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pbrayGoogle alerts can be a good thing. It lets me track a press release in the wild, or find out about new reviews of my books.
It can also be a bad thing, when it alerts me of yet another ebook piracy site. I'm not going to give them credibility by posting a link, but here's how they describe themself:
You love books, yet have a low budget and not sure which books to purchase. Why not try reading one or two books of different authors to see if they suit your interest. At my blog, I provide you downloadable full-text ebooks...the cost to you is free
Gee. Thanks. It's one thing to lend a friend a copy of a paperback ("Try this author, I think you'll really like her.") But thinking that you're somehow doing a service by posting ebooks for free on the internet? You've just taken that one sale and turned it into one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand or more free downloads. But that's okay. Everyone knows authors are rich and we don't need the money.
After all, it's not like I have any expenses to cover. I get to try laptops free all the time. Electricity, internet, mortage, groceries, they're all free too. My doctor is happy to give away free hours of his time so patients can try him out, the same goes for the people who change the oil in my car, and the guy who mows my lawn.
Maybe the people doing this don't understand, or they just don't care. Maybe they're blinded by news stories about the advances that luminaries receive and have no concept that the average genre novelist makes less than minimum wage, and that's without any benefits.
Yes I remember what it's like to be poor and not to be able to afford the books you want. I remember days when I would literally skip meals in order to save up the cash to buy a new book, and making do with the limited selection at the library. But back then it never occurred to me to start stealing books to feed my habit, and it wouldn't occur to me now.
And, of course, for every e-piracy site that gets shut down, two more spring up in its place.
Grr. Argh. It's Monday and I see stupid people.
It can also be a bad thing, when it alerts me of yet another ebook piracy site. I'm not going to give them credibility by posting a link, but here's how they describe themself:
You love books, yet have a low budget and not sure which books to purchase. Why not try reading one or two books of different authors to see if they suit your interest. At my blog, I provide you downloadable full-text ebooks...the cost to you is free
Gee. Thanks. It's one thing to lend a friend a copy of a paperback ("Try this author, I think you'll really like her.") But thinking that you're somehow doing a service by posting ebooks for free on the internet? You've just taken that one sale and turned it into one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand or more free downloads. But that's okay. Everyone knows authors are rich and we don't need the money.
After all, it's not like I have any expenses to cover. I get to try laptops free all the time. Electricity, internet, mortage, groceries, they're all free too. My doctor is happy to give away free hours of his time so patients can try him out, the same goes for the people who change the oil in my car, and the guy who mows my lawn.
Maybe the people doing this don't understand, or they just don't care. Maybe they're blinded by news stories about the advances that luminaries receive and have no concept that the average genre novelist makes less than minimum wage, and that's without any benefits.
Yes I remember what it's like to be poor and not to be able to afford the books you want. I remember days when I would literally skip meals in order to save up the cash to buy a new book, and making do with the limited selection at the library. But back then it never occurred to me to start stealing books to feed my habit, and it wouldn't occur to me now.
And, of course, for every e-piracy site that gets shut down, two more spring up in its place.
Grr. Argh. It's Monday and I see stupid people.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-15 05:01 pm (UTC)The problem is, of course, that these sites are constantly springing up, and it's a full time job to keep on top of them. And for ones based on servers outside the US, you need paid legal teams to go after them, something the average author can't afford.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-17 05:16 pm (UTC)You'll probably have better luck with your publishing house behind you, but this is a rampant problem all over the Internet, and no one sees the slightest thing wrong with it. Except us, that is.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-17 07:12 pm (UTC)I did get a response to the DMCA I'd filed saying that the material had been taken down. The blog is now "invited readers only" so I have no way to check to confirm. There's also nothing to prevent the blogger from simply creating a new website elsewhere and reposting the illegal material there, and starting the whole cycle over again.