Quote:
Originally Posted by ardeegee
The bulk of authors I read are full-time career scientists who write fiction or non-fiction "on the side" because they want to. They have "day jobs."
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Yes, that is how it is for many authors. And that is what limits the time and effort they can put into their writing. Many works will never get written. And I am sure they would all be very happy if besides the joy of writing they could derive a sizable additional income from it. Anyway, all I am saying that writers deserve to be treated like everyone else. Not to be beggers but to have readers who think their work is worth something. Just like a German writer put it (a very loose translation by me, I just remember the idea behind it, not the exact wording): "I would rather have the confirmation that someone is willing to pay for my work than to live on my readers' or the government's handouts. Give me dignity not your pity." You afford more dignity to the person who clears the empty dishes off your table at a restaurant than to creative people. No matter what someone does, even if the product of his or her work is in digital form, everybody's work deserves the same respect. You want to read it buy it, you think it is not worth the price, just leave it alone.
As far as your Asian movies are concerned, if they are Chinese you won't have to wait too long before a clampdown there. Because in China nobody pays for anything (hey, maybe you should go there -- your dream is already a reality) and it is seriously affecting the development of some major industries and the competitiveness compared to Western and Indian companies who can actually pull in some revenue. China Mobile and others want to start pushing ebooks, so that happy free-for-all may well be about to end. Except for music, of course.