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Steve, I am a writer. Specifically, and like yourself, I am a science fiction author.
Do I understand the issues you raise? Yes.
Do I want to see more strictly defined and rigidly enforced laws to "protect" our rights? No.
From my perspective it is an excellent time to be a writer. We have the means to produce and distribute works according to our own sense of propriety; we have the opportunity to reach audiences on an unprecedented scale; we have the selection of both format and technology to ensure a diverse readership.
We also face the risk that our work, once circulated, will be further disseminated, without our permission and beyond the scope of our intent... and this is the same risk we have faced since the first literate peasant learned how to operate a quill. People haven't changed that much. Technology has merely altered the speed with which their intentions can be realized.
Charles Dickens, Jules Verne and Samuel Clemens all continue to sell, despite the fact that most of their works are freely available, without copyright, throughout the world. If we also manage to captivate imagination in the same way, ours might do likewise.
- M.
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