No not the Captain Pugwash, Johnny Depp (drool), Long John Silver sort. The book pirates. Those who steal and plunder your words, AND your wealth.
Because that's what it is, my words and my wealth... my living. If you popped into your local bookstore and picked up a paperback,and walked out without paying, that's stealing. As is filching three tins of beans and a box of chocolates, or that skirt you saw in the designer store. Theft.
Why should stealing an ebook be any different? Because it's not yours unless you buy it. When the reply is "oh I can't afford it"...Argh, tough.... that's life. I can't afford a bottle of a certain champagne, or the new ****** (insert author/car anything of your choice here) But I'm not going to pinch it.
I'll either accept it's out of my price range or save up for it.
What's more, when people brag about getting an ebook from a pirate, they're bragging they're a criminal. Yes really. Can you imagine going onto faceBook or twitter and announcing, "Hey guys I nipped into the supermarket today and grabbed some stuff. Didn't pay for it though? Why should I?"
See? That's criminal. So why should "Hey guys here's a site you can upload works for free from," be any different?
Authors may love what they do, but you know, they love eating, paying the utilities and not walking about naked (well not ALL of the time) as well. If you steal their books you're taking their livelihood away from them. It might only be a 99c book, but some of that 99c goes to the author.
And, think on. 99c.... Hmm. Out of that, has to come the costs of getting the book from the authors mind, to your eReader. First the author has spent hours writing and polishing the book. Then, whether it's self pubbed or not, it's edited—several times. The editor needs paying, as does the person who designs the cover, the person who line edits and proof reads, and the site where it was originally uploaded to. (they can take between 30-70% of the cover price.) So after everyone has taken their bit, there's not much left for the author of that 99c. However, it's their wages, they have earned it.
I honestly think a lot of people don't think just what's involved with pirating. I'll be honest until I started to write, I didn't. I hadn't thought, you know if I take this book from here, and it's free, and not free elsewhere, does the author know and condone this? Is it legal? Am I stealing if I do it?
Well the answer is yes!
So the thumbs up bit it to those great people who don't use pirate sites, who shout out about them, and warn authors they're on them, so they can send out a take down notice. More and more people are supporting their local—and not so local authors and a big thumbs up to them...
Happy (unpirated) Reading,
love Rx
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