|
How much does pirating anything really damage the industry, that's what I always wonder...
Not saying that it's okay to pirate anything, but lots of people pirate stuff they would never buy, often because they could not afford to do so.
Even if all of the darknet would suddenly disappear, would the sales really rise that much? People only have that much money to spend... and lots of people would simply stop "collecting" stuff they never read, maybe lend the book they really want to read but can't afford to from the library or a friend, or sell some of their books to get a used copy or trade their books - like they used to do before books where available digitally.
Of course sales might increase... but then again, people who really love an author and want to support them will buy their books anyway, often enough in multiple formats (like signed hardcover to look at, tb to lend to other people, ebook because it's so portable).
I also think that book sale rates are low for the individual author because there are so many books you could read - more than you can afford to buy, much more than you'll have time in your life (lots of them for free legally). And the more people (self)publish their stuff, the less the individual author will be able to sell.
Of course there will always be those who sell lots and lots, like Rowling, but the majority will not sell many books...
|