Yeah, I Get It
November 17, 2009
I've seen many conversations the past month or so about epiracy. eBook readers feeling like publishers make reading ebooks legitimately hard on them and upset by resentful authors ranting about piracy, people claiming that they're turned off of buying an author's work when they hear about them being vocal about the issue.
(First, to preface this, I'm very opposed to DRM because I think it punishes legit people--I've had the same thing happen to me over games I've purchased. Just wanted to make that clear.)
So, here's the thing. e-pirates aren't going to quit. We can't stop them. They're entitled douche bags, etc, and that can't be cured. Most wouldn't purchase copies anyways, so it's not like sales are lost. Yeah, I get it. So why bother arguing? Why bother getting the files taken down?
Because it's wrong.
I'm sorry, but it's that simple. It's wrong.
Uploading my book that my publisher has the exclusive print rights to, to a file sharing site, without my consent, allowing hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of people to take copies...is wrong.
It's wrong no matter what way you slice it. It's illegal, immoral, and altogether a fucking douchey thing to do.
When I find out about my work being pirated, and I go through the steps to have the link removed, and I leave a message for the people who uploaded/requested the book, do I know it's not going to make a difference? Of course. So why do I do it?
Because it's wrong.
I will not stand by meekly while the hard work of me, my editors, my cover artists, and others, is passed around freely by a bunch of douche bags. As artists, we writers are encouraged to never speak up, never value our work, just be grateful people are paying attention to us and not rock the boat.
Well, fuck that.
Here's the thing: working in the arts is a job. It's a tough one and it's not for everyone. It's hard to survive. But those of us who have made it far enough to see our work published--providing entertainment, escape, information, and catharsis for thousands of people--have every right to demand that those same people PAY US for what we're giving them. I have this radical notion that if people don't want to pay for a book, they simply not read it rather than steal.
Now, if I've just insulted potential readers and turned them off of my work...well, what kind of person gets turned off by someone pointing out that epiracy is wrong?
I do not think that all readers are pirates. I do not think that all EBOOK readers are pirates.*
I'm not opposed to sharing a book. I encourage people to lend copies of my work to their friends. When we bitch about piracy (or at least when I do), I'm not complaining about the people who share paperbacks (or, hell, even the odd ebook*) with a couple of close friends.
But ebook piracy isn't like "lending a paperback to a few friends." It would be like making thousands of copies of that paperback and giving it to everyone who asks for it, along with the ability for each of those people to make thousands of copies.
Everyone talks about the importance, as writers, of just having our work being read. I admit, that's pretty nice. Know what else is nice?
Groceries.
Rent being paying paid.
Internet access to ensure I'm able to work.
Medication.
If you (I'm speaking to pirates now) WANT quality books to read, you need to pay for them. Otherwise the writers, editors, artists, marketing people, and everyone else won't be able to spend all of their time producing books. Get it?
All pirates are readers. Not all readers are pirates. When I, and others, bitch about pirates, we are not bitching about you, gentle reader who gets things legally. We love you. We want to possibly marry you and have your awesome, law-abiding babies. We thank you honestly, truly, from the bottom of our hearts every time you buy our books, recommend us to friends, talk about our work, send us fan mail, and are touched by our words. We dream of cloning you and building an army. Or at least I do.
But I won't pretend to be blind to piracy because I'm afraid of turning off legit readers. I may make myself seem negative or unapproachable, but you know, that's okay. Because epiracy is wrong and I won't stop saying that.
For more wonderfully eloquent, thoughtful, and true writing about epiracy, please visit Shiloh Walker's site, Patricia Briggs' site, reviewer Bitten By Books, Dina James, Jeaniene Frost at the Deadline Dames, Stacia Kane on copyright, or read this great post by Lilith Saintcrow talking about artists getting paid for their work. And while you're reading, here's one author whose popular series was cancelled due to piracy (it seems), and, oh yeah, I cancelled one of my own series for the very same reason.
And also, Jesus may love you pirates, but J.A. Saare thinks you're a cunt--and so do I.
(I've added some links as I notice pirates are hitting this page and actually pausing long enough to read and click over.)
--------------------------------------
*Keep in mind, though, that while not all ebook readers are pirates, someone, somewhere along the line, IS. The copy of one of my books that I find uploaded the most is from Fictionwise. Not a review copy. Not a contest prize. A copy that someone definitely purchased. So either at least one person who bought it decided to upload it illegally, or he/she sent it to a friend, who uploaded it illegally. And that's why I think people should be careful who they share their ebooks with. I trust you, but I don't necessarily trust your friends (or your friends' friends).
A few final notes:
I just want to try out an author! Then don't pirate me--I have four novels entirely available for free on my site--click the "serials" link above.
I don't want to pay for a book if I don't know if I'll like it! There are excerpts for my books. There are reviews for my books. The ebooks cost only $5 a piece. Get a better excuse.
I already bought an iPad/Nook/Kindle/etc and it was really expensive. I can't afford books. Well then, buy a cheaper ereader and buy your books. *I* can't even afford a damn iPad. I have a Kindle because someone gave me one. Content creators don't get a cut of iPad sales--you're STILL hurting the little guy. Fuckwit.
Illegally copying an ebook file is like borrowing from the library. No, it's not. Libraries buy copies. In Canada and in the UK, we have thing called public lending rights. That means once a year we get a little money depending on how many of our books are in various libraries. Illegally copying my ebook? That screws over the writer.
I can't buy the books in my country! Uh, actually, yeah, you probably CAN buy all my books in your country--there are no geographical restrictions. And if there are? Well, I love Chinese romantic comedies. I have trouble getting them here. So I save up my pennies and carefully buy DVDs I'm sure I'll like. That's just how things work.
You can't stop free/the internet/blahdiblah/the revolution! You aren't hurting big publishing companies by stealing; you're hurting the little guy. You can tell yourself lies about how it doesn't harm anyone--whatever lets you sleep at night--but it doesn't make it any more true.
Comments
#1 Go Skyla go!
So many people think if they see it online it is okay to copy it and repost it. Many freelance writers I know have this problem continuously. We write articles and get paid for every person who clicks on the article to read it. But someone will copy the article and post it and it takes money out of the writer's pocket.
Some people do it out of ignorance. But some, like the pirates you mention- do it knowing they are wrong.
I wonder how many people copy pirated books not realizing they are stealing them? Probably as many as copy articles.
If only we could find a way to create a virus that causes these pirates' genitals to fall off when they upload our work. Hmmm, I wonder if the IT department could help me with that?
#2 My birthday wishlist included
My birthday wishlist included my desire to have e-pirates get syphilis.
I think plenty realize it's theft. They just think they're entitled to steal, basically. For example, I had my pirated work taken down from some sites--if you click the link now, it says that the file was taken down due to a copyright claim by Mundania Press. Links to that file had been posted on file-sharing sites. What did people do? Ask for it to be re-uploaded. So they went to the link, saw it was removed because it infringed on copyright, and STILL asked for it. These people know it's wrong. They're just fucking douche bags.
IMO, a big problem is that people don't see content as having value. They understand a book costs a certain amount because the paper and ink cost a certain amount. But an ebook is just a digital file, therefore people have trouble grasping why we attach value to it. And I haven't a clue how that problem can ever be solved because it's everywhere. We value material objects, but not less tangible things, like the time spent creating something. (For a tangential example...look at clothing. People bitch that a t-shirt costs $20 when the material is only worth $1, forgetting that a) someone had to make it (or operate the machines), b) someone had to drive it to the store, c) someone had to work at the store to sell it, d) the manufacturing plant, warehouses, transport vehicles, and store all need electricity, taxes to be paid, etc. I think everyone, at some point, forgets about all those things and just attaches value strictly to a tangible product rather than everything that went into producing and delivering it.)
The other ridiculous thing is that it'll be ME who gets banned from the places where I drop messages to pirates and ask who the hell they think they are. Not the pirates. Alessia Brio had an experience a few months ago where she caught people on a pirate forum asking for illegal copies of a CHARITY anthology that she edited. She posted a comment about how douchey they were for trying to steal from charity--she was called rude and her comments were deleted. People seem to be seriously screwed up these days.
#3 It IS Wrong
Hey Skyla,
First, allow me to say, well done. You nailed it. It is wrong, on so many levels.
I'm new to the writing circuit, yet, 3 of my 4 stories are on a well known piracy site. Even better? My release due in August of 2010 is already on request. Can I do anything to stop it? No. I learned this after repeated requests to remove my material (and I followed their sham of a takedown policy to a T). So what did I do? I got an account at said site, contacted those sharing my work, and spread the love they deserved. Did that do any good? Well, it depends. Do you consider getting slapped with the banstick forward progress?
I don't think people realize how frustrating this is. Writing isn't easy and requires more time and energy than I'd care to admit. You have edits, revisions, deadlines...hell, you know what I'm talking about! As it stands, I can barely muster the willpower to write anymore. A couple of pokes from my editor has gotten me to stop being lazy, but sadly, a portion of my brain thinks, "What's the point?"
All My Best!
Jaime
#4 EXACTLY. I mean, besides the
EXACTLY. I mean, besides the fact that it's fucking wrong in the first place...every single time someone hits my site looking for a torrent of my work, I see that in my site stats. Every time someone posts a request, I get a google alert. And it's not just one or two people--after my last release, throughout August and September I had a different person at least every other day hitting my site, looking for an illegal download.
And it sucks all enthusiasm for writing out the window.
I have to work all day, so I take advantage of my limited time at night and on weekends to write. But every time one of those illegal download requests or posts go up, I can't work that night. I try, really hard, but I can't. These people don't seem to realize that piracy means fewer books for them in many ways--loss of sales and loss of income, loss of writing time...
But I still spend that time harassing pirates. I figure if I'm not writing anyways, I might as well make myself useful.
You'll always get banned when you leave comments on threads at pirate sites. What you don't usually get banned for, however, is private messages. Why? I honestly think the pirates get embarrassed at being found out.
Some forums require a post count before you can PM people, but others don't. And many file hosting sites allow you to register and send PMs there too (4shared.com for example). I have the same notice I send people--thanking them for their interest in my work, but encouraging them to purchase it legally, then I point out I'm small press and am low income to begin with. Once in awhile I get an apology. Often I get ignored. But, you know, there was one girl who had posted River all over and was quite an active pirate. After I called her on it and she failed to defend her actions, she stopped posting all together. I don't know if she's picked up a new user name or what, but if she has, she hasn't posted my work again.
I honestly think e-pirates believe we don't know. All of these "Underground" file sharing sites are all public and indexed by google--duh, people! Also, when I've been banned, I just use a proxy to view the site and re-register. Really, I figure that if I'm losing the writing time anyways, I might as well have some fun.
If you want a good takedown letter to use, check out this one from Scribd: http://support.scribd.com/forums/33563/entries/22980 Scribd is actually really good about taking down pirated works (though not so great at banning the users who pirated) and I use that letter no matter what file hosting site I'm yelling at.
#5 Me Again
Thanks for the template, it will definitely come in handy. Like you, I check the places and turn to the file sharing sites to request immediate deletion. You'd think they'd get hip to the repeat offenders, but they don’t. It's always more of the same. What I love is how long some of them take to remove your stuff. I've watched that little "Times Downloaded" clock go up, and up, and up...
Sadly, this does impact writers. Learning your work is available for free suffocates and destroys creativity like a massive brain-fart. There is nothing as bad as those that continue doing it even if they know better. Seriously, why should we continue writing? For their enjoyment? Fuck that. It's like I said in a blog directed to them when I learned my release was on the “request” docket before it was even available for purchase -- Jesus loves you, but I think you're a c*nt.
One thing I love is the people that do the "re-up" requests are always the same folks. It makes me want to put a fuck you shout-out to them in my next release. You know, something along the lines of, “I’d like to dedicate this last hurrah to you cheap fuckers that are determined to make FictionPress the next B&N."
Jaime
#6 Oooh, do you have a link to
Oooh, do you have a link to your blog on the subject? I'll add it to the other links at the end of the entry. :-)
Why keep writing and publishing? Honestly, I've struggled with that a lot lately. Hit quite a few low points wondering why the hell I bother. Piracy of my work even worse lately, some rather insulting "fan mail", and lots of other stuff.
But every so often, I run into some genuinely wonderful people. I have a handful of readers for my serials (now that I've closed off the community to just a few--it used to be a freebie, but I had a meltdown in August when I got sick of everyone taking, but offering nothing in return) who are just so wonderful. Hell, even if I had just a half dozen of them, I'd keep the serials going because those readers are so great.
Tangentially related, with that formerly free serial, I went to a lot of trouble in August explaining why I was choosing to limit the readership of future chapters. I said that if they wanted to read more, they could donate, post reviews, etc--just give back in some way. And boom, the next day, I got tons of people hitting the last chapter, reading my announcement, then hitting the site and forum looking for free downloads of the future chapters. That's what irks me more than anything--it's one thing when you've got these clueless fuckers, often kids, who probably just can't wrap their heads around why it's such a big deal, and don't get the whole loss of income thing. But for people to actually read WHY they can't have something for free anymore--in which I pour my heart out and try to share my perspective--and STILL try to find a way to go against my wishes...that's fucking ridiculous.
Honestly, if I could hunt down every e-pirate and walk into wherever they work and just start stealing shit, I would. They still wouldn't get it, but...hey, it would be fun. ;-)
#7 Sure thing..
Hey Skyla,
Here's the link. I should say this -- I started out constructive but went apebitch when I saw my story being requested before release.
http://jasaare.blogspot.com/2009/11/why-piracy-sucks.html
I'm not a "big" author. But damn it I worked, put the time in, got contracted, and was issued a ISBN and copyright for a reason.
I also understand the feedback/returning the favor thing. If someone wants to read the stuff you offer, they should comply with your wishes in order to do so. Sadly, we live in a world of Veruca Salt wannabes who are taught they should get anything and everything they want from infancy. Everyone expects something for nothing, and not only that, but they expect you to suck it up if it affects you adversely in the process. The entire "Who cares about Jane Blow over there, so long as I'm happy" bullshit makes me physically ill.
I actually stopped by your blog because of River. It was on my TBR list and it's time to hit up Amazon. I see Wolfe is out as well, so I'll mark that one on my calendar too. Unlike cheap-ass anon uploader over there, I respect the time you put into your work. I can't tell you how many nights I've busted my balls to finish a chapter. Shit like that doesn't deserve to go unrewarded.
Jaime
#8 Okay, literally, fifteen
Okay, literally, fifteen minutes ago, someone was reading the serial which is now not-free, went to the page where I explained that, then came right back looking for a "children of the apocalypse torrent". To anyone who hits this blog entry looking for that: screw off. If you don't want to pay to read the rest, then guess what: YOU DON'T GET TO READ THE REST! No one is forcing you. Either go attempt to steal from someone else, or grow up and stop being a douche. Did you maybe miss the part where I said I live below the poverty level? Or how all donations are going towards a vet trip for my dog who has a tumour on her chest?
I have over four full length, complete novels available for free download. FOUR! I'm not being unreasonable.
M'kay. Done ranting now. ;-)
I totally hear you. I'm not a big author either. The average author isn't Stephen King (not that piracy is any more legal in those instances). It's debut, midlist, and e/small press authors who get hit the hardest because every sale DOES, literally, count. If our sales are down because of illegal downloading, our publishers are unlikely to put out future books. Why would they if the books aren't making money and they're not seeing a return on their investments?
I just checked you out on Astatalk (not to illegally download, just to see the thread--I'm a member there so that I can, eer, encourage people to stop trying to download my work). I can't believe the fucking people on that thread asking for re-uploads and wondering if they're doing something wrong (uh, yes, but not in the way you're thinking, morons). Good for you for fighting the good fight and getting things taken down all those times. I hope you PM every single person on the list and ask them why they think they have the right to obtain your work, or share it, illegally.
#9 Ugghhh
You tell someone you want to be compensated for your work, and they go torrent hopping. WTF! I don't blame you for losing your cool. Go off on the bastards. I'll pull up a chair, sip on some cola, and watch.
The Astatalk site is the one I'm currently at war with. I lost my cool and went off on several uploaders and downloaders of my work. Then I went from story to story (that I've read) commenting on how great it was and where I PURCHASED them LEGALLY. I was even nice enough to provide them with links to the presses.
I was banned within hours.
You have to laugh at the idiocy. "It's still not working, am I doing something wrong?" Do you really want me to answer that question? There is also another comment, "Thank you for this exquisite share" by cock-whore Yuzai that I contacted and thanked for stealing from my kids Christmas this year and asked if she was really so desperate she had to steal versus purchasing a story that costs two and a half dollars. Instead of responding, she chose to make that remark. Talk about a burr in your ass.
Thanks for allowing me to vent on your blog. It's nice to meet someone that understands. A majority of those I work with tell me to shrug it off and move on, but I've never been the type of person to bite my tongue or kiss someone's ass. I'm not hardwired to be a floor mat.
Keep up the good fight, and so will I. It won't be long until all my work is available there. The cheap fuckers. I look forward to future blogs on this. Maybe you can share some of the idiotic responses you get.
Jaime
#10 One of the things that
One of the things that prompted me to post this--besides running into my work pirated lately--was a discussion on a reader blog complaining about feeling persecuted by authors bitching about pirates when she hadn`t done any pirating, and insisted that we should stop whining 'cause it won't do any good. Well, you know, fuck that shit. I think that until someone is struggling to buy groceries, living in a shitty apt, and then sees their work being passed around illegally, they can STFU about it. I mean, I don't even have basic CABLE. That's how little I can afford luxuries. (And when I want to watch a show, I watch it LEGALLY the day after when it airs online.) And if my anti-piracy position offends people, they can bite me.
There's a lot of crossover between the Astatalk community and another forum in terms of membership, so if you aren't keeping an eye on that one, you'll want to. They're the ones who banned me after I commented. You have to have two posts to PM anyone, but I re-registered so I could keep an eye on any links posted and have my stuff taken down again. (And the proxy to use is http://browser9.com/ --my IP address was banned so I could only create a new account using a proxy.)
Although, I gotta say, it's fucking awesome that you went around posting links to where they could buy books legally. That's so worth the banning.
Okay, and the other thing I don't understand about people...why does no one just go to the fucking library? When I was a kid and my mum couldn't afford to keep me in books, she sent me to the library. If you request something, the library can order it. Libraries are even carrying ebooks in some cases. AND, in Canada, no only does that mean a copy of the book was purchased and royalties went to me, but I also have something awesome called public lending rights, so if copies are in lots of libraries, I can be sent money.
Fucking douche bags. I might start sending them screenshots of my bank statement. "Congratulations--I can't afford my internet bill this month!"
It was lovely to meet you as well. Vent away any time. I encouraging ranting--I think it's healthier than bottling it up. ;-) Are you on Twitter?
#11 I am on Twitter but have
I am on Twitter but have neglected it recently, it's JaSaare ;) I'm sorry, I'm an internet idiot, so I don't know the links or how to connect. I'll do a search now and add you.
Thanks for the heads up about Underground. I had no idea just how much piracy sites have evolved. Seriously, zero fucking clue here. When I was first told about my story, I assumed contacting Asta was enough to get it taken down. Then, I learned -- okay, I'm not going to out my misguided relative, as she is on the road to recovery and was kind enough to share the proper way to contact the filehandling sites to have the links removed. It was astounded. Have you had any of your stuff hosted on multiupload? Not only do I have to contact them, but I have to contact each individual place they have that hosts the file for them (eight places!). Fun stuff, I tell you.
Sadly, it's become a job. When I'm not caring for my children, I'm emailing a form letter out to various places. Even if I wanted to write, there is no time to. At least I've found a great person that will bitch about it with. *grin*
Jaime
#12 I loves me some Twitter. And
I loves me some Twitter. And I tend to announce whenever I'm harassing pirates. Since I'm on staff now at Mundania as well, I get the dubious honour of sending take down notices to those who pirate any of our books. Some days if I run out of my stuff, I go after others and send notes like, "I'm really glad that you're interested in ___'s work, however as her editor and friend, it bothers me that you're attempting to illegally obtain a copy."
Scribd is about the only site that takes piracy really seriously, or so I've found. They WANT to be known as legal and legit. If you report something, they take a "finger print" of the book and compare uploads to it. If a significant portion of the text matches, the upload won't go through. What would be REALLY nice, though, is if they banned repeat offenders and blocked their IP addresses. Clearly that won't happen, though. The rest of them comply because they're required to, but they wouldn't have much of a purpose if people weren't using them for illegal activities.
I haven't had to deal yet with multiupload but I'll keep an eye on it. God, it's such a fucking pain in the ass. Seriously, I hope all epirates die of syphilis.
You can bitch to me any time! 'Cause I totally get it and it enrages me too, and it's frustrating when no one else seems to care.
#13 Oh, and to add...
And I wanted to say this as well -- some people don't get that it's stealing, they just don't. Unless you're a big-dog on the NYT list, you're a hobbyist.
A relative was the reason I learned about Asta (and my work being offered there, first it was Plunder). It took a nasty argument to open her eyes to the fact she was, in fact, stealing. I get that it's a "file" like music, but the two are vastly different. I have to say, if it took as much convincing as it did with her (she was in my home, on my laptop, using my internet when she discovered A Kiss Before Dying on Asta, which is totally fucked up! Not to mention, she acted as if I should have been happy that people liked me enough to load up my shit! Like I'd won some prize or something...) I don't think there is much hope for the trolls on Asta. Telling me, "You'll make fans sharing your short stories for free. So if you ever make it big, they'll buy" WTF?
The truth is, we're not a person, we're a name. Until you can look the offender in the eye and plead your case, it won't compute.
I'm not going to sit here and lie. I'm no saint. I remember loving Napster back in my college days (I'm not going to say how long ago that was, because it will mean confessing I'm past the antique stage, but it was before iTunes was around) until Lars stood up and said enough was enough and explained why it was wrong. I can't even imagine what I'd have done if an artist emailed me personally about it. Maybe it's karma biting me in the ass. If so, I can only hope she'll ease up and allow me to take it as a painful lesson learned. I might be a douche for doing it, but at least I'm a reformed douche.
I get that the economy is tight, and so is money. People want to read, but simply can't afford it. Well, you know what? There are tons of books I've had on my TBR that will continue to wait until they hit the sales rack or Amazon offers them at a discount. People that download files are not the only people that enjoy reading, so do writers. I said that little piece about reviewing books because that is what I do to read material for free. Usually, you get a say in what you get, so it's a win-win situation.
Sorry, I kind of went off there. ;) Enjoy your weekend!
Jaime
#14 Tell your relative that it
Tell your relative that it doesn't necessarily work that way. I have VERY LITTLE crossover between my freebies and my commercial stuff. Some, yes. But not what you'd expect because they're two types of people. Buying readers aren't that likely to read freebies online, honestly. Especially if they're print readers. And the ones who do like reading freebies are often (NOT always, and I'll never forgive myself if my nice readers think I'm talking about them here--really, I love you guys) the ones who are less likely to want to spend money on a book because they're already used to getting it for free.
None of us is perfect. Well, probably not. But I don't think I know anyone who has never ever illegally downloaded something. We make mistakes. We learn. It's a whole different kind of person who is contacted by a content provider/artist, told what they're doing is wrong and why, and STILL does it anyways.
They also don't realize what a trail they leave. This one user--the one who hasn't posted a thing under her name since I last contacted her--posted my work telling people to give it a try 'cause it's funny and original ("I love it--here, let me help you steal it!" WTF?)...fifteen minutes with google and I had her email address, school, birthday, town where she lived in Australia, and since she'd been on my site looking for Wolfe five minutes before she uploaded an excerpt to Asta, I had her IP address and ISP too. They're not anonymous--at least not as much as they think they are.
Honestly, if ever single author went and contacted these people, I think they'd slink away. It wouldn't stop completely, but it might embarrass some of the offenders enough to get their kicks elsewhere. Some people have argued that more heavily pirated titles have lead to more sales. How can you possibly prove that? My theory: a book gets pirated more because it's popular--it doesn't get popular because it's pirated.
#15 You know what's sad? In a
You know what's sad? In a way, I'm grateful she was too cheap to buy shit. Otherwise, I'd have never known my stories were being pirated. I'd have continued on, working my ass off while the sales dwindled. It's fucked up, but true.
I've seen a shift recently with younger readers versus older ones. The younger audience seems to enjoy reading e-books, while older like paper. Hell, I'd never even seen an e-reader until maybe 8 months ago. I'd heard about kindle and this new way to "read" but didn't pay it much attention. I think that's why it's become so viral. Younger people that don't know what it's like to budget to keep food on the table can't relate. They know they can download stuff onto a nifty little gadget, load it up, and read.
To be fair, in my anti-piracy argument (and bitch-fest, as she has been using my wireless internet and laptop. I work on the PC) I told her what I've heard about new authors -- even those published are struggling and have to work. I remember visiting Jeaniene Frost's website before One Foot In the Grave was released and she stated she continued to work a full-time job as writing didn't pay the bills. Just because you're in print, or sitting on the shelves at the bookstore, doesn't mean you've struck it rich. It's about keeping the momentum and proving to the press that you're worth the investment.
Stephenie Meyer, God love her, is a rare exception.
What really blows are the edits I have due. I need to do them, but just can't muster the willpower to open the MS. I feel really bad about that. Maybe I should leave the sites alone until I'm done. It's not like they won't load the files back up again anyway.
Jaime
#16 I found out via google alerts
I found out via google alerts and watching my site stats like a hawk.
I think what bothers me even more is that since early 2004, I've provided free serialized fiction on my site. Now there's one 70K novel, a 50K novel, and in the same series a 60K novel and a 120K novel, plus numerous shorts and seven other chapters. I HAVE considered in the past that there are people who can't afford to buy a lot of books. I've offered free fiction. And I spend all this time every month writing, preparing, and posting a new chapter to be slapped in the face with people expecting MORE.
You're probably right about age, too. I think you've got a generation of kids (listen to me--I'm such an old lady at 27) who were raised to think they're Speshul Snowflakes and all that matters is them and what they want. So they steal, but the fuckers don't even really think it's theft. I mean, look at the community--they thank each other! I had this cockbite who had uploaded River to 4shared add a comment with the file that read, "Thanks to the original uploaded." Now, 4shared won't ban you for commenting, so I replied (while I was waiting for them to take it down), "Thanks to the original uploader, but not to the author? The artist? The editor? The publisher? You know, all those people who are NOT rich and put more time and effort into producing the book than all of you combined will spend reading it?"
No idea what to suggest for your edits. It's hard. I had a series of River short stories that I wanted to combine into an antho called Changed...I'd written two and started another. And I just gave up. The day Wolfe came out, people were looking for a torrent. I closed the file and never opened it again. All the stuff I'm working on right now is new stuff so no one is trying to torrent it yet, thankfully, so I'm not yet too depressed to work on it.
#17 You said it best
"I had a series of River short stories that I wanted to combine into an antho called Changed...I'd written two and started another. And I just gave up. The day after Wolfe came out, people were looking for a torrent. I closed the file and never opened it again. All the stuff I'm working on right now is new stuff so no one is trying to torrent it yet, thankfully, so I'm not yet too depressed to work on it."
And this, ladies and gents, sums it all up with a big red bow.
As for those edits...my editor won't let me wallow in self-pity for too long, so it's all good. ;) Those stories are completed, it's the "after" and finding the desire to continue that frightens me.
You're a cool chick, Skyla. Thanks for telling it like it is. ;) It's refreshing, a entirely kick-ass.
Jaime
Post new comment