Quote:
Originally Posted by ZodWallop
I believe that pirated books are bought by the pirates. They have to get a copy from somewhere, right? They're just shared irresponsibly.
This and competition from other forms of entertainment are what I believe I believe impacts book sales.
I don't think piracy impacts sales as much as publishers say it does. I have several ebook readers in my family and I'm the only one who knows what Calibre is or even knows what different formats are available. The rest use their devices the way the manufacturer hopes; they buy the books from whatever store the device is connected to and read on that device.
|
Can't argue with that or most of what barryem said and shalym etc.
My understanding and belief too, and I would add, that while
I do not condone piracy or defend it, there are however, other factors regularly overlooked when ascertaining the damage piracy causes.
Sharing is no doubt a great promotional tool ... how can it not be. I am sure there would be people, who have read a pirated book, loved it and not only promoted it to others, but gone out and bought that book and others by the same author. How can you possibly factor that scenario into statistics?
Someone can possess a pirated ebook for instance. But does that mean the publisher and author have missed out? Only if that person was ever going to buy it in other circumstances, and won't because they have an illegal copy instead.
Personally, I am against DRM, and feel that people on the whole are worth trusting, and that the few bad eggs should mostly be ignored or pursued on an individual basis.
Books and ebooks have so much competition these days. So how can you even begin to work out the causes for any trends? Just not enough hours in a lifetime to pursue all that is currently available, entertainment wise, and more is continually coming on line.
Many see reading a book, as requiring effort. Often they prefer something that is easier, like a movie or TV series, that gives somewhat the same 'story' entertainment value. I am sure, that some of you at least, are aware that some authors now write in a similar vein to TV plots and pacing, and create shorter stories, in an effort to attract those being lured away from reading. Supposedly attention spans are much lower these days, with many wanting quick gratification.
I buy everything that I know want to have, providing I can afford it, so that I actually own it ... something that is very important to me, even if only conscience wise. I have lots of freebies that I am unsure about, that would probably never be given a chance otherwise. That is the way of the world now, and like DiapDealer has said, has got to be impacting sales. And one cannot ignore price is also a factor, especially for the ebook format. Not by all, but certainly for many.