There's a better way to beat the ebook pirates

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by caleb72

My reference is to companies sticking to older business models in the face of change.

You actually are trying to adapt as you've outlined in a previous post. So you are clearly not to whom I was referring. But people will still pirate your books Steven regardless of what you try to do.

I realize you weren't referring to me. But you're right: I am being stolen from regardless. I made the changes the market demanded, and am still being stolen from.

Originally Posted by caleb72

I still have Verdant Skies on my wish list from some time ago because the book was recommended to me. I haven't purchased it yet for some odd reason - but I definitely intend to.

Tell ya what: Don't bother. There are plenty of pirate sites to download it from... be my guest. You (and everyone else who reads this) have my explicit blessing... go steal my books. I've thrown in the towel, as of today... no more books from me for the foreseeable future. I'm tired of fighting the pirates.

Pirates win.

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

I wonder if people here would be happy to see their own salaries cut dramatically because of "customer demands"? It is always nice to demand that other people should cut back their income.

What makes you think people in other industries aren't in a very similar position? Suppliers of all types are always pressured by the demands of their customers to earn less and deliver more. Publishers are not an exception.

I don't personally suffer the risk of adjusted salary myself, but my company certainly is. And to be the team player that I'm forced to be by the laws that bind me and my company, although I don't risk my salary level within that company I completely sacrifice all notion of job security.

So I know I have to struggle to be the guy my company always wants to keep so that I can continue to pay off my mortgage and buy the ebooks that I like to read. This can involve me delivering more for less. Being paid the same amount of money for more hours, for more pressure. That's life.

My reply would be why the hell shouldn't I make these demands when I know that I myself am subject to the same demands - even if indirectly.

Regards
Caleb

[carld]

Originally Posted by Quexos

I disagree. To steal their work you must claim you wrote their work and cash in whatever money it generates. You don't appropriate their work, you only read it. You can choose not to read it at all too. So am I stealing all the hundreds of thousands of books I decided to never read or buy ?

Also some books I used to buy on print and so already paid money for back then, why should I pay for those twice ?

You're completely wrong, and your argument makes no sense. If you're downloading something you haven't bought then you're stealing the author's work, and all the mealy-mouth hair-splitting in the world wont change that fact.

It's not a difficult concept to grasp.

Edit: That sounds harsher than I meant, my apologies. But, I still don't think your argument holds water at all. Not buying a book isn't even remotely like downloading it off the darknet. I really don't understand why you're even asking the question.

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Tell ya what: Don't bother. There are plenty of pirate sites to download it from... be my guest. You (and everyone else who reads this) have my explicit blessing... go steal my books. I've thrown in the towel, as of today... no more books from me for the foreseeable future. I'm tired of fighting the pirates.

Pirates win.

It sounds like you should stop to be honest if it's effecting you like this. A battle against piracy is a battle you can't win - at least not immediately.

I think you can only get more people to buy your books who are happy to buy books in the first place. I can't see you turning the head of someone who has no intention of buying something he/she can get for free. I've know some of these people and they do things like boast about downloading 1000 books for nothing only to confess that they don't even read books.

I am still happy to purchase your book now as I was when I put your book on my wish list. $2.99 is an extremely reasonable price and the book was recommended. I'm thinking now that I might have been a bit wimpy about the word count. That's quite ridiculous - I think I'll just buy it with my next Smashwords purchase.

EDIT: Oh I'm completely stupid as usual. I just checked and I've already purchased it some time ago.

Regards
Caleb

[queentess]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

I realize you weren't referring to me. But you're right: I am being stolen from regardless. I made the changes the market demanded, and am still being stolen from.

Hint: it's not a hive mind, and not everyone was "demanding" what you did. Besides, doing what's in the best interest of your customers (and hence yourself) doesn't mean everyone is going to buy your book. Sorry.

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Tell ya what: Don't bother. There are plenty of pirate sites to download it from... be my guest. You (and everyone else who reads this) have my explicit blessing... go steal my books. I've thrown in the towel, as of today... no more books from me for the foreseeable future. I'm tired of fighting the pirates.

Pirates win.

Wait... are you an over-dramatic 16 year old girl?

[Ron.]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Tell ya what: Don't bother. There are plenty of pirate sites to download it from... be my guest. You (and everyone else who reads this) have my explicit blessing... go steal my books. I've thrown in the towel, as of today... no more books from me for the foreseeable future. I'm tired of fighting the pirates.

Pirates win.

You can't stop me, I just bought your book from amazon!

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by queentess

Wait... are you an over-dramatic 16 year old girl?

Nope: I'm a 50-year-old man, tired of wasting my time, and you haven't seen drama.

[CommonReader]

Originally Posted by caleb72

What makes you think people in other industries aren't in a very similar position? Suppliers of all types are always pressured by the demands of their customers to earn less and deliver more. Publishers are not an exception.

Do you want to outsource writing and editing to China as well? Let's welcome another industry's drive to the bottom.

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

Do you want to outsource writing and editing to China as well? Let's welcome another industry's drive to the bottom.

It's not welcome - but it's still life. Again, publishing isn't a sacred cow. It would be nice to roll back that tide wouldn't it?

I think editing services are already progressively being exported to India aren't they? Or is that something I misread somewhere.

Regards
Caleb

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Bah.

....

Say whatever you want; people are going to keep stealing ebooks, just because they farking can. And other consumers turn a blind eye, or egg them on, at their discretion.

Yep, like the guy that posted immediately after your quoted post above.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

I wonder if people here would be happy to see their own salaries cut dramatically because of "customer demands"? It is always nice to demand that other people should cut back their income. Book publishing isn't exactly the profession you will enter when you are keen on a high income as it is.
Just yesterday I stumbled in an unrelated forum on an ebook collection for download. Some 2,000 books in Spanish, excellent literary taste. Whatever the technical quality, with one hour download time that is for most people a lifetime's reading for free. No legitimate business model can compete with this and I can understand that the publishing industry is struggling to adapt. The low data volume of ebooks is an additional problem for the industry. Imagine you have an ebook you like with no DRM. Even otherwise law abiding people will probably be happy to just forward that book by email to family and friends.

But I have seen my pay cut dramatically. Have you not been paying attention around you over the last 3-4 years in the US? Since the end of 2006, I have been averaging 1/3 of my previous 10 year salary, with no benefits.

You can download a lifetime's worth of reading from the public domain. And that's after the abusive copyright extensions in the US. As Hemmingway said, "You either do something new, or you're trying to beat dead men at their own game."

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Yep, like the guy that posted immediately after your quoted post above.

Did he? I hadn't noticed.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

....

Tell ya what: Don't bother. There are plenty of pirate sites to download it from... be my guest. You (and everyone else who reads this) have my explicit blessing... go steal my books. I've thrown in the towel, as of today... no more books from me for the foreseeable future. I'm tired of fighting the pirates.

Pirates win.

Oh No!

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Oh No!

Yup. I'm going into home improvement as my new hobby. Gonna learn to drywall. Rebuild a bathroom. Gardening. Something useful.

[queentess]

Originally Posted by Ron.

You can't stop me, I just bought your book from amazon!

Originally Posted by kennyc

Oh No!

Go for it. I won't respond to "buy my book or I'll stop writing" threats. You were on my tbr list. And I still appreciate the way you offer your books.

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Nope: I'm a 50-year-old man, tired of wasting my time, and you haven't seen drama.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that. You're welcome to stop writing whenever you want for whatever reason you want. But there's no reason to toss your hands in the air and publicly announce on a whim that it's because the pirates just won't stop even though you've responded to all their demands.