Would
you walk into your local bookstore and steal the latest book by your favorite
author? Would you steal a $20 from a stranger to buy a couple of books? I’m
guessing your answer is a resounding “no.”
So
why do people think it’s okay to download ebooks from pirate websites?
Let
me make my position clear: It is NEVER okay to steal a book, whether it’s paper
or electronic. N e v e r.
 |
| The ladies over at Deadline Dames have a great article about how much piracy sucks! |
Now,
some of you reading this might think, well, it was just one book or maybe
authors make enough money anyway or I can’t afford to buy all the books I want
to read. Do you think these are good excuses? Um, no.
All
of those illegal downloads add up and the vast majority of authors aren’t
making tons of money. Most have another job they work to make ends meet. I’m
not complaining – I write because it’s what I love. I never had illusions about
buying a new BMW with my sales! But it’s hard work. It takes months or even
years for the author to write a book. (Not to mention all of the people
required to offer a single book for sale: cover artist, editors, marketing
people, publishers, etc.) Imagine how we feel when we find out people have
downloaded our work illegally hundreds or thousands of times.
I
understand not being able to afford your reading habit. Some people can read a
book a day easily. But a voracious reading habit doesn’t make it okay to become
a thief.
There
are plenty of books out there to read that will cost you little to nothing. Kindle has
an ebook lending library containing over 145,000 titles. Your local library has
countless paper books, and many of them offer ebook lending too. Used
bookstores allow you to trade in your old books for credit to buy new ones.
Share books with friends.
And
yeah, buy the books you can afford from your favorite authors. It’s the only
way to ensure they keep creating those books you love! For example, I know a
very successful writer who stopped writing because she didn’t have enough
recent sales. There’s also a series I used to read that never got finished
because the publisher didn’t think there was enough interest.
So
please, don’t download from pirate websites. It’s illegal. And moreover, it’s
just plain offensive to the authors.
*Please
feel free to comment, but don’t mention names or web addresses of pirate websites.
The last thing I want to do is point more traffic in their direction.*
"I understand not being able to afford your reading habit. Some people can read a book a day easily. But a voracious reading habit doesn’t make it okay to become a thief."
ReplyDeleteWell said!
Your post was pretty similar to mine I posted this week.
ReplyDeletehttp://authorvanessaleigh.blogspot.com/2012/05/dont-pirate-ebooks.html
TOTALLY with you on this, Jennifer! If you don't want to buy a book, go to a library. But don't steal someone else's work just because you can.
ReplyDeleteA number of years ago, my first book went out of print. I worked long and hard on that book, and it was a labor of dedication. When it went out of print, a mysterious someone bought up the remaindered copies, and literally republished the book by slapping a new ISBN on the spine. I couldn't do anything because the thief was based in another country, and I didn't lose much, financially - traditional publishing contracts do not favor the author - but wow, was I steamed.