See these? I received a lovely gift certificate and used the entire thing on books. I love books. Look at the exciting package I just opened!
I work hard to keep this website pretty positive. I’m crazy about the book world, about writing. I’ve spent most of my life working to be a part of it. But there is one thing that gets me worked up. Not only for myself but for all those authors whose books I love and for the publishers who work hard to get those books edited, packaged and into my hands. So, here’s a letter to those who are hurting the business.
If You Searched for Torrent and Ended Up Here,
See the pirate graphic in my sidebar? I feel very strongly about this subject because I’m watching an industry I love being destroyed. I love books. I want to be able to continue reading them. Don’t you?
It breaks my heart to see searches here and on The Deadline Dames for free downloads, torrent searches, file share, etc. There are a lot. Authors work so hard and some, like me, spend many difficult years trying to get a career going.
You love the books, love a particular author? She won’t get that new contract without the sales. She can’t pay her bills without the sales. You are stealing directly from her and from the publisher who took a chance on her. Writing and publishing is a business like any other and very few authors get the big name build up to earn the big living. Some earn enough to get by and some hold down other jobs to make it work.
Look, I love ebooks, too. I lust after the Kindle and Nook and plan to get one or the other as my one splurge when I get a book deal. But I plan to buy ebooks, plan to support the authors I love so I can keep getting books from them.
Someone asked me this question, “What’s the difference in me sharing this ebook on a website and having used books in a store?”
Big. Big. Difference. Millions can have access to that website. Look at the number of downloads on your favorite book at a file sharing site sometime. I saw over 8 thousand downloads on an author’s book. The week it came out. On ONE site. That used bookstore wouldn’t have had 8 thousand used copies. All those stolen books don’t translate to numbers to the publisher, so that author’s sales aren’t what they could be. She may not get another book deal. And you, the person who loved her book enough to steal it, won’t get to read another from her.
Think about it. Please.
Here are two good articles. This first inspired my post today–can you tell?
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/e-piracy-the-high-cost-of-stolen-books/19790305/
http://www.deadlinedames.com/?p=2700