think about piracy?

[Darryl Erentzen]

These guys have a rather compelling argument against the existence of any kind of copyright or patent protections at all, and I'm inclined to agree with much of their reasoning, if at a bit of a loss as to how to implement their ideas:

http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/againstfinal.htm

In a nutshell, their argument is that the existing Intellectual Property laws, far from fostering innovation, protect large corporations by raising the bar to entry in most industries to levels impossible for anyone but industry insiders with monied connections to hurdle. They argue that in the area of copyright, small publishers and authors are acting against their own best interests by buying into self-serving arguments put forth by large distributors and media conglomerates in order to protect their way of doing business. They argue further that companies like Disney, by lobbying governments to extend copyright protections, are preventing access to our shared heritage in the name of protecting profits.

Some protection for innovators may make sense, but laws pertaining to trade secrets already provide what the authors consider enough protection, and they argue that the "first mover" advantage ensures creators will profit adequately from their works. The successful career of Cory Doctorow tends to support this argument.

Of course, dismantling a system that's existed for a hundred years or more isn't something that can happen overnight, and in fairness to those who've "bought in" to the system some kind of compromise is probably in order.

That's why the Creative Commons and the Electronic Frontier Foundation exist - to protect existing freedoms while providing a legal framework for advocacy on copyright reform that allows for gradual change as well as or instead of abolishing the current order.

http://creativecommons.org/

[Darryl Erentzen]

I wasn't sure how many links I was allowed, so rather than end up flagged as spam I'm including a bit of a bibliography here:

Cory Doctorow's book, "Content" which is a discussion of these issues from the perspective of an internationally bestselling author who releases all his works into the public domain under a creative commons license:

http://craphound.com/content/download/

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's website, which follows Intellectual Property issues closely:

https://www.eff.org/

This all reminds me of another book, "The Leaderless Revolution",
whose basic message is "the current system is so broken it's beyond
fixing, so our best option is to create a parallel system that works
within it, in order to fix the problems we see in the world without
waiting for governments to do it'. Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0399158723?ie=UTF8&camp=213741&...

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Creative Commons, and other
similar initiatives are the beginnings of a movement to do so in the
area of Intellectual Property law.

[Christy Pinheiro]

I don't worry about piracy-- I worry about people not reading my material. Joe Konrath (he's a well-known horror writer) has some pretty compelling arguments that piracy doesn't hurt sales.

I've done my own experimentation, as well. I wrote a YA fantasy series under a pen name in 2010. The first month it was released, it sold 7 copies. Sales were very sluggish, and then I put a free copy up on Smashwords, and got over 2,000 downloads, for which I received no compensation. A few weeks passed. Then, my Amazon sales shot up to 500. A month later, the book sold 2,000 copies, and then 4,000 copies. It was a trilogy, and to date, I've sold approximately 15,000 copies (mostly e-book downloads).

I don't think I would have had the success without making the book widely available (and free) using Smashwords.

-Christy

[Darryl Erentzen]

I follow ideas on how to sell online closely, by reading articles and subscribing to tech industry newsletters, as well as a whole slew of spammy newsletters by people pushing "how-to" products, and I've recently come across an interesting experiment in this area.

The creator of the experiment decided that, starting from scratch, he'd attempt to sell 100 copies or more a month of an ebook. He's been emailing his results with links to proof daily for a week.

So far so good. It's just come out of the "free giveaway" period which he claims is crucial for online success.

Check the whole thing out here: http://www.numberonebooksystem.com/kindle-challenge/

-Darryl

[C. M. Albrecht]

Your story interests me, but I looked on Smashwords and don't see any way to post a free book, say for a month or two. 

My other concern would be that my publisher would likely be opposed to this, but if I thought I could be assured of allowing my book for say, two months with a definite cutoff date, I'd approach her about it. 

I certainly like the way you jumped from 7 copies to 1500. Some of my books have been floating around at Amazon, Nook and so on for three or four years now and the most I've ever received in one quarter was less than $50. 

That buys no beer and very few Skittles. 

Good reading, Carl

[C. M. Albrecht]

You're absolutely right. It's stealing.l It's the same as copying DVDs and so on. But I have no idea how people do those things. I should think that, unless a book is offered for a free read, there's no way (that I know of) to download a book at places like Amazon, etc. without paying.

When free e-books are offered, I'm sure there are readers who, once they've read the book, share it with others, so while you may be gaining readers, you're still not putting butter on your asparagus.

As far as I know, none of my books have been pirated. The only up-side to that would be a wider expansion of your name and  your book(s). 

Speaking of free, I'm also discouraged by all the sites that advertise free book promotion, and then after you jump through hoops for half an hour, you learn that if you ever hope to have your stuff seen, it's going to cost you a monthly fee. Only if someone digs deeply enough may they find your particular free book. But hey, that can do that on Amazon, Nook, etc. and you already have those set up by the publisher. Also, far as I can see, those "free" book promotion sites would only be accessed by someone like me, looking for a free way to promote my book. I don't believe they attract people turning over rocks on the Internet in the search of reading material when places like Amazon have literally thousands of books for sale. 

Okay, that's the end of my jeremiad for today, but as Scarlett O'Hara is wont to say, "Tomorrrow is another day."

Faithfully, Carl

[5peasinapod]

"Intellectual Property" can be a bit tricky to define. Disney did not create many of its stories (Cinderella, Peter Pan, the list goes on). However, they did create certain images, voices, and music (and whatever else may go into it all ;) ) and they deserve to protect current and future profits from their work.

Apple cannot stop companies/individuals from creating a smart phone but they can stop individuals from using their exact design(s). With that being said, ideas should not be copyrighted but actual products (to that products specifications) should. Therefore, books should be protected under copyright law.

*Playing devil's advocate: someone who illegally downloads a book and enjoys it may hype up the book by word of mouth and increase overall sales.

Happy Reading!

~Heather

http://www.2manygoodbooks.blogspot.com

[Darryl Erentzen]

Ah, but Disney, by virtue of its successful lobbying, has succeeded in also locking untold thousands of other works in copyright limbo, because establishing who owns the copyright is next to impossible, yet the copyright is now said to exist for works that would previously have become public domain. It could be argued that in trying to protect their work, they're robbing us of a common heritage that they have no right to control.

Also, should a creator's descendants retain an indefinite right to control the works of their ancestors? Much of what Walt Disney as a corporate entity has fought to protect was created by previous generations and would already be public domain if not for their lobbying. What right does the present generation have to indefinitely extend their control over those works in the name of profit, simultaneously thrusting countless other works into a legal morass that ensures they can never get used? This is tantamount to robbing humanity of our shared cultural heritage to benefit a select few who happen to be shareholders or employees of the owners.

Copyrights and patents were created to remove the right to create monopolies from the hands of kings and place it in the hands of the people, they were never intended for the widespread use they've attained. The monopolistic powers they represent have throughout history been the domain of a privileged few, and - like the 'moneylenders' who now control our governments - were in all other ages seen as evil.

What's happened in the last 100 years or so to cause such a complete reversal? Hmmmm...

[Christy Pinheiro]

Your story interests me, but I looked on Smashwords and don't see any way to post a free book, say for a month or two. 

You just create an account, upload the book and the cover, and post the book as "free." You can unpublish it at any time. I never bothered to take it offline-- After my sales kept climbing, I kept the first book in the trilogy free.

Some of my books have been floating around at Amazon, Nook and so on for three or four years now and the most I've ever received in one quarter was less than $50. 

That's too bad. I think you should consider posting a free copy of at least one of your books as a "gateway" to promote your other titles. Last month was my biggest fiction month. I made 8K on Amazon (UK and US) on my fantasy titles. That buys a lot of skittles.

-Christy

 

[Michael O'Gara]

I have enjoyed reading the responses to this post.  It is good to discuss such issues and see what others think.  Thanks to all who are responding.

Mike

www.michael-ogara.com

[Irina Shapiro]

It's very unfortunate, but how can you stop it?  We live in a digital age when people can access anything if they know how.  To them it's not a matter of $3, but the pleasure of getting away with something. 

Irina

www.irinashapiro.com

 

[Helena Gouveia]

I think it is also unfair, but there are people from slums who definitely cant afford books and that's the option they have D: so it is also fault of the govnerment that makes some price high it is an example in Brazil (my country) but not only here, in the whole South America.