Quote:
Originally Posted by bjones6416
I can't believe I'm stepping into a DRM discussion, but...
I know a few of those Aunt Mabels who might try to share a book with DRM and not know WHY it doesn't work; just that it doesn't. Unfortunately they are the same ones who might then just google the title, end up on a torrent site, and download it illegally. Because "it must be okay if I can just click on it and get it." Just saying, clueless people are clueless. And that works in both directions.  |
For the most part I agree--only in my cozy groups, most Aunt Mabels know better than to download from strange sites because they have learned the hard way about viruses and are actually paranoid about going to just about any new site. They are also some of the most loyal shoppers I've ever seen. They take great comfort in going to the same sites and buying where they always have (and this holds true for physical sites. My mother still shops at Sears because she has always shopped for certain items at Sears. And in the case of at least one type of item, they haven't carried it in YEARS, but she still looks there for it when she is there.)
To be honest, most of the Aunt Mabels don't even do all that well with side-loading their e-readers. I know this because I've tried to walk them through it with books from Smashwords that were free. They get very impatient quickly and don't want to bother. Some of them will email it to their Kindle address and pay the 15 cents before they will side load. And not all of them are willing/able to do that step either.
And I am NOT in any way putting down this group of lovely ladies. They just do not want to expend the energy. But if someone mails them a file without DRM (they have no idea what DRM is, don't care and don't want to learn) and they know how to email it to their kindle they will not only do so, they will often give the others in the group the kindle email to have the file mailed directly to the kindle. All without questioning whether it is legal or will work.
One of the reasons Kindle is so successful is because it is one click and delivery is there with a minimum of learning. Lending is a slightly different step. Some of the ladies do know how to email files and do so regularly. Only a subset of them will take the time to learn to side-load.
All of this is not to say I am spending my nights worried about a lost sale over DRM one way or the other. It's more to say I have decided there is no real reason NOT to apply it.