[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Doranna Durgin

Just as a data point, Dennis--and to show the pitfalls of assuming on short data--my Baen webscription books have been consistently and continually pirated, and even though they're finally removed from the Baen site/servers (years past when they were reverted, I might note, including one book that was put up *after* it was long reverted), they still show up. (I think I have several sites to hit with a DMCA even at the moment.)

I never claimed that a single data point was conclusive. It was simply what I encountered in a quick search. The fact that I didn't find anything simply means I didn't find it, not that it didn't exist. What struck was the fact that so many other things, encumbered by DRM, were there, as though those who pirated paid special attention to teh stuff that was encumbered. A single data point is hardly proof of anything. It simply raised interesting questions.

But see my query to you elsewhere about piracy. Do you assume they got pirated because Baen doesn't apply DRM? Do you think if they did, it would have prevented it?

If you do, I strongly feel you're mistaken.

I have never been happy with that program from an author point of view, which is not politic to say, but I think it's important to remember that appearances can be deceiving (hey, it's 5am my time, I'm gonna use cliches and make typos). I'm sure others feel differently, and have their own reasons. Mine are certainly much deeper than DRM issues.

I don't assume Baen's program works for all authors. A good deal depends on exactly what your expectations are going in. Those authors who are still in the program are apparently happy with the results. It worked for them, for a definition of "worked" they found acceptable.

I don't know what your expectations were - only that Baen obviously didn't meet them. It happens.

Just one illustration of how things look unexpectedly different from the other side, sometimes.

Sure. And what your perspective is is critical to how you'll view it.
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Dennis