How To Turn Customers Into Pirates

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Yes, that will happen, at first. But, other authors will be hungry enough for all the readers they can get. Their books will sell and these no ebook authors will start to change there minds.

Also, if the authors are popular enough the publishers can show them that in fact there books are already pirated and out there on the darknet. So, not selling ebooks is just plain stupid decision. They have "made their customers pirates".

BOb

hm, good point. but the problem is, epublishing is really only just now getting started in france ; there are a LOT of ebooks available in english, so that could be a viable solution (if the situation is the same there), but in france the selection is frustratingly REALLY limited (and practically none of the authors i specifically want to read are available so far in ebooks). so, if a lot of authors are digging in their heels against ebooks, that will just delay things even more, and we are already chomping at the bit over here, so to speak. honestly, i would rather we first get them to publish digitally, *then* convince them to drop drm. i just want my books !

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

“There is no future for e-books, because they are not books. E-books smell like burned fuel." -- Ray Bradbury

Yes yes. There no future for cars because there are no horses. There is no future for CDs because they don't produce the rich tones that vinyl records do. There is no use for graphic user interfaces because the command prompt does all your need.

Just another resistant to change curmudgeon that will be proven wrong in the long run.

BOb

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

wow, i'm actually rather shocked that ray bradbury would have that opinion. what a shame. i suppose i expect science fiction authors to be a bit more enlightened and tech-friendly, although that's probably a silly generalisation (and i can think of other cases as well which prove me wrong on that point...).

you may have a point about the a-listers though ; perhaps less well-known authors see it as a chance for increased visibility and are more open to it. it's a rather blinkered viewpoint though. you should write to bradbury and explain to him how it *really* is. (so, are none of his books available as ebooks ? or does he tolerate them, in spite of his prejudice ?)

A few of his books are available, but not the vast majority. I already own nearly everything he's written in both Hardback and paperback and in lieu of his works being available I've turned to the Darknet myself which I was loathe to do. I'm willing to pay, but if the works aren't there, where else do I turn? He really is my touchstone, along with a few others, when it comes to writing and I admire the man and his writing more than any other author I've come across, so I hate the idea that I'm not paying for these e-works (although I haven't downloaded anything I don't already own in a pbook format).

As to the unknown, or as I like to put it, unofficial authors, this is the opportunity we've all been waiting for. We can have control again, full control if we so desire, from beginning to end. We don't have to think of slanting to markets or aiming for some theoretical lowest-common-demoninator. For the first time in a long time we can write for the sheer pleasure and send it out there into the wild-blue and see what happens. We can forge one-on-one relationships with readers, bypassing all the mess of the traditional system.

In my eyes a million unofficial writers making a living from the kindness of strangers is better than one thousand top-tier writers making millions through traditional publishers. That's the future I want to be part of. The future I want to help build.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i would rather we first get them to publish digitally, *then* convince them to drop drm. i just want my books !

I can understand that. It's one of those, once you take that fork in the road, even though most people realize the road is much bumpier very few if any will turn back and take the other path.

Wasn't there something someone said once about the road less traveled? Right now, DRM free ebooks is the road less traveled. (I know, bad metaphor)

BOb

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

A few of his books are available, but not the vast majority. I already own nearly everything he's written in both Hardback and paperback and in lieu of his works being available I've turned to the Darknet myself which I was loathe to do. I'm willing to pay, but if the works aren't there, where else do I turn? He really is my touchstone, along with a few others, when it comes to writing and I admire the man and his writing more than any other author I've come across, so I hate the idea that I'm not paying for these e-works (although I haven't downloaded anything I don't already own in a pbook format).

i think there are a LOT of people in your situation.

As to the unknown, or as I like to put it, unofficial authors, this is the opportunity we've all been waiting for. We can have control again, full control if we so desire, from beginning to end. We don't have to think of slanting to markets or aiming for some theoretical lowest-common-demoninator. For the first time in a long time we can write for the sheer pleasure and send it out there into the wild-blue and see what happens. We can forge one-on-one relationships with readers, bypassing all the mess of the traditional system.

In my eyes a million unofficial writers making a living from the kindness of strangers is better than one thousand top-tier writers making millions through traditional publishers. That's the future I want to be part of. The future I want to help build.

i agree, that future sounds good to me too and i agree that ebooks are going to facilitate it in a huge way.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I can understand that. It's one of those, once you take that fork in the road, even though most people realize the road is much bumpier very few if any will turn back and take the other path.

right, exactly. plus, once the ebooks are out there, they will start to see the benefits, and hopefully realise quickly where their true interest lies.

Wasn't there something someone said once about the road less traveled? Right now, DRM free ebooks is the road less traveled. (I know, bad metaphor)

BOb

i think i see what you mean. maybe we should set up a road block with a detour sign on the road more traveled.

[Phogg]

This Thread brought to you by:

The letter "ARR!" & the letter "AYE!"

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

It's probably the same for a lot of the 'A-List', and I don't think it's necessarily due to an anti-technology bent. These authors have made their money already, they're at the top of the pile from traditional book sales. They probably see e-books as cutting into their sales or being easily pirated and reducing sales.

The thing is most of these 'A-List' authors only stand to gain revenue with commercially available ebooks since pirated scans of their books have existed for years.

[Spacejock]

Don't forget, authors and their publishers may have widely differing views on ebooks. Some authors will be angry their publishers only have DRM-locked ebooks, and some will be angry their publishers don't have stronger DRM. At the end of the day, the publisher is in charge in this situation. Authors can negotiate at contract time, but if the publisher already holds the ebook rights they can present the ebooks in any format they want without referring back to the original author.

[pkovak]

I believe authors who resist ebooks already lost. There is *no* way to protect your book against online piracy. You demand DRM? It gets cracked, and it needs only *one* online source on Earth and everyone with internet - which is practicaly anyone who want ebooks - can read it, if he/she knows the language. OK, so we will forget ebooks at all, there will be no ebooks, demand these authors... we all know what happens every time, someone simply scan the physical book and release it. There is *no* way you can prevent scanning pbooks - it has to be readable, you can't encode it, you can't do anything to prevent people from scanning it. In the end, it only means more money lost, because you don't get any money from "your" ebooks. If you are denying supply, someone will do it, for free. The only thing you get is terrible publicity and "I hate you" mails (or emails, if you evolved enough to have one).
Personaly, I think Rowling is one of the worst examples how authors can behave.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

The thing is most of these 'A-List' authors only stand to gain revenue with commercially available ebooks since pirated scans of their books have existed for years.

it seems obvious to us, but apparently some of them have not figured that out. maybe we should start a chip-in to rent some billboards.

Originally Posted by Spacejock

Don't forget, authors and their publishers may have widely differing views on ebooks. Some authors will be angry their publishers only have DRM-locked ebooks, and some will be angry their publishers don't have stronger DRM. At the end of the day, the publisher is in charge in this situation. Authors can negotiate at contract time, but if the publisher already holds the ebook rights they can present the ebooks in any format they want without referring back to the original author.

hm, that is a good point, although it might not be *quite* so black and white. the other factor of the equation is the big boss head of the whole publishing company ; they are also sometimes in favor of drm and they have the final vote ; even if the individual publishers from the digital division don't want drm, they might get outvoted. that's why it was so interesting to try to think of arguments to give to them, to make them understand.

Originally Posted by pkovak

I believe authors who resist ebooks already lost.

as sad as it is, i think you may be right. hopefully though authors like Rowling will be in the minority and also hopefully as time goes on they will change their minds. after all, they could easily take a look at what is happening with their colleagues who have embraced ebooks and realise that maybe it's a good plan after all.

[ChipnDale]

This reminds me of when I bought a CD, copied it to my computer, we moved and I ended up losing it I didn’t panic since I thought I had a copy on my pc but it turns out that the format that the CD transferred is one that requires the CD to be playable, so I ended up having to re-buy a CD I already bought…nothing but a pain in the caboose!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

ridiculous. how can they think those verification systems are a good idea ????

They are not a good idea. What if your net connection is down or the verification server it not up or working properly? Then the customer cannot use the software that was legitimately purchased. That is why it is a bad idea. What would work is that if the last time the software did a proper verification and it was successful and this time it cannot do one, just go with the results from the last time it verified.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Well I know how my favourite author feels, he's expressed it very clearly.

Quote:
“There is no future for e-books, because they are not books. E-books smell like burned fuel." -- Ray Bradbury


A shame that the author who so lovingly showed me the possibilities of the future would turn out to be such a luddite when it comes to ebooks.

...

I haven't had this good of a laugh in weeks....

The guy who wrote Farenheit 451 about societal bookburning, is sneering at the technology that would make books (e-books) so ubiquitous as to make that future physically impossible....Break out the mechanical e-hounds.....

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

I haven't had this good of a laugh in weeks....

The guy who wrote Farenheit 451 about societal bookburning, is sneering at the technology that would make books (e-books) so ubiquitous as to make that future physically impossible....Break out the mechanical e-hounds.....

It's ridiculous, isn't it? I don't know if it's old-age, or what, but it really sours my impressions of him. I hate that, when you love an authors work and they end up being a complete and utter nutjob