Thread: Woman Gets Naked In Public To Protest Ebook Pirates (NSFW)

Pirate all the ebooks!



:D

As a published author, I find this whole argument ridiculous. I write for a living (or at least, I did until recently, but that's a whole other topic) and I am not threatened in the slightest by the digital age. I, for one, am not even convinced that her motives were entirely pure -- this smacks of a publicity stunt designed to attract people to her writing. She will likely only benefit from this, but not because pirates will stop downloading. On the contrary, it will draw curiosity and encourage people to her books. If working authors are genuinely losing money due to piracy, then the entire publishing industry really needs to re-evaluate the current model of paying authors a large advance, and then another chunk at publication + royalties from sales and any products that might eventually come because of sales (think Harry Potter action figures, Twilight T-Shirts, etc.). As such, I fail to see how authors are losing money... perhaps a bit on royalties, though I doubt it eclipses the money lost by placing their books in free public libraries.

If there is one thing I do not feel guilty about pirating, it's books. Public libraries are available which renders the argument about lost revenue moot. The written word is the most valuable educational tool we have. Yes, even fiction novels and children's stories. Books are meant to be read, information is meant to be shared. One cannot stop this. I don't think it is wrong for people to download books, especially when they are unable to find the material where they live. And if they ARE able to find it, and those books can be found in a public library to be read for free, then there is absolutely no reason a person can't feel comfortable downloading it from the comfort of their bedroom.

As the digital age expands and progresses, more and more people prefer the ease, convenience, and pro environmental stance of reading on e-readers. However, I don't think hardcover books are ever going away. When I really enjoy a book, I always buy it, and add it to my display bookshelves. I think a lot of people feel this way, at least those who love reading as much as I do. In my experience, when people find an author they like, they are more likely to read more of their work and - if they are impressed enough - eventually purchase it. As a writer, I am thrilled to know people are simply reading my material. As a consumer, I prefer to purchase books that impress me and save my money on those that don't. Honestly, the entertainment industry needs to get with the times, understand the demand for ease and convenience, and develop a pricing model that both pays the entertainer and responds to the needs of the consumers. Complaining about piracy, IMO, is simply executives wanting to take the easy way out, instead of thinking up new and creative ways to satisfy customer demand, while still retaining $$$.

If this means the entertainment industry is not able to maintain making the big bucks, then perhaps they need to re-evaluate how much some things are really worth -- and how much they should be paying the creators for their work. After all, their are far more noble professions make a lot less.... and on that note, I end this post. Otherwise, I'll end up on my soapbox, rambling on and bore you all. LOL.