If I like a book, I’ll read it and pass it on to my sister, or mom, or my BFF. I might even sell it at a used book store if I don’t want to keep it. This is called “sharing” and also, recycling, because once I own that ONE COPY of the book, I can do whatever I want with it.
I can not, however, legally photocopy every page and make a new book and pass it around. I can’t scan each page into my computer, thus creating another, additional copy of the book (now having TWO instead of just one). It’s illegal to do that. It’s called COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, and it’s stealing from the author or publisher, whether I sell it or give it away.
When you pass along an ebook, you’ve essentially created a copy of it. The one on your harddrive or e-reader or whatever, and the one you send away. Now, your friend loves the book and she “shares” it with two people — now you have how many copies? Not just one. Not even just two. And that is illegal.
I don’t care if you wouldn’t have bought it originally. If you didn’t buy it, you would not HAVE it, but now you have it, and you didn’t pay for it or give appropriate compensation to the author or publisher, and you pass it along to a file sharing site where it’s downloaded hundreds of times…all without the author seeing a single penny of return.
And let me be clear, people. Author’s only *make* pennies on each sale as it is.
But I’m not going to whinge about my income.
There’s a baser fact here. If you don’t buy the books, if in fact you make them available to hundreds of people who also do not buy them (or if you DO buy them and then make them available to hundreds) — well, let’s just say that without sales, authors don’t get offered new contracts. Then they don’t write new books.
And then you, the reader, are soundly and thoroughly screwed.
If you’re a reader who “LOOOOOVES” romance, do us all a favor. Don’t be a douche. Don’t upload books to file sharing sites and spread them around to dozens and dozens of people who want to read the books but don’t want to pay.
Hey, I don’t have unlimited funds, either. I can’t buy everything I’d like to. I get it. I understand the appeal of getting it for free.
But that doesn’t make it right.
Don’t steal books, music, movies…aside from being wrong, it’s going to bite you in the butt, sooner or later, when your favorite artist can no longer afford to create the works you loved so much you had to steal them in the first place.
And btw, yeah, please FFS don’t try to tell me how it’s not stealing, how you wouldn’t have bought it anyway, or how well, you read it for free online then bought all the others. (IF that’s really true, that’s great, keep on doing it, but then don’t turn around and offer those books up for free.)
Share your paper books. Turn your friends on to your fave authors, by all means. One copy circulating the world is far, far different than a hundred people having a copy of a book that came from one single sale. And if you really, truly can’t see that, if you truly, really can’t understand the difference, then stop downloading and uploading books for a simpler reason.
It’s illegal. It is against the law. You are breaking the law when you do it. And you will be reported, you might have to pay a fine — it’s getting easier and easier to find copyright violators and corporations and the law are becoming more and more vehement about hunting you down and making you pay.
We’ve all heard about the 12 year old girl whose parents had to pay 15,000 dollars in fines because she uploaded songs to Limewire.
Don’t file share. It’s wrong.
M
I totally don’t get the book sharing excuses. Copying DVDs etc goes in the same category.
The ways to “get” books for “free” are libraries. *sigh*
(And honestly. Scanning/photocopying each page to a book? Srsly?)
by limecello December 13th, 2008 at 1:37 pm@limecello: I don’t get them either. I’d love to be able to buy everything I want. I can’t. That doesn’t mean I go out and steal it.
by Megan Hart December 13th, 2008 at 1:40 pmI don’t get people that do this. Books, DVDs, Cd’s any of it. They bitch about the price of things and then have no remorse about stealing or pirating copies of anything.
When I was poor(er), I bought lots of books from the Half Price Book store. I don’t anymore only because I can now afford to support my favorite authors. Same with movies – I buy to support! I use itunes for music and TV shows. (until the shows are on DVD then I BUY the DVD!)
I want my favorite people to be able to make a living off their dream and I refuse to be a part of stealing from them.
I do sell some things to the HPB location after I have finished with them. For recycling purposes. That’s what I tell myself. I can’t make myself throw a magazine or book in the trash. I also know that HOPB sends copies of books to the troops and donates them to shelters along with their major recycling projects. If someone discovers an author or movie because I sold my copy for a couple of bucks? I can live with it only because, most cases, I paid full or close to full price for my copy and the artist got their cut.
by Patty December 13th, 2008 at 2:37 pm@Patty: That’s exactly it, Patty. You bought the item. The artist was paid for it. You can sell it, pass it along, whatever, you’re still only putting ONE item out there in the world, and the person who made it was paid for it. (The same way you could buy a couch and sell that, too, you don’t owe the original craftsperson more money for that sale.)
Ebooks, however, duplicate.
by Megan Hart December 13th, 2008 at 2:50 pmWith all of the technologies we have out there you would think somehow it could be configured that should someone hit the “Copy” or “Send” button…said story could be erased.
I could come up with some more “aggresive” ideas in the “Piracy” Dept…but well, I’ll leave it at the above erased thoughts.
Dana
by Dana December 13th, 2008 at 3:31 pmI concur. I view things like this as being a matter of common sense and decency.
by Jen December 13th, 2008 at 3:41 pmI don’t condone or participate in piracy, just like I don’t rob banks or kick old men down flights of stairs.
Megan~
by Lori T December 15th, 2008 at 1:57 amI am sorry to hear that this is happening to you and other authors. I just really do not understand this and I do not see how people who do this do not realize that it is wrong and illegal.
It is baffling!