As e-book adoption steadily increases, I think writers and artists have a very good reason to wonder if easily pirated e-books are going to do to the publishing industry what Napster did to the record industry. With news that Dan Brown’s last novel was pirated within hours of being released and with e-reader adoption growing steadily, it’s a serious concern.
I know there are lots of bitter types out there who would love nothing more than to stomp on the grave of publishers, but if they fall it’s going to have a profound effect on the quality of books.
Now… There will always be books. Publishers or no publishers, agents or no agents, paid authors or no paid authors, people are going to write, and some will write very well no matter what. But I think the overall quality of books would suffer tremendously if very few people can make any money doing it. Not only because there wouldn’t be publishers to edit and copyedit and market, but the fewer people who can make any money or spend any time writing books because they have no hope of getting paid will result in lesser the competition and lesser the choice and lesser the quality.
This isn’t the music industry – no one is making money on an author tours or Ian McEwan t-shirt sales no matter how many I personally would buy.
But!
Lately something has happened that made me wonder if perhaps my worries about piracy might be somewhat overblown.
There’s a site that I’m not going to link to or name because I don’t want to give them any traffic at all. Let’s call them FakeTorrent. FakeTorrent is a site that purports to contain all sorts of pirated material, including books, that you can download very easily and holy cow thousands of people have already done it. All you have to do is install the right software.
And, of course, the software is a virus. Or they’re phishing for credit cards. Or some other nefarious activity. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out. But! There’s nothing being pirated. Essentially: they’re scamming pirates.
Could this be the future? Since pirates are already downloading files from dubious sites, is lacing a highly sought-after file with a virus or ads or scams a sufficient growth industry to actually deter piracy?
Now… don’t get me wrong. I’m not some starry-eyed Pollyanna who thinks piracy is going to go away entirely.
But I also have been around the Internet long enough to know the life cycle of user-generated websites, whether they be eBay, Friendster, Myspace, Craigslist, or a file sharing site. First the early adopters come along and everything works great. Very exciting! Then comes mass adoption, which strains the site’s capacity to keep everything running smoothly. And then, inevitably, come the spammers and scammers to ruin it for everyone. Once they arrive, using the site becomes tremendously annoying.
The only user-generated sites that have had any longevity at all are ones that have successfully kept the spammers and scammers at bay. And it takes an incredible amount of resources and ingenuity to stay ahead of them and sort them out from the regular users. (Twitter is on the cusp of the spammer/scammer wave, incidentally, and it will be interesting to see how well they handle it.)
I wonder if we’re going to see a similar life cycle in Internet piracy. Any piracy site or sharer that has built sufficient users and resources to ensure quality control will also (hopefully) be a big enough target that it can be taken down by lawsuits (see, incidentally, the Scribd lawsuit over its laissez faire policy regarding the uploading of possibly copyrighted material). There’s also, I think, a significant business opportunity for companies that specialize in reducing or eliminating piracy.
Obviously someone that is truly motivated will find a way, and pirates may adapt to new challenges and barriers. But I wonder whether mass piracy is really in our future.
Essentially: my hope is that pirating material will be a sufficient pain in the ass that people will just go ahead and buy through trusted and legal sites that can guarantee quality control. Maybe that’s overly optimistic, but you can bet I’m counting my lucky stars as an agent and author that e-books weren’t all the rage in the year 2000 when many of us had vastly underdeveloped Internet consciences.
What do you think? How big of a threat is piracy? Should I be worried?
Ken writes:
"The only reason that I can imagine that you wouldn't want DRM is so that you can burn copies of the files and hand it out to friends. Reproduction of files should always remain illegal. It's not SHARING if both people can experience the content at the same time in two different locals. This is stealing."
This analysis is flawed and you are painting with a broad brush. For example, let's say you have an e-reader. The e-reader fails and you have to replace it with another.
Yet your book doesn't transfer to the new device without a lot of hassle.
That's just one example of why DRM is disliked by legitimate buyers. There are hundreds of other reasons.
There is nothing good about DRM to a person who does not pirate. Nothing at all. Yet, somewhere along the line, the DRM will fail somebody who paid money for something they now want to use, but can't.
anon-
Actually, I disagree that readers have always paid for a physical book. Charles Dickens' novels were first serialized in newspapers, which, presumably, didn't last terribly long. The book as tradable artifact is a pretty 20th Century phenomenon – before people simply didn't own many books and weren't readily passing them around.
It would be one thing if people were passing a digital copy around one at a time. That's not what's happening with piracy, and I don't see why people fail to see that.
Not to mention that libraries BUY BOOKS.
Caught up reading all the comments so far and would like to respond to a couple of points.
I watched a TV show a few months ago in which a musician in a popular rock band talked about how digital downloads have severely impacted how much money musicians can make from albums. He said that he needs to be on the road, making money from tours, in order to maintain the income he made prior to the digital age. He has a young family, is on the road over 200 days per year, misses his children’s birthdays and lots of other important stuff.
Knowing how hard it is to make money as an author, I’m completely against pirating any published material. I often go in the completely opposite direction – buying multiple copies of an author’s book: one copy for me, additional copies to give as gifts or donate to the public library. Authors don’t usually make much money at all per book.
S-
"Once more, this is neither a good or a bad thing. The context of our measly existences is just changing, as it has always done. Industries rise and fall and don't have an immanent right to make money."
I would imagine you are referring to the idea that they don't have a right to make money if no one buys what they sell? Industries definitely do have a right to income when you consume their product.
@Nathan:
You can sync between devices even more easily without DRM.
Let's be honest, DRM has no positive sides for the customer. That's not exactly why they exist. I understand the motivation, but in the end they may have been a shortsighted move. Time will tell, as ever.
anthony-
Again, there are good things about DRM, and not just that it's intended to protect authors. As someone with both a Kindle and an iPhone, I can pick my Kindle and pick up where I left off on my iPhone.
It's the whole principle behind cloud computing, and as we want access to all of our files now, DRM is going to be what makes that happen.
I spend hours each week checking for pirates and sending in abuse forms. I've seen hundreds of copies of my books pirated for free. You can actually watch the download numbers rise on the web site.
I'm part of a yahoo group that works every day to stop this. We contact each other when we see our books being pirated and we try hard to stop them as fast as we can.
The people that download the books for free on these sites have actual communities, where they leave reviews and tips for each other on the next book they are going to steal…always under anon names like "booklvr"
It never ends. I found one of my books being downloaded for free on a ring tone site. I was shocked.
It takes a great deal of time to police these things, and I don't see it going away any time soon. The good thing is that when you file an abuse complaint (and only the author can do this) the book is taken down quickly. But in most cases it just winds up going to another pirate site and you have to start all over again.
Nathan asks:
"Honest question: how does the anti-DRM crowd feel about the good features of DRM, such as the syncing between devices that it allows?"
These features are not DRM features. There's even an entire software category for syncing information between devices, all feature rich and easy to use (well most of them that is).
I'm with the anti-DRM crowd. I'm happy to buy an eBook. But only under one condition. I want to be able to read it just as long as I can read a paperback. So I have Tolkien books going back to 1979 (very tattered…). Give me an ebook that I can read for that many years, and I'll be happy. I won't have to dust them!
But. I also work in the computer industry. Formats change. Not too long ago I invested in eBooks from a now failed company. Their reader was great until I shifted from Windows to Mac and lost my ability to read my whole library. The most expensive part of digital reading isn't your computer or your reader. It's the library itself. I will never make that mistake again.
The only way to protect yourself from losing your material to a change in format is to buy a universal – which means DRM free – format. In 5 years getting something that can translate an eReader format might not be possible.
So. What do I buy for my iTouch? Baen books, which are all DRM free. I download books from Project Gutenberg. If I'm going to read something that only comes in DRM format, I choose
1) Buy hardcopy to either reread myself or share with family/friends
2) Borrow from the library.
I won't be losing a whole library next time we have a major shift in file formats.
Adrianne
Nathan, not trying to be argumentative here but when Dickens novels were first serialized in newspapers…the buyer was still purchasing something tangible.
But I do understand the sharing with a millions friends though. Good point.
S-
How?
And the customer is not always right. The customer wants everything for free, now, immediately. That's not a business model.
Honestly, I think people get a little too self-righteous about DRM. People dislike it a lot more in theory more than practice. It shouldn't be unduly restrictive, but I think people have come see it as a matter of principle rather than practice, which I can't really relate to.
anon-
It was tangible, but it expired. People weren't paying for permanence.
A change in the way DRM works… a format very similar to the way that Steam works would be spectacular for books.
The anti-DRM crowd is caught up in the fact that you will eventually need a new ereader or other device and DRM restricts this movement… Steam would keep a profile with all your previously bought books (could cover multiple sites as well) which would allow you to buy books from various sites and store in the same cloud where you could sync with a new e-reader. I think this would be a pretty solid solution.
@Ken:
Of course I didn't mean people have a right to get the an industry's products for free. Heavens. But neither do industries have a right to good sells.
@Nathan:
Syncing features have nothing to do with DRM. Although I do now think of a possible positive side to DRM: free replacement at no cost for the distributer in case of contents loss. Does any distributer do that, though? Last I heard you were supposed to buy your lost DRM'ed music again.
s-
No, if you buy something on Amazon and delete it off your Kindle or lose it they still know that you bought it and can download again.
And as you can tell I'm not an expert on the actual nuts and bolts on the technical side, but my understanding is that syncing between a different external devices requires proprietary software because of the way the server has to recognize where a person left off? But let me know if I'm mistaken on that.
Anon 11:31,
You’re kidding right?
You didn't buy a "book". What you bought was access to the content that was distributed in a book format.
After all, you were not interested in the cover and paper inside the cover – were you?
Today, when you buy a physical book, you have purchased a product that you are licensed to transfer as you see fit (one at a time).
However, if publishers could have devised a means to limit your licensing rights to transfer that book over and over again, they would have done so centuries ago.
Now they do (or will) have a means to control transfer.
This is the other side of the eBook technology issue, which readers will be facing in the futures.
Licensing will control how a reader may transfer their product rights to others and, I imagine, the maximum number of times that a single product may be transferred.
This is in the future – authors need not throw a party yet – but it is the future .
Nathan writes:
"It's the whole principle behind cloud computing, and as we want access to all of our files now, DRM is going to be what makes that happen."
Sorry if I am being confusing. To me DRM and features based on identity technology are two seperate things.
For example, there is a huge feature benefit for me, right now, because I have a digital key that verifies who I am. This is what lets me use a fairly advanced collaboration software between dissimilar technologies (my PC at home, my PC at work, a mobile device, a PC someone else is using to work in my workspace, a PC not logged into the network but actually attached to the internet wireless through a cell-phone provider, and several others).
Now, I can select a person in this workgroup and restrict their access to certain files I've shared.
Is that DRM?
The action of restricting access to those files (KEEP OUT YOU) It's like DRM, sure, but only in the sense I've denied them access.
I've denied them access in a way that is similar to a bookstore wanting you to purchase the book before leaving the bookstore.
However, back to my model, once I grant access, that file(s), if they copy it somewhere else, is not of my concern, because my access rights are granted on a trust relationship (from a technology perspective, based on their digital key).
Thus, I am using the Cloud, but I am not using DRM. All I am doing is verifying Joe Smith is Joe Smith and not Betty Sue.
If Joe Smith now took my file he got from the Anthony Cloud and gave it to Mary without my permission, I would be annoyed if I found out, but there is nothing built into the file that would prevent him from doing so. This access model is not DRM.
Now I could build in a key relationship that is file based. And that would be DRM. And my workgroup would hate me.
Hope I am not totally confusing here.
Does Barnes and Noble aid in piracy?
A person walks into B&N grabs a short kids book off the shelf and sits down in one of the many chairs provided for looking at books. She reads the entire thing and decides she doesn't wish to purchase it.
Did she just pirate that book? Did B&N assist her in accessing that content without compensation? If that book never sells and gets returned to the publisher did the author get ripped off?
Just wondering how far we stretch this access to content for a price thing.
anthony-
Makes sense. I think I'm confusing matters by using "DRM" as a catchall for proprietary formats — which, if I'm not mistaken, you do need for the identity technology to work.
And since you need someone tending the "cloud" in order to make this work, you're essentially getting de facto DRM. Presumably this will both make controlling piracy a lot easier (because people are using proprietary formats that are easier to track) and also allow the type of home use sharing that won't annoy customers.
Let me know if I'm mistaken on any of this, I'm still trying to improve my understanding of the technical side.
anon-
If someone has the time and inclination to sit down and read an entire book at Barnes & Noble without buying anything they have bigger problems than whether they should be considered a pirate or not.
I read recently that the majority of under-25s (I think) believe they should never pay for music, that it’s meant to be free. Given that they’ve grown up in the age of file sharing, it’s not surprising they hold this view. So to end piracy, or put it more significantly in its place by deterring site users, the risks would have to run high.
But Internet security is becoming more highly developed and beginning to be taken much more seriously. Students of ethical hacking are being made offers they can’t refuse, before they even graduate. Which leads me to agree about a potential growth in specialists who reduce and limit piracy. And it’s that that will make the difference.
I think the solution to simple piracy, on an individual author's level, is to go the Doctorow route. Every word he writes is available for free. You can download all his books, read his blogs, even his publisher is putting his latest book, chapter by chapter, online before the hard copy comes out.
And he seems to be doing all right with his career.
Kinda makes piracy obsolete, doesn't it? And yet… I have a Google alert on my blog. It's frequently pirated and syndicated without my permission. And, uh, btw, my blog is free for anyone to read. BUT, and it's a big one, they're pairing my content with advertising that I'm not seeing a dime of.
Unfortunately, that's sort of evolution I think piracy will take. It's still people using our content for their gain with no compensation for the writer, just with an Internet twist.
I don't think borrowing books equals piracy, btw. At some point someone paid for the product. But it's one of the reasons I don't use the library often and I don't tend to lend out my books. You want it, go pay the people who built it.
I think there is some really good commentary in today's post and its responses.
Thanks for the great discussion and thought provoking post Nathan.
Anthony,
DRM is procedural (industry changing) concepts that include how the world views content ownership, licensing transfer, and the use of certain digital products that distribute content. The emergence of new products leads to a vast array of new technologies and legal issues.
With the evolution of the DRM technologies used to protect the licensed used of products, certain technological benefits (or features) are also provided to the licensed person (in the case of eBooks the reader).
I imagine that in the future the licensing rights will be imbedded in the product ( the electronic copy of the proprietary product) itself and be will transfer with the eBook – once the industry decides if the standard eBook technology will be VHS or Beta – if you understand what I mean.
As the basic eBook technology standardizes, the business-licensing side will evolve seemingly overnight.
The issue with DRM (Digital Rights/Restrictions Management) is getting the licensed eBook readers and distributors to understand, communicate and manage the adoption of both the evolving technology and the evolving definition of ownership (licensing).
So, in the future, how the eBook is transferred will not matter because the licensing right to that particular "copy" of the eBook will transfer with it.
Also, when the technology issues are resolved to the point where the laws can be defined and prosecutors can measure and prove that an individual has broken the licensing law – (stolen and distributed products they did not own licensing rights to) – stealing will be prosecuted as it today with tangible items.
ryan field said:
"I've seen hundreds of copies of my books pirated for free. You can actually watch the download numbers rise on the web site."
Yeah, I’ve had my books pirated as well. It sucks. I don’t make that much money per book, and to have my work stolen is painful.
I’m not sure everyone understands that when a book is sold in eBook format, the eBook distributors charge the publisher for their services. After an author spends time, possibly years, writing a book, they receive a very small percentage of sales, with the bulk of the money going to the publisher and the distributors. That’s really only fair, as the publisher and distributors have to set up and maintain the infrastructure to sell the books. My books are sold through numerous distributors, including an audio book through Audible.com. It took me years to get to this point, and I’m very upset when I see my work being pirated for free.
Nathan writes,
"And since you need someone tending the "cloud" in order to make this work, you're essentially getting de facto DRM. Presumably this will both make controlling piracy a lot easier (because people are using proprietary formats that are easier to track) and also allow the type of home use sharing that won't annoy customers"
Exactly.
As a reader, having a publisher or book store know who I am when I buy the book is OK.
Re-verifying who I am when I want to buy a different reader and move my treasured book is not OK, and very annoying. It's my book. I bought it, it's mine, don't touch it. Don't look at it. Don't even think about it.
I don't spend money to be annoyed. I got married for that.
I kid, I kid. My wife is 75% less annoying than I.
I was the Dan Brown thief from the comments section of a post of yours a few days back. Thanks for those fellow surfers who labeled me a 'Thief' … you guys really can't grasp this whole pirating issue if that is the only response it provokes within.
I don’t have a Kindle or an ereader but I still downloaded ‘The Lost Symbol’ from my trusted friends at http://www.Your-Teenage-Son/Brother/Nephew-Is-A-Lowlife-Criminal-That-Doesn't-Respect-The-System.com … goodness, the state of the world, these days, huh?
Truth is, I can’t stand reading books on a desktop, I’d prefer to read the hardcover. But that’s beside the point – since I only made it three chapters in to ‘The Lost Symbol’ and have given up.
Would I have bought the book if I liked it? Most definitely because I primarily read for enjoyment. Am I going to buy the book? Not a hope. If the Amazon excerpt had of been longer I would't have even bothered downloading the pirate copy.
My download habits: I watch two TV shows a week when in season … because I can’t get them legally without waiting 3 to 6 months after the season’s premier. I’m not exactly a heavy user of torrents, but I will use them to satisfy my entertainment urges.
Nathan, as for the can’t-be-trusted community of pirates, well, that’s not really a problem for anyone who knows these sites. That’s the power of a community.
Will pirating affect the industry? Sure, if you’re a publisher of huge blockbuster novels. Will it affect mid-list authors or low sell-through debut novelists? Ummm, you're not serious are you?!
Aren't these the same authors that are already giving away their ebooks in a desperate attempt to lure readers in?
Which brings me to this point: give an ebook away to hook a reader and you may possibly create a precedent with an expectation that your work should always be free.
Piracy is theft. I have a friend who is a well-published midlist sort of author in a certain genre whose publisher brought out her recent novel as an e-book first, then hard cover. She recently discovered the e-version had been swiped and posted on a pirate site, and so far the publisher has done nada. She sees herself losing income, and does not blithely view it as cool, fun, or the inevitable way of the future. She is not as big or successful as Doctorow and did not choose this path, and it hurts her. I can't see this as a good thing in any way.
Anthony:
"Re-verifying who I am when I want to buy a different reader and move my treasured book is not OK, and very annoying. It's my book. I bought it, it's mine, don't touch it. Don't look at it. Don't even think about it."
I understand completely where you are coming from there. But as you can see from AM's comments. The current philosophy is moving away from believing the purchaser "OWNS" anything.
We are moving toward licensing. Where everything you "buy" you are just licensing to use or read. Basically renting. This of course allow the actual owners to sell more because your copy can not be recycled or reused.
Great when the item is digital, not so great for your landfill when the item is more solid. I am sure one day I will not buy a spatula, I will license it for use in one kitchen.
Piracy is something small epubs have been dealing with for many years. You do not have to be a Dan Brown to be pirated. You just have to write well, and write something people enjoy reading.
One thing to remember about the core group of pirates is that they're usually tech savvy and can find their way around DRM protection very, very quickly. They're not going to be stopped by it, or even slowed very much.
The idea that some sort of spyware or malware might be attached is one thing that keeps me from downloading software from sites that legitimately offer free downloads. If enough pirated ebooks start showing up with malware attached, it will make the whole thought of free books a lot less attractive. On the other hand, people have to be aware of the danger to avoid it, and there are an awful lot of people out there who are ignorant both of the dangers of malware and viruses, and of the fact that what they're doing is illegal.
The idea that it's no different from borrowing from the library is appalling, but I've heard it a bit lately. Some folks don't see the difference between being given something for free that they can keep, and borrowing an item that they have to return. With the library model, if you like the book, you can always go buy a copy. With the piracy model, you've already got a copy, so there's less incentive to buy. Plus, people who are hard-core pirates wouldn't have bought the book to begin with.
I'm at the point I would consider downloading pirated ebooks! Why? Because newly imposed "geographical restrictions" mean I can no longer as an Australian legitimately purchase any NYT bestseller or any of the other books I want to read:
https://www.ereader.com/help/GeographicRestrictionsFAQ.htm
And when you read “Fewer than ten percent of our titles are restricted in any way”, don’t believe it.
To date I’ve purchased over $2,000 of ebooks, but if the publishers now don’t want my money what am I supposed to do?
anon-
Legal excerpts of THE LOST SYMBOL were not hard to find. Parade had exclusive rights to the first chapter (which I'm sure they paid handsomely for) so you were stealing from both Parade and Dan Brown and the publisher. It's a trifecta!
And piracy affects everyone. All authors are pirated, not just the bestsellers. Just ask Ryan Field, Marilyn Peake, and others here.
And yet, I suspect almost every single person here has watched a clip on youtube that was shown without the musician/film-maker's permission.
not a criminal-
Speaking as an agent, territorial rights are really challenging to keep on top of because publishers may or may not have the rights, and quite honestly, because the UK and Australia are behind the US in terms of e-reader adoption it doesn't create much incentive to resolve those issues when there are so many pressing technological issues in the US to deal with.
But hopefully this all will be resolved before you go rogue.
Nathan, you have to relax on this.
No matter how much you hate it, people will not stop downloading.
Change focus (and business models) or you will be left behind.
Anon12:06,
First of all, anyone who walks into a bookstore and reads an entire book, had already decided to steal the content of that book without paying for it – before – they walked into the bookstore.
She did not technically 'pirate' the book – she stole the content by reading the book in the bookstore without paying for it.
As with everything else, we will stretch 'this access to content thing" all the way to the bank.
The more technology enables authors to protect their content (their stories) from people, who are not paying for it, the more people will either pay for access to the content or refuse to pay for licensed access to the content – and they will not have access to the content – unless they are hackers that continually working to stay ahead of the security technology.
Anon12:40 – all new technology is annoying until the kinks are worked out – and – everyone has adapted to what they are now allowed and not allowed to do with the new technology.
Imagine the poor technology guys – no one is ever happy with them. They are either not protecting the product fast and well enough – or – the users hate adapting to using the technology – has anyone thought about the poor technology guys? Huh, anyone? No?
Yeah, that’s the one thing EVERYONE can agree on – they hate those technology guys.
—
Anyhoo,
I don't want to be a blog-hog, and I've got work to do.
Thanks Nathan. It's always fun to have a forum to talk (a lot) about evolving technology and business.
Anon @ 12:06 PM –
Piracy often goes way beyond the situation you’re talking about. I know an eBook publisher who confronted a woman selling copies of his eBooks on eBay. She was making money on each and every eBook she sold. When the publisher told her to cease and desist because that’s illegal, she became furious, saying that she bought one copy of each title and felt that she had the right to do whatever she wanted with those titles – including selling additional copies! Oy!
sex scenes at starbucks –
Cory Doctorow is in a unique position. A very popular sci fi author, his following most likely includes lots of techie fans who are willing to buy several versions of his books, even if they get a free digital version. For most new authors, they’re lucky if they can give away free copies of their books, never mind sell the same books in additional formats.
In regard to Twitter, Neil Gaiman and his girlfriend have become a kind of Twitter sensation, even inspiring a comic about it. After Neil Gaiman posted Twitter messages asking for increased following, he more than doubled his followers to 1,134,516! I’ve seen new authors make similar requests and get 10 followers! New authors will probably have a harder time than established authors making money in a digital age that doesn’t regulate against piracy.
anon-
Thanks for the advice, but I'll opt for stigmatizing piracy and practicing vigilance.
The business model is changing and I am a part of that transition. Giving away the farm to pirates is not part of the model, or at least not a model that has any hope of succeeding.
"No, if you buy something on Amazon and delete it off your Kindle or lose it they still know that you bought it and can download again."
Unfortunately, this is where you're somewhat wrong. Every book you purchase via Amazon for the Kindle has a limited number of devices that you can download it to. The amount varies for every book. It can be as few as three. So say I download the book to my PC, my iPhone and my iTouch. Then I buy a new PC. I can't download the book again — I have to pay for it again. This is one of the reasons why people hate DRM and want to go with open systems, where this isn't a problem.
As for piracy and books — I don't know if publishers will have to go the full CWF + RTB model (connect with fans + reason to buy) in order to beat out piracy. I can see it working sometimes but listening to music is a different experience than reading a book. I know some authors have started experimenting with it. We'll have to see how it shakes out.
I do think piracy is here to stay. I also think the old publishing model is here to stay. But I think the old publishing model's share of the market is going to shrink, and I think new models will also emerge.
Nathan, if publishers found a way to bind printed works to your eyeballs only, do you think you'd be thinking the same thing about restricted usage policies? The ability to access your data on multiple gadgets is REALLY cool, really, but you don't seem to understand that metadata to ease syncing, and restriction of usage rights are two separate issues.
I'm of the school of thought that there are nothing more than personal ethics. It's not for you, the church, government, or most certianly not major recording labels and publishing houses to define any single person's ethics. I definie my own ethics, regardless of legality.
In my set of ethics, it's okay to steal music from bands selling millions of albums and worth more annually than my entire extended family will be worth over the course of their lives. If I wasn't stealing their music (which I rarely do), I wouldn't be buying it either. I steal indie music to see if I like it. If I do, I pay good money to go to their concerts, and I buy CDs at the show where the artist gets more of the proceeds. I like to put money towards those that need it, rather than an a bloated industry hanging on to the good ol' days.
I BUY books by new and smaller authors even when I have the chance to borrow them. I even make an effort to buy them in hard cover when those first run sales really matter to an author's carreer. I STEAL books from authors like Dan Brown who will sell billions of copies anyways. I also STOLE Pygmy because I read a lot of bad reviews about it, and at $24.95 for something that's what, 245 pages, I don't think Chuck'll notice the difference.
The system is flawed. The vast majority will go on buying their books and doing whatever the multi-billion dollar industries tell them to. A fringe group will vote with their dollars and just not partake in the services, and another fringe group will steal as their own personal form of protest. We're not questioning the legality of what we do, but we're acting in accordance with our own personal ethics.
I love music, but the music industry is an abusive beast that cares little for it's end users beyond the depth of their wallets. I'd happily contribute to its downfall if it means that they'll have to build back up from scratch in a way that works. There's no point in propping up a dying industry that refuses to adapt in a way that benefits everyone involved. Indie authors and musicians will continue to find ways to get their product out there, and the best sellers will continue to sell in the millions.
I'm not arguing right and wrong, but I sleep fine at night with my choices on who I do and do not support financially.
leah-
You can access Kindle books on up to six Kindles. Beyond that you'd have to delete it off of one. This really doesn't seem far off from the intent of sharing for personal use. Would you really have need to share a physical book more than six times before it fell apart?
anonymous internet coward-
Ah, I see, good to know that it's okay to steal from the rich. I'm sure if someone poorer than you broke into your house you'd throw in the candlesticks too.
Anonymous Internet Coward,
Is your bed stolen?
Nathan said: Thanks for the advice, but I'll opt for stigmatizing piracy and practicing vigilance.
The business model is changing and I am a part of that transition. Giving away the farm to pirates is not part of the model, or at least not a model that has any hope of succeeding.
"stigmatizing piracy and practicing vigilance…" Good luck with that, ask the film and music industry how successful that is.
"Giving away the farm…" I don't think the farm is being given away here. Maybe you and I have different needs, you're an agent, I'm just the target audience.
Share-cropping or a reduction in produce price, maybe?
Does an author HAVE to publish their novel as an e-book? I guess this is the new trend, but if it makes it that much easier for their work to be stolen, then why not just stick to the old-fashioned method of paper? If the work is good, it will sell.
anon-
Actually I think we've all come away from the days when piracy (and justifications for it) were mainstream. Studies show that piracy is down – new options for listening to music is a part of it, but I think the idea that piracy = stealing has permeated culture. Like I said, the Internet has grown up a bit. Some people anyway.
Morgan-
People in the publishing industry increasingly think that not making a book available in e-book form results in more piracy than making it readily available.
To add ironic humor to the conversation: the guys who started TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY with free pirate speak advice on their website became so popular, they now have books published by established publishing houses. Avast! Don’t be a bilge rat. Buy the books smartly. Arrrrrrrr…
I think the music industry has succeeded in making me feel guilty about downloading free music. I don't do it anymore–and the file- sharing sites are now loaded with scary-looking files anyway. I hope that's what happens with books.
Nathan, are you saying that if the book is only available as a paper copy, someone will make a digital copy and post it for free on the internet? I'm trying to understand how it could otherwise be pirated…
morgan-
Yeah, exactly. People scan and upload them. On the audio side, for instance, we see a lot more piracy from CDs that have been ripped and uploaded than digital copies that have been purchased legally.