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Originally Posted by nekokami
With all the discussion we've had on this forum about where the costs of publishing are, there's really no excuse for this. The book stores are taking nearly half the profit (but they're also paying facilities and staff costs). Printing also takes a chunk. The "greedy publisher taking advantage of the poor defenseless writer" is a myth we can lose. Maybe the contracts should be more in the writers' favor, but the imbalance isn't much in favor of publishers, either.
And I personally would much prefer to read fiction that's been attended to by a professional editor.
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So when I'm paying for a book what exactly am I paying for? Manual labor? Useless intermediaries that provide value half the time?
Sure, the publisher might have expenses he needs to cover. However, if I'm going to pay for a piece of creative work, I want to compensate the author, not compensate a system of manual labor and obsolete intermediaries.
If the expenses are high, it's time to adopt new technologies and reduce costs,
rather than trying to maintain the status quo.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by hogleg
It is obvious to me that in spite of all the good discussion I've seen, rational people tend not to steal anyway, and so what's left? Will I try to convince a bunch of thieves they're wrong? Think they'll change their minds? Not when they get some else's work for free.
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If you feel that only the irrational steal then you should be very afraid of where the world is going, at least according to the article. After all, what will you do when all of your customers are irrational thieves?
I believe that at least some (from both sides) have joined this thread in the hope of explaining their views and persuading the other side. However, the majority are here to convince themselves that their beliefs are right or simply to rant.
Also, it's not so much about being free - it's also about being competitive. Pirated copies can be obtained everywhere for free while legal ones can be obtained only through limited retail and have high prices attached. Piracy was created because needs on the market were left unfulfilled.
Arguing about the morality of those who download is fruitless when publishers fail to be competitive.