Book Piracy

Yes, I know most writers/aspiring writers are on my side! lol There is a difference between a few stray lines and the entire book available for download. Another reason for me to hate eBooks.

Yes, and I think this is another reason why I am choosing not to put my book online, I feel it is safer if I publish it the old fashion way..

Good move. Though I think most traditional publishers are choosing a print and eBook route. I don't know how much control debut authors would have over blocking an eBook release. Have you researched that?

Not all books are entertainment, but that's a different matter, and I agree with you that the creator should have the right to choose the price. It is also true, though, that for years they had the power to raise the price little by little without improving the quality of their books and readers had no decisional power at all because when there is no alternative you can't simply choose not to buy. But with e-books there is this piracy "sword of Damocles" and they are not allowed anymore to raise the price little by little without people noticing. Getting tracks online was a natural evolution, but when they needed to choose how to sell music by the internet I think they also took under consideration the behaviour people were having with piracy. They must have, just like I think they're monitoring what people think about e-books prices and DRM protections right now. If they want to develop a marketing strategy, they need to know what people think. If piracy wouldn't be technically possible I don't think they would have dropped so much the price of a single song. It was a market competitor, an illegal and totally not fair one, but it was and it influenced the business. So, that's why I think it plays a role. I'm not saying it's right but I'm not really sure ther is an alternative to what's happening.

Well, I'm not in agreement with you on some minor points... but at least we both agree that it's wrong. I think that's one of the only things that we can do to combat piracy, is to increase awareness about what it does to the industry and raise the level of respect for created content.

I don't think it's ever right to point the finger back to the content creators. This is entertainment. There is no reason that anyone needs to have the latest book, movie, or song. Therefore, I think it's completely within the rights of content creators to distribute how they please. If they overcharge, don't buy and don't indulge. If they really want their content seen, then they'll make a better distribution plan happen. I don't think piracy played any role in getting single tracks available on iTunes. That was a natural evolution of the digital age, along with piracy becoming more prevalent. Ultimately piracy just makes the creators more angry, not willing to make compromises. I think it's absurd and extremely selfish of people to think they're entitled to what others create. And I think that it's considerably more selfish than content creators putting money over the love of fans.

I looked into a few places and liked Createspace.com the best. I spoke with their customer service and liked how they set up their website. I know right up front how much one of my soft cover novels will cost to print and how much I will get to keep from sales and it will be done in just a day or two from when I upload my manuscript. Lulu.com is another good place but I am going with Createspace.

Where are you self-publishing? Are you doing it with a company, a print on demand site, or through your own funds? There's no reason anyone needs an ebook, so go ahead and stand your ground. I wish more authors were taking a stand against eBooks. I have loads of problems with them... lol.