Recently, I was enjoying lunch with an author friend and I was telling her about a Twitter thread I had recently read put up by Maggie Stiefvater. She was talking about how the rampant pirating of e-books had adversely impacted her last series. Side note: I discovered Stiefvater's books when I was a YA librarian and I am a huge fan, but her Twitter thread also interested me as a working author. You can read the entire thread here: Stiefvater on Piracy, but the abridged version is that so many illegal pdfs of her book were downloaded that the publisher slashed her print run and the extras (box set with additional story) were canceled.
Now because it would never occur to me to pirate anything I am probably very naive, but as I told my friend the Twitter thread shocked me. She wasn't surprised. In fact, she has a relative who downloads illegal e-books all the time and happily informed my friend that she should be delighted because her latest book had been downloaded over 10,000 times from her favorite freebie site. My friend was not thrilled and when she explained to her relative that what she was doing was stealing the relative waved her off and said "But it's out there for the taking." This is when I hear my mother's voice in my head saying her tried and true, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." Is there really that much of a moral disconnect happening? Apparently, yes, and judging by the chart below, I'm glad I'm not in the porn or film industry. Sheesh!
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| Read the full article on e-piracy here: Fairer Buchmarkt |
Why is piracy so frustrating for authors? First, pirates are stealing our income. Straight up, if 10,000 pirates jacked my checking account for $2.25 each, I would definitely begin to feel the hurt. Second, they're crushing our careers with what looks like a drop in sales. Publishers are in the book business to make money. Period. If an author's book is pirated a million times, it still reads as no sales (i.e. no money) to the publisher. Third, they're destroying an entire industry as the editors, publicists, marketers, bookstores, cover artists, warehouse workers, truck drivers, etc., all lose out on all of those stolen sales, too.
What can be done? Not much until the technology preventing piracy catches up - and I believe it will. In the meantime, if you see a site offering free downloads, report it to the publisher. Most publishers have staff dedicated to stopping piracy and they'll go after them. Unfortunately, these sites are like poisonous mushrooms and they just springing up in other damp dark places.
So, here's my question to the Reds: Has piracy impacted you or any authors you know? Readers of e-books, have you seen any piracy sites? Do you know people who do this and think it's no big deal?
Lastly, let's all make a pact not to download copyrighted content from sketchy places. Agreed?
I’m so sorry for your friend, Jenn, and all the others who are caught in this piracy mess. It’s so unfair . . . do you suppose folks do it just because they can? [And I hear my mom’s voice saying, “Always do the right thing, even when no one is looking].
ReplyDeleteAs for the piracy sites, I know they exist but I have no idea how one goes about finding one of the sites and I don’t know anyone who does download from these sites. Obviously, though, the folks that put them on the site and the folks who download them don’t think it’s a big deal. I, on the other hand, could never imagine myself ever stealing from a writer . . . .
Your mom and my mom - peas in a pod!
DeleteI heard about how rampant the digital piracy of music affectied musicians and the music industry but I did not realize that authors are also so widely affected by illegal piracy sites, too. I have not heard of any of the ones listed in the article.
ReplyDeleteAs a retiree, I do look for bargains and often download discounted (or free) books from legit sites such as Bookbub.com and Instafreebie.com. How does these affect the authors? Rankings in Amazon?
Bookbub is great! Because it is legit, authors make the same from a sale there that they would regularly. In fact, I have a Bookbub promo coming next week. It’s the sleazy websites you have to look out for - very frustrating. What got me was the average age range of the most common users - old enough to know better!
DeleteGood to know authors make the same sale on Bookbub.com, Jenn! Did not know about any of the sleazy websites...how frustrating!
DeleteI had no idea about this. Having a lot of respect for authors and their work, it would never occur to me to download an illegal copy.
ReplyDeleteTaking note to report to the publisher if I encounter such a situation .
Thank you! I’m sure the pubs will figure out how to catch them - eventually but in the meantime - constant vigilance! LOL.
DeleteOh I see this all the time—I have a notification thing that tells me when my name is mentioned on the internet, and every day there are offers for my books! It’s just like what happened in the music business—and even when publishers send cease and desist letters, it doesn’t matter.
ReplyDeleteAhhhhhh. And some authors say well— the people will love you the book and buy the next one. I disagree.
Xxxxx
Agreed. I don’t like that “but it’s free exposure” nonsense. I don’t need exposure - I need to earn a living. I have to keep King George in cat food and all.
DeleteI know a few people who illegally download music and think nothing of it, as if they are entitled to everything free. I haven't heard of anyone I know doing it with books, but I'm sure there are.
ReplyDeleteI don't read ebooks, so there's nothing to worry about from me on that point.
I pay for my stuff. I don't download music or books illegally or legally. I purchase physical copies of what I want.
Jay - I think it started with music and has gone on the books, films, etc. I know there will always be people who swipe what they want, I was just shocked by how many - Wow!
DeleteJenn,
DeleteMusic is where it went big time, but I think it was first started with bootleg VHS (then DVDS) of movies/TV episodes. It used to be prevalent at comic conventions that you could buy tons of stuff that you'd never be able to find otherwise. The market for that has dried up a little since the advent of EVERYTHING getting released on DVD nowadays but it is still there.
The only time I listen to anything online is when the band releases songs ahead of the actual release of the album. It could be a lyric video or official video that gets released on YouTube. And they sometimes release 2 or 3 of the songs before the physical release. I usually just listen to the first one because I know that if it is a band I like I'm going to be buying and reviewing the album anyway and don't want to spoil myself too much on the material.
My brother on the other hand has downloaded so much stuff that he probably could fund a small nation for what he would've had to pay if he bought it all legally.
Well, it hasn't exactly affected my virtually non-existent writing income, but I admit I've never let my brother forget that when my first ebook came out, he gleefully told me I should be proud it was good enough to show up on Piratebay. And that's where he'd obtained it. I think he still doesn't get that a) every book pops up there and b) "It's only $2.49 and you couldn't BUY it???"
ReplyDeleteBut he is a good brother in every other way.
Yup. That’s the disconnect. And beyond the lost sale, it’s frustrating because it damages an author’s spot in the market when print runs are reduced and extras are canceled. Thus, continues my love hate relationship with the Internet.
DeleteJust googled pirate bay, and evidently using it will expose people to master hackers. Lets the hacking begin I say. Serves them right for stealing in the first place. Pftt
DeleteThis happened to me only a few days ago. My Google alert showed my latest book on a free site. I notified my publisher whose lawyers said they'd take care if it. But well never know how many books we could have sold! Would those same people creep into Safeway and walk out with a steak under their jackets?
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that most people have no clue how authors earn their money, or if they earn money. I've been asked how much I pay to have my books printed.
I have acquaintances who brazenly pirate everything and take delight in telling me about it. I, in turn, take even more delight in telling them they are stealing. Shame it doesn't do any good. And they aren't kids. One is eighty years old and comfortable well off. Another is in her late fifties. Just tight wads with a failed moral compasses.
ReplyDeleteThis inspires me. After I get the post-Thanksgiving turkey in the oven, I'm going to write a op ed about this and post it on Facebook. It isn't just about e books. It is music, films, TV shows, et al. Some people would steal the pennies off a dead man's eyes if they could.
There is a process, legal, for sharing the Amazon library with family, and I do that. Julie, my daughter Melinda, and I share. Tell me hive, is this ok? I see it as passing a print book to a friend, something I used to do all the time. In fact, those went thru more hands than my e books do. But I will stop if you say so. Or at least not widen the nets.
xox and Happy Black Friday!
I think sharing is terrific and I have no problem with that - I’ve found some of my fave authors when someone hands me their copy of a book and tells me to read it. It’s the illegal downloads - which likely wouldn’t be sales anyway - that drive me nuts. Mostly, because it’s just wrong.
DeleteLike Hank, I frequently get alerts about these sites having my books. My publisher says it's like playing wack-a-mole getting rid of them. When they can find them. Oftentimes I'm told the pirate sites don't actually download the books, and even when they do, they have hitchhiker viruses or trojans or other malware with them. Freeloaders beware!
ReplyDeleteWhat was the music site years ago? Napster? The people who downloaded through them (and/or the usually unsuspecting parents) were sued by the artists for royalties. It was a fairly effective strategy, but it was only one site of many. It did prove there was a way to make people accountable, but I wonder at the cost of accountability. Especially in the case of indy authors.
I guess I should have figured out that there were piracy sites and that people actually use them. There are places to go for free books; they are called libraries. But book pirates are probably some of the same people who steal from libraries.
ReplyDeleteI can hear my mom saying "just because everyone else is doing it, it doesn't mean that you should do it, too." And "someone needs to set a good example for everyone else." (As the oldest of five, I heard that one a lot!)
A few years ago I read on line about an author whose entire blog was hijacked, and I was appalled. I didn't know it was happening with books, too. I'll be on the lookout for those sites. Hey, all of us here like detective work: we can work at ferreting out those criminals!
DebRo
Like Hank, I get notifications several times a week about pirated copies of my books available for downloading. I used to send them to my various publishing houses, but I'll admit I've given up doing that. It's infuriating. I guess physical stores have a similar problem with shoplifting (although surely it can't be as easy to shoplift--and you get sent to jail if someone catches you, while if you pirate a book or film, there don't appear to be consequences).
ReplyDeleteAGREED. One of my daughters, a lawyer -- now in cybersecurity but formerly in intellectual property -- is an advocate!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who usually buys a copy of a book even when I receive the ARC, I can't comprehend the mind set that thinks it's okay to access a pirated copy of a book. I didn't realize how bad the problem is. I want the authors I read to make money off of their work, and I hate that they have to deal with people, people who should know better, participating in stealing that work. I sure hope that technology does catch up and finds a way to prevent this thievery.
ReplyDeleteKathy, on occasion I will buy a copy of a book when I receive an ARC, but not always. Since I get them sent to me for review purposes (as many as 4 at a time), that wouldn't be financially possible. But if the book is leaps and bounds better than something I've ever read before, I do buy a "real" copy.
DeleteJay, I usually do it with favorite authors, as I want a hardback or original paperback for them to sign, even if they've signed the ARC.
DeleteI am naive! I knew my books were pirated in other countries, but I had no idea that the pirating of e-books was so rampant here. I can't imagine why people think it's okay to steal books. (Or anything, for that matter.) I do buy books from Bookbub offers, but as Jenn, says, that's perfectly legit. I guess I should set up alerts to check pirate sites for my books, but if even the publishers can't really do anything it seems kind of pointless.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, I hope all those cheapskates get viruses and have to pay big bucks to get their computers cleaned!!!!
This makes me furious! I know how much time you put into your books, and I am willing to pay for it. Plus, as you say, the others in the industry need to make a living, too. Yes, I look for discounts when I can, but I shop at bookstores or on line at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. That's where I get my discounts. I'm not aware of what these pirate sites are, nor do I want to know. I just want them all shut down.
ReplyDelete(Although, really, is there any good kind of piracy? Disney's take on it aside, pirates always robbed and killed.)
Disney’s are the only good kind :)
DeleteCheating is cheating. Don't do it.
ReplyDeleteJenn, thanks so much for writing this! It drives me nuts that people can't understand that although writers love to write, we also need to make a living and have our work valued, just like anyone else.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post, Jenn. Timely and pervasive.
ReplyDeleteNotably, I had read the original Maggie Stiefvater post a couple weeks ago and remember admiring her and her brother’s energy and ingenuity.
Their method is one of the reasons early music sharing sites failed: they became too flooded with songs doctored just like her book was – a legit opening and then repeated choruses. This made piracy a hassle. At the same time, iTunes made buying singles lovely and intuitive and cheap. They found a magic price-point below which pirating music wasn’t worth the trouble. Streaming services like Spotify tagged along, building pretty interfaces and paying musicians, even if the exact royalty models changed. So now, the music industry is in healthy recovery from piracy (though, of course, it still exists) – and all-you-can-stream services are a big reason why.
Piracy is an important topic and one I’ve never taken lightly. I’ve just never thought it worth a mid-list author's time to attend to. It’s a fight for teams of lawyers and a better book delivery industry and proper market pricing to work out. I could picture Amazon creating an army of spambots to flood those sites with bogus books, so that readable copies are just too hard to find. In my crystal ball, this is what actually will happen.
Otherwise, I’m resigned to it, and look to put as much positive spin as can be done. The “kids these days don’t respect private property” rant is, to me, just shaking one’s cane and venting. (Not that we all don’t deserve a good vent from time to time.)
I get it that the harm is real. I get it about morality. I see all the same notices about books showing up on pirate sites, and every time it happens I sigh and wish for better.
And yet for practically everyone on JRW, my ongoing advice is to ignore it and write the next book. Instead or thinking about pirates, care about your true fans – your readers who, when hearing your voice inside their heads say, "She gets me." Then demonstrate that you really do.
For most writers, the enemy remains obscurity, not piracy. Find people who care, and then be remarkable for them.
That is great advice, Glenn! I can’t expend energy on fighting pirates - you’re right about that - I think I am processing my dismay and hoping informed readers will help us out when they stumble upon pirates.
DeleteI haven't, but maybe I'm just not tuned in to that kind of temptation.
ReplyDeleteSome years ago my kids were watching a kids show (animated fiction) that went into the idea of pirated music and showed the local music store going out of business as a result.
We still haven't learned.
Libby Dodd