Comic Book "Pirated" on 4Chan, Author joins discussion... watches sales soar

reader22 · 10-23-2010, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Comic Book 'Pirated' On 4Chan, Author Joins Discussion... Watches Sales Soar
from the connect-with-fans dept

Paul Watson points us to yet another example of how engaging with fans of your work (even if, technically, they infringed on your copyrights) can lead to pretty happy outcomes for everyone. The basic details are that comic book artist Steve Lieber discovered that folks at 4chan had scanned in and uploaded every page of his graphic novel Underground. Now, the typical reaction is to freak out, scream "piracy," whine about "losses" and demand that "something must be done." But, in a world where obscurity is really a much bigger issue than "piracy," another option is to actually engage with those fans who liked his work so much that they put in the effort to share it with the world. And that's exactly what Lieber did. He went to the site and actually started talking about the work with the folks on 4chan

Full article here: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/201...les-soar.shtml

Author's website here: http://www.undergroundthecomic.com/

Apparently the author's etsy site is completely sold out of this particular graphic novel, and they've had to reprint.

btw I did search for this, a few times with different combinations but couldn't find it.

gollu · 10-23-2010, 06:09 PM

That's a very interesting article and it backs the opinion of quite a few people that piracy may be less damaging than anticipated. Hope it works out for the author and he really sees increase in sales over time.

JeremyR · 10-23-2010, 07:59 PM

Well, it's just like that guy say (Cory Doctrow?), the problem most authors have is obscurity, not piracy.

On the flip side, the producers of the really popular stuff (Oprah, Stephen King, etc) are certainly almost only hurt by piracy, since people already know them and feel compelled to read them for some reason (peer pressure?). Then again, I'm not sure this is bad, either. The best thing Stephen King could ever do is to quit writing. Let other people sell some books for a change (not to mention, it's been 30 years since he wrote something worth reading...)

Bikeridr · 10-24-2010, 05:04 AM

Finally! An author who sees things as it works in the real (internet) world.
I downloaded all the .pdf's from their site and also bought the book via Etsy.
I don't know if I like the series or even will read it, but I still bought it, out of sheer support to the author's way of handling the case.

Richey79 · 10-24-2010, 07:13 AM

I think the author in question has the right attitude towards how to generate positive feeling and loyalty in those who purchase their work.

I'm fairly sure that if you purchase some editions of his work (not ridiculously expensive 'deluxe' packages, either), he sends you a hand-drawn sketch with your purchase.

Also, here is his attitude towards those who have sampled his work through non-official channels:

'Also, we’ve heard from a bunch of readers who don’t want another book in the house but still want to kick in a donation. So, here’s a paypal button. The suggested donation is $5.00, but whatever you can afford is fine.'

Some might say that he possesses a talent for promoting his own works that many other authors don't (and shouldn't be expected to have). I think the approach he takes is more attributable to being rational and valuing your customers.

Krystian Galaj · 10-24-2010, 07:51 AM

One of the comments on one of the pages about this event made me change my signature.

HarryT · 10-24-2010, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj

One of the comments on one of the pages about this event made me change my signature.

What does "interwebs" mean?

Bikeridr · 10-24-2010, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

What does "interwebs" mean?

Of what I can gather, it is slang for "internet". Being in the same family as "interwebz", "lolcatz", "warez" and so on and so forth

ardeegee · 10-24-2010, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

What does "interwebs" mean?

Ah, Harry-- you live a sheltered life.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q...iw=800&bih=490

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl...=&oq=&gs_rfai=

murraypaul · 10-25-2010, 04:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bikeridr

Of what I can gather, it is slang for "internet". Being in the same family as "interwebz", "lolcatz", "warez" and so on and so forth

I think it is generally used in an ironic sense, to indicate that the writer is a bit of an old fart and doesn't really understand this newfangled technology.

Richey79 · 10-25-2010, 06:57 AM

Urban Dictionary definition -

Something President Bush hears rumors on. It is suspected that these internets are hidden from the rest of the world, cause we can only find one so far.

"I hear that there are rumors on the...uh...internets..." -Bush

The post originally quoted is implying a looser, more generalised definition, more akin to 'teh interwebz.'

Worldwalker · 10-25-2010, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

What does "interwebs" mean?

It's a misspelling of "intarwebz".

(sorry, I just had to....)

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10-23-2010, 06:09 PM	#2
gollu Unsullied Posts: 249 Karma: 759693 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Israel Device: Kindle 2i	That's a very interesting article and it backs the opinion of quite a few people that piracy may be less damaging than anticipated. Hope it works out for the author and he really sees increase in sales over time.

10-23-2010, 07:59 PM	#3
JeremyR Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 2458402 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: St. Louis Device: Kindle Keyboard, Nook HD+	Well, it's just like that guy say (Cory Doctrow?), the problem most authors have is obscurity, not piracy. On the flip side, the producers of the really popular stuff (Oprah, Stephen King, etc) are certainly almost only hurt by piracy, since people already know them and feel compelled to read them for some reason (peer pressure?). Then again, I'm not sure this is bad, either. The best thing Stephen King could ever do is to quit writing. Let other people sell some books for a change (not to mention, it's been 30 years since he wrote something worth reading...)

10-24-2010, 05:04 AM	#4
Bikeridr Information Acquirer Posts: 436 Karma: 4265156 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Latvia, Rigas Rajons Device: Kindle 3 International, Pocketbook Color	Finally! An author who sees things as it works in the real (internet) world. I downloaded all the .pdf's from their site and also bought the book via Etsy. I don't know if I like the series or even will read it, but I still bought it, out of sheer support to the author's way of handling the case.

10-24-2010, 07:13 AM	#5
Richey79 mrkrgnao Posts: 241 Karma: 237248 Join Date: May 2010 Device: PRS650, K3 Wireless, Galaxy S3, iPad 3.	I think the author in question has the right attitude towards how to generate positive feeling and loyalty in those who purchase their work. I'm fairly sure that if you purchase some editions of his work (not ridiculously expensive 'deluxe' packages, either), he sends you a hand-drawn sketch with your purchase. Also, here is his attitude towards those who have sampled his work through non-official channels: 'Also, we’ve heard from a bunch of readers who don’t want another book in the house but still want to kick in a donation. So, here’s a paypal button. The suggested donation is $5.00, but whatever you can afford is fine.' Some might say that he possesses a talent for promoting his own works that many other authors don't (and shouldn't be expected to have). I think the approach he takes is more attributable to being rational and valuing your customers.

10-24-2010, 07:51 AM	#6
Krystian Galaj Guru Posts: 820 Karma: 11012 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Warsaw, Poland Device: Bookeen Cybook	One of the comments on one of the pages about this event made me change my signature.

10-25-2010, 06:57 AM	#11
Richey79 mrkrgnao Posts: 241 Karma: 237248 Join Date: May 2010 Device: PRS650, K3 Wireless, Galaxy S3, iPad 3.	Urban Dictionary definition - Something President Bush hears rumors on. It is suspected that these internets are hidden from the rest of the world, cause we can only find one so far. "I hear that there are rumors on the...uh...internets..." -Bush The post originally quoted is implying a looser, more generalised definition, more akin to 'teh interwebz.'