Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
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3. You are crazy about the book, but you happen to be perfectly happy with e-book files to read. So, you keep the file without buying a print book... and since you read e-books, you probably know about the Darknet, so you search around and find ilicit copies of all the author's books, thereby collecting everything he's ever written, and not making the author a dime.
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While definitely possible this version assumes that if you read an author's print book, he/she makes money from that. In an era of 1c +3.99 sh used books, libraries and library sales I am not that sure that will be always the case.
I made some statistics for myself as a big book reader - found this site goodreads which allows you lots of customizable stuff to catalogue your books, review them, so finally I have hard numbers for 2008. This year I finished 112 books to date - this does not include ss, magazines, rereads, books started, just books read from end to end and finished in 2008 and new for me. Out of them I read 79 print and 33 e. Of the 79 print books I read, I bought 34 new, 35 used/library and 10 were bought or received as review arcs - 3 eBay, 7 review copies paid in reviews not money.
And overall I bought more print books that I have not got into yet, they are mostly used. I bought 5 new print books in 2008 not fully read yet, though 3 are anthologies and 7 e not fully read, again one anthology
Of the e, I read 2 that are e-only, one bought, one free on author's site - and incidentally the one on author's site Second Body by M. Pavic, made me buy all his English language novels, 3 used, 2 new.
So while abstract pontificating is good, real life patterns are not that simple considering that of the 79 print books finished by me in 2008, only in 34 I paid the authors directly, though it's true than in the library case it can be argued that since I pay property taxes for my library system, a small part goes to the author too directly from me. That's the system and against it you should compare when talking e-book patterns, rather than abstract situations...