One author's pledge on DRM

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by HarryT

But the purpose of a doorlock is not to defeat the professional criminal; it's there to tell the honest person "you're not supposed to go through this door".

If that were the case Harry, we wouldn't need dead bolts and modern keys... the old skeleton key lock would be all that we would need.

I have a deadbolt on the doors in my house because I want to protect my wife and child from harm. It might not keep the bad guys out, but it hopefully will slow them up enough to give my wife and child enough time to get out the back door (or the front door if the crook is entering through the side).

DRM is the same. Its purpose is to remind the honest but perhaps misguided user who tries to copy a book for his friends, "sorry, you're not supposed to do that". Obviously it doesn't deter the person who's decided to break the law, any more than a doorlock does.

I'm not defending DRM; just saying why it's there. In an ideal world none of us would need to lock our doors.

The casual book sharer has never been the cause of real harm to authors. On the contrary, they are likely good advertising for other books the author has written. It is the the professional that has always posed the real risk, and they have always been impossible to stop.

--
Bill

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Doranna Durgin

Just as a data point, Dennis--and to show the pitfalls of assuming on short data--my Baen webscription books have been consistently and continually pirated, and even though they're finally removed from the Baen site/servers (years past when they were reverted, I might note, including one book that was put up *after* it was long reverted), they still show up. (I think I have several sites to hit with a DMCA even at the moment.)

I never claimed that a single data point was conclusive. It was simply what I encountered in a quick search. The fact that I didn't find anything simply means I didn't find it, not that it didn't exist. What struck was the fact that so many other things, encumbered by DRM, were there, as though those who pirated paid special attention to teh stuff that was encumbered. A single data point is hardly proof of anything. It simply raised interesting questions.

But see my query to you elsewhere about piracy. Do you assume they got pirated because Baen doesn't apply DRM? Do you think if they did, it would have prevented it?

If you do, I strongly feel you're mistaken.

I have never been happy with that program from an author point of view, which is not politic to say, but I think it's important to remember that appearances can be deceiving (hey, it's 5am my time, I'm gonna use cliches and make typos). I'm sure others feel differently, and have their own reasons. Mine are certainly much deeper than DRM issues.

I don't assume Baen's program works for all authors. A good deal depends on exactly what your expectations are going in. Those authors who are still in the program are apparently happy with the results. It worked for them, for a definition of "worked" they found acceptable.

I don't know what your expectations were - only that Baen obviously didn't meet them. It happens.

Just one illustration of how things look unexpectedly different from the other side, sometimes.

Sure. And what your perspective is is critical to how you'll view it.
______
Dennis

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

But see my query to you elsewhere about piracy. Do you assume they got pirated because Baen doesn't apply DRM? Do you think if they did, it would have prevented it?

If you do, I strongly feel you're mistaken.

I may have missed it. I'm trying to catch up today, but...I'm not sure I can do it...

I can only say that those books have been pirated more freely and repeatedly than my other fantasies (which, in fact, have not been pirated at all so far, although I know it's certainly possible).

I do have other pirated publisher books out with DRM--categories, for instance, seem to be on a target list of some sort, and are pirated as soon as they become available--so I understand that DRM is no absolute deterrent.

I don't know what your expectations were - only that Baen obviously didn't meet them. It happens.

I had no expectations, because I was given no options, no warning, and in fact, had no agreement in place when my first book went up; nor was I told of its existence. So my issues with the program have little to do with what it is now, but with the nature of its genesis and how dismissively my rights were treated along the way, including rights that were repeatedly usurped (even on reverted books).

This, to my mind, is not covered under "it happens."

However, it affects neither party today, nor any of the current authors--except that it reflects a certain consistency of disregard for author rights (although perhaps it's more accurate to say disregard for MY rights, as I have a sample of only myself to base that on)--and certainly none of the readers who are enjoying the program. From a reader point of view, it seems to work really well.

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by MrPLD

Doranna,

Simply put - even with DRM your books will get onto the torrents, it's inevitable.

DRM is a way of ultimately alienating the very people you're trying to draw money from - or worse, peeving them off after they've given you the money.

If you let go of the concern and just focus on writing, publishing and marketing the books you'll find it's one less thing you have to care about.

Paul.

Thanks, Paul.

I think the sooner I get into e-reading, the better. I'll probably smack myself upside the head and go, "D'oh! Of course!"

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Where can one find your eBooks available for sale? I've looked on Webscriptions and they are no longer available there.

The Webscriptions books reverted years ago. 8) I'm in the process of putting those on Kindle and Smashwords, like many of the authors on Backlist Ebooks (where the resource options for my books are also listed). Slow going, because I'm putting so much time into...Backlist Ebooks! (shock!) Right now there are a smattering of short stories (some from the Chicks in Chainmail series, which probably are on Webscriptions also) and the fantasy A Feral Darkness, plus the action-adventure/romance hybrid Hidden Steel. I'll have them all up eventually--mysteries, fantasies, and a couple of romances.

Anything from more recent years--the various tie-ins (Angel, Trek, E:FC, Ghost Whisperer) and the paranormals are all available via their publishers.

Anyway, as of today I have siggie privileges, so I've got a link to my backlist ebooks page there. 8)

(And thank you for asking!)

[geniodiabolico]

So to me, this whole discussion (at least the parts that haven't drifted to DRM) is about what I see as the REAL sea change here - taking the publisher role out from between authors and readers. SF/F/H already has a more permeable membrane than does literary fiction. When Jeffrey essentially makes an offer to honor the sale of his ebooks DESPITE what may happen with any publisher in the future, he is saying "I'm your guy. You care about my work, keep a relationship with me and I will watch out for you."

The whole idea of affordances of e-text or this reader or that reader, DRM or no-DRM - these are all side topics. The real issue is that it is now economically feasible for authors to have direct relationships with readers and fans on a big scale. It doesn't require a big publisher with resources to have a list with contact info for thousands of likely readers. This is huge and I wish more authors would realize how much of their own fate they now hold in their own hands.

This is not a thing to fear, this is a thing to embrace. From what I've heard from author friends and acquaintances over the years, the money couldn't get much worse with the status quo so what do y'all have to lose?

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Doranna, there are two basic issues:

First, does DRM help prevent piracy of your work? ...

DRM is effective at pissing off the customer...

Second, you got pirated. So what?...

______
Dennis

First of all, thanks for all those thoughts. I'm sorry I snipped them down to representative intro words...I didn't know what else to do, there!

Also, I think maybe I should clarify? I'm not all that upset by the piracy. What I'm trying to figure out is some of what you talked about...ie, the "so what"? of it all. So I'm not wearing my outraged author hat. (What I think of the sites who support piracy while earning advertising bucks is something else again...)

I do think that the ignorance factor is much scarier than the pirating issue, and it's the argument for DRM that gets most of my attention (while not disputing what I've heard here about irritating and inconveniencing the educated reader).

[MrPLD]

There are still areas where a publisher is still very much a needed thing, depending on your own skill/time limits;

* Editing, formatting
* Marketing
* Physical book distribution to stores on a larger scale (unless you've got a lot of $ to carry the inventory yourself).

For eBooks at least you can drop the latter - though the first two items still are very important.

Publisher's are at least now an optional choice but I do not see them going out of business any time soon.

Paul.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by Doranna Durgin

First of all, thanks for all those thoughts. I'm sorry I snipped them down to representative intro words...I didn't know what else to do, there!

Also, I think maybe I should clarify? I'm not all that upset by the piracy. What I'm trying to figure out is some of what you talked about...ie, the "so what"? of it all. So I'm not wearing my outraged author hat. (What I think of the sites who support piracy while earning advertising bucks is something else again...)

I do think that the ignorance factor is much scarier than the pirating issue, and it's the argument for DRM that gets most of my attention (while not disputing what I've heard here about irritating and inconveniencing the educated reader).

I've bought books with DRM, and without DRM - I prefer without DRM because I read on more than one device and they don't both support the same DRM. It's a pain, and so I avoid DRM whenever possible.

As for the ignorance factor - you said your Baen fantasies have been pirated more than your other fantasies: Speaking for myself I didn't know you'd written any other fantasies. (I can't speak to things like your Buffy novels, as I don't read TV tie-ins for shows I don't watch.)

[Doranna Durgin]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

As for the ignorance factor - you said your Baen fantasies have been pirated more than your other fantasies: Speaking for myself I didn't know you'd written any other fantasies. (I can't speak to things like your Buffy novels, as I don't read TV tie-ins for shows I don't watch.)

What I said was that my Baen fantasies in the Webscriptions program have been pirated more than my Baen fantasies that weren't in the program. 8) I think at least half of my books with them were released before the program started.

The other fantasies are in the paranormal side of the force, and much more recent (Nocturnes, Tor Paranormal). Not strictly SF/F. (Me, I read across so many genres that it gets hard to keep track...)

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I tend to see the impulse to apply DRM as directly related to the perception of the market on the part of the imposer.

"I'm not OK, they're not OK"
"I'm OK, they're not OK"
"I'm OK, they might be OK..."

As long as we're carving up varieties, you can add:

"I'm OK, but there's at least ONE GUY out there who's not"

As it has been pointed out, all it takes is one guy to put a book on a torrent site or email it to a million of his closest friends, and damage is done. Multiply by more guys, and you get correspondingly more damage. I'd assume a lot of DRM users think of it that way.

[EowynCarter]

I really don't expect the vast majority of Kindle owners to suddenly decide that they want a Sony Reader. Why should they?

The majority will go for the familiar. But what if someone with a kindle decide that he don't like it, and want a sony. Or someone with a sony decides he wants a kindle after all. Readers changes, taste changes, needs changes. What was the best choice one moment might not be the best choice later.

Should what you postulate happen, I agree it's a problem. But how likely is it to happen? How big a problem is it?

It's a question a fair choice. Right now I use a bookeen reader. When I get the next I expect to be able able to chose any brand I wish.
People need to be able to come and go as they wish, or there is no competition. And no competition = BIG problem. Your choices shouldn't be binding.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Technology to make drm gets better, but so the does technology to crack drm.

DRM is not really cracked by technology, it's bypassed. This isn't a technology problem. The fundamental concept of DRM just doesn't work.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Its purpose is to remind the honest but perhaps misguided user who tries to copy a book for his friends, "sorry, you're not supposed to do that".

That may be your opinion on it's purpose, but that doesn't seem to be the industries opinion.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

That may be your opinion on it's purpose, but that doesn't seem to be the industries opinion.

What is the industry's opinion, do you think?