Quote:
Originally Posted by Harmon
I've pretty much come to the point where if there's an ebook version I'll buy it, and if there's not, I have no qualms about getting a darknet version. I have no sympathy for authors and publishers who want to restrict publication to analog versions. I'm not going to haul around a two inch thick book when there's an e-version available, and I'm certainly not going to reward people for not selling me what I want, and insisting that it's the two inch thick book, or nothing. They can have their wish - they sell me nothing.
So, do I think I need to jump through hoops to compensate the author? Nope. It's real simple to get me to pay for an ebook - have one available to sell.
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We are actually in agreement there 100%, well almost. For the record I just misread your original post to mean that you had found the book in e-book format on Amazon.
I actually don't encounter that problem often with recent titles but do so all the time with older, but still in copyright, material. It is funny that kildanzig used the expression “catch-22” above because that is a title I would dearly like to see as an e-book. Hint hint, Amazon. I also understand that it's a business decision on the part of Amazon; To obtain Joseph Heller's permission (Amazon can't afford to flout copyright like 'darknet' participants), to pay to have the book scanned, proofed, and formatted as an e-book they have to anticipate that enough e-book copies will be purchased in order to justify it all financially. Unfortunately this analysis must take in to account the fact that there are those out there who think it is there right to obtain if for free once it become available on the 'darknet;' that it can easily be purchased be damned.
Right now I am actually creating an e-book of another such older 'orphan' title. Believe me buy the time I am done accounting for the hours spent in scanning, proofing, and formatting into an epub file I could have purchased well over a hundred e-books at current prices. So I am not doing it for financial purposes. Even this is a gray area to me even though I purchased a used paperback for the scanning – paying a bit extra to get it in large print; really helps with the scanning/OCR don't you know-I don't have permission from the copyright holder. I justify it to myself by the fact that I don't see how I have cost the author any sales or revenue.
I will even admit that having put so much effort into the task that the thought of sharing the result, for free of course, has occurred to me. Oh, my god I can't believe I am even thinking that. I won't though because I do believe in intellectual property rights.