Quote:
Originally Posted by Trenien
Sure, there may be a loss because a number of people who download a book would have otherwise bought it. But on the other hand, there is a gain because some of the people who download it end up buying it (or be the cause for one or more sale), which wouldn't have happened if they hadn't downloaded said book.
If you work from the assumption that the first is true, you then must accept the second is as well. As of now, no serious study has been done as to the impact of either in the book market. There are a few indicators that would tend to show the second is at least somewhat stronger, among which the Baen free library that is mentioned in the article.
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Agreed that both are factors, but IMO it's like advertising. There's no direct link between advertising & increased sales-but there is a statistical link. The offset could go either way, but IMO it should be the author/publisher's choice. Although the pirate's supposedly promote freedom, what they're actually doing is denying the author/publisher freedom.
Since business requires interaction between people, the ethics of business require a wider view than the ethics of individuals. At least that's my opinion. As individuals, you can do whatever you like with your own property-but for business (and therefore society) to continue, you need to respect the rights of others. That, IMO, is what this is all about-respecting the rights of others. You don't need to approve of their actions, but if you deny them the rights to decide their actions for themselves, then you open the door for them to deny you the right to decide your actions for yourself, too.