DRM, DeDRM, and ebook formats

[Sirtel]

Paying the author directly is fine if you read only a few authors or have favorite authors. I have no favorite authors. I read books by many different authors and buy books from new authors all the time. There are thousands of authors in my calibre library. Searching for ways to pay even a part of them directly would literally take all my free time. So no, I'm not going to do that.

[Uncle Robin]

Searching for ways to pay even a part of them directly would literally take all my free time. So no, I'm not going to do that.

I didn't say anything about searching for ways to pay them directly, and of course no one in this thread has (yet) said that anyone should do so. I simply said that some authors I follow do so (I only know they do because I follow them via email newsletter) and that I hope more authors choose to do the same.

[John F]

Another way to contribute to the author ...

Write the check payable to the author.
Look at the copyright page.
Find the publisher
send the check to address:

<author name>
care of <publisher name>
<publisher address>

[Cactus Chef]

Originally Posted by John F

Another way to contribute to the author ...

Write the check payable to the author.
Look at the copyright page.
Find the publisher
send the check to address:

<author name>
care of <publisher name>
<publisher address>

And we're confident the publisher will pass that on rather than just pocketing it like a greedy owner pockets service tips?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by John F

Another way to contribute to the author ...

Write the check payable to the author.
Look at the copyright page.
Find the publisher
send the check to address:

<author name>
care of <publisher name>
<publisher address>

We don't write checks here. There isn't any way to even obtain a check to write.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by John F

Another way to contribute to the author ...

Write the check payable to the author.
Look at the copyright page.
Find the publisher
send the check to address:

<author name>
care of <publisher name>
<publisher address>

No Checks AKA Cheques here. Can't lodge foreign ones either. You need to use IBAN.

You'd need to write to the Publisher & good luck getting any reply from the big ones.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

I didn't say anything about searching for ways to pay them directly, and of course no one in this thread has (yet) said that anyone should do so. I simply said that some authors I follow do so (I only know they do because I follow them via email newsletter) and that I hope more authors choose to do the same.

My post was not directed specifically at you. It was in reply to several comments mentioning paying authors directly, including yours.

I don't follow any authors. So I'd have to search for a way to pay an author directly, as I have no idea if they're on Patreon, have a webpage and so on.

There are different ways to read. For many people reading seems to be author-centric - they have favorite authors whom they follow and whose books they buy. I select my reading material by genre and subject, not an author. As I said, I don't have favorite authors and I don't follow any single author (as in regularly visiting their webpage, via a newsletter or using social media). So I never buy directly from an author.

[lkmiller]

Easier ways to help authors: Buy the book. Borrow the book. (If borrowing from KU, read with a Kindle device/app that at least ocassionally connects to the internet. If traditionally published, borrow/recommend to your library.) Recommend books to others online and off.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by John F

So, pay the author directly and skip the middlemen.

Originally Posted by John F

Another way to contribute to the author ...

Write the check payable to the author.
Look at the copyright page.
Find the publisher
send the check to address:

<author name>
care of <publisher name>
<publisher address>

Or simply make sure that you are purchasing the books from a legitimate source whether it be the author's own book store or a legitimate book vendor so no need to worry about sending a direct payment to the author. Imagine sending a cheque drawn on a Canadian credit union to an author in Estonia and the kerfuffle that would ensue.

Personally, the last time I wrote a cheque was long enough ago, the cheque had 19 for the first two digits of the year pre-printed.

[John F]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Or simply make sure that you are purchasing the books from a legitimate source whether it be the author's own book store or a legitimate book vendor so no need to worry about sending a direct payment to the author. ...

Sorry, I conflated the above with the following:

I will note that my main reason for not pirating books is simply that I want the authors to keep writing.

With giving money to the author.

I wasn't thinking of the book industry as a whole.

[Loosheesh]

I'm imagining flitting from one author website to another to buy books ... so not appealing. I'm too lazy for all that.

There are only three vendors from which I regularly buy ebooks and those are already more than enough for me. Kobo UK could be a fourth, but I only visit there about once a year (or even every other year) when I come across a 99p book I must have.

[Yapyap]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Imagine sending a cheque drawn on a Canadian credit union to an author in Estonia and the kerfuffle that would ensue.

Yeah, I don’t think the theoretical Estonian author would be happy to get something like that!

Regardless of where the cheque was issued/drawn - there was only one bank left in Estonia that would cash out cheques (for a hefty fee) between 2016 and 2023, and none since 2023. It’s literally impossible to redeem a cheque in Estonia.

So, yeah, I can’t imagine trying to send one to a foreign author either… Much easier to buy and remove DRM if possible; if not possible, eh, at this point in my life I have accumulated far more books than I’ll ever be able to read (and keep buying or borrowing new ones constantly anyway) so I’ll just read something else then.

But all that said, obviously it’d be great if authors could sell directly on their own websites as well as via larger stores. I guess that would mostly apply to self-published authors as mainstream publishers have their own sales pipelines in place (and would certainly want a cut from any sales if they’ve put work into getting a book polished and published), but more options is never a bad thing, and people who do have favourite authors could buy directly, if they wish to cut out the middleman.

[JSWolf]

If you feel you have to pirate the eBook because of DRM, then buy a legal copy even if you cannot remove the DRM so the author gets paid.

Legally that's wrong. Morally, not wrong.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you feel you have to pirate the eBook because of DRM, then buy a legal copy even if you cannot remove the DRM so the author gets paid.

Legally that's wrong. Morally, not wrong.

Yes, exactly.