Authors Without A Yacht (AWaY) discussion

Hello AWaY group. I’m not a member of the publishing industry, just an avid reader who has taken an interest in the affect piracy is having on the publishing industry, particularly the impact e-book piracy has on the lives of authors. I’ve done some research and I am astounded by the rapid increase in e-book piracy.

Many blogs I’ve read compare the rise in e-book piracy to acts of piracy in other industries like music and film. In my opinion which I admit is based more on instinct than knowledge it’s not comparable. It seems to me that authors have far less means of earning income from their craft than those in the other industries. I don’t believe the practice of piracy is ever going to be stopped but there must be ways to greatly reduce the amount of piracy going on so I’ve thought of a few possible punishments. They are probably silly but I thought I’d post them anyway.

What if there was a national registry of e-book pirates? Something that worked along the same line as registered sex offenders. A listing that’s made available to the public, particularly the internet listing the names and aliases of all people convicted on charges of e-book piracy. Maybe there photo could be included along with what there sentencing was. List how large a fine they had to pay, or how much time in jail they had to spend. There are registries for sex offenders, child abusers, and I don’t know how many other things so why not for pirates. I recently read there’s a National Deadbeat Dad registry.

In the front of books where copyright law is shown include information about the National Registry of E-book Pirates. Maybe looking at a list of real people who have been found and punished for a crime someone is about to commit may cause more hesitancy than just reading that it’s illegal.

I also had a thought about a possible punishment in addition to the ones already in effect. Wouldn’t it be a fitting punishment that for every book a person pirates they have to write there own book of the same length and then upload it to as many places on the internet as they have been found uploading to. I realize they may not have talent or create a product anyone would really want to read but there could be some rules in the punishment that make it so that they must put at least enough effort into their book that it will take them months to complete. Make it a rule that their books has to be logical, not just ramblings on nothing and that it has to have very few spelling, grammar or punctuation errors. No plagiarizing allowed and they have to write on a topic that requires research. Perhaps seeing what it is involved in writing a book with the hope of getting it published and earning income will cause the convicted pirate a real change of attitude. Fines are great but I doubt most of the pirates have the money or the assets to cover the fines the law calls for. They will just file bankruptcy.

I’ve had a few other idea’s about piracy not related to punishment too but for now I’ll just share these.

Please share more!

I like the way you think. Your suggestions are priceless.
As long as no one has to pay to read the fruit of a pirate's penance... ROTFL.

To be serious, you are absolutely correct. People tend to enjoy a tune the more they hear it. People only read a story once. If one tries to imagine a novel reading concert, it would take six hours.

Who could sit in their seat that long? Probably even the author would need two or three intermissions.

Exactly the people who invest in a movie have the possibilty of sales from the Box Office, then the dvd sales, then t.v and advertising and if the movie is a hit they probrably profit well of of merchandise based on the movies. I know people go to the theatre and film the film then post things online quickly but it's not the same. People line up at the theaters for the first midnight showings for movies. When a book is released they line up at the pirate sitess because often theres a free download within hours.

Musicians have concert sales and merchandise sales,endorsements, opportunities to appear in movies,if they're lucky they contribute to movie soundtracks. If an author is really lucky they're book might be made into a movie but I don't see that happening for many writers.

Maybe this issue hit's me because when I was a child growing up I wanted to be a writer. I've always loved to read and as a child in elementry school and junior high I didn't really take into consideration that you might need talent too, lol. Anyway my life didn't go in that direction and for years I barely read. I was to busy working one or to jobs and raising my family. A few years ago I had an unexpected life change and because of health issues I have to much free time. Reading is my salvation. It gets me through the boredom and helps take my mind off the pain I'm in at times.

This trend in piracy makes me fear that some writers are going to give up because this is going to be a long tiresome fight. Talented people who want to try to write and become published are going to be discouraged before they ever get a foot in the door. I know if I thought I had an ounce of imagination I would want to try to write and be published. Seeing what I've seen though, I don't want to try. Something has to change so that there will continue to be good literature for our children and grandchildren.

I love your comments, Ilovetoread! I especially enjoyed imagining the pirates having to research and spend hours writing a book, only to see it given away for free! I wrote about this on my blog also, on my website. What I said is that this whole issue might cause many of us authors who were hoping to make at least a few shekels from our imagination and hard work, think twice about whether or not we can continue! And that will diminish the choices available to avid readers such as yourself. In the end, everyone loses. Solutions must be found...and I really like yours! ;-D
www.fionamcgier.com

Thank you. I've been reading the posts here and at some of the other author sites and blogs but my interest in this is somewhat new. It's only been over the last few months that I find my mind drawn to the issue and the more I think about it the more concerned I become. Not just concerned about the industrial loss but the loss in literature that will occur if this trend grows at the rate it is. That said I was a little nervous about posting. Your kind replies will make it easier for me to share my thoughts in the future. If I have any good ones that is. Just don't give up. Keep fighting the fight. It's worth the battle.

Thanks so much for your support, Ilovetoread. I, too, LOVE the idea of the pirates being forced to write a book and then give it away. If only !! ha ha. It is discouraging to see a book you've slaved over come out on release and the same day be made available as a free download on some pirate site. It won't stop me writing but it makes me very disappointed considering how cheap the books are to buy, that people do this. It's become a game to them and its our livelihood.

Good morning, Ilovetoread!

I am so sorry to hear that you have health problems, and thank you for your kind concern over the unfairness of piracy.

Authors everywhere, whether or not they know how piracy is spreading, ought to be very grateful for readers like you who speak up, and even for readers who remain silent except for to vote on the newspaper articles that allow it.

It is truly encouraging to visit some of the discussions (to which we have posted urls on this group) and to see that people with common sense have voted thumbs down to some of the more outrageous comments posted by pirates and thumbs up to some of our remarks.

I look forward to more of your ideas and reactions to some of the topics we raise here.

I use this group as my "Go To" place when I cannot remember the URL of a piracy blog or discussion or news item. Do feel free to start a topic or even a folder, if there is something you'd like to share or some newsarticle/blog we've missed.

Thank you Rowena. And Barbara thank God for authors like yourself who aren't going to stop writing. It saddens me to read an author blog that they are considering giving up writing. In some cases I realize it's just a bit of venting but in some it's more than that. Giving up is a win for the pirates.

Are there rules for linking to or posting an author's blog? Do you need permission from the author for that? Jennifer Turner has a blog that I think really makes a reader realize that she's not just an author but a person struggling to get by in this world and earn a living just like everything else. The blog does not mention piracy at all. It talks about the time she spent writing, what kept her motivated for years to keep working toward getting published, the impact the time spent writing had emotionally and financially on her family and how all that combined has made it hard for her to get her second book to publication. It's a prime example of why authors would choose to name their group 'Author's Without a Yacht'.

Thank you for asking about posting or linking to an author's blog.

If there is "Add This" or "Share This" functionality, you can assume that the author has made it possible to post the url to dozens of sites because they welcome the publicity.

It is acceptable to copy an URL and post the URL almost anywhere because the URL sends new readers to the author's home site, thus giving her traffic and a higher ranking in the search engines.

Everyone loves that. You don't need permission.

If you were to copy a large chunk of someone's actual writing, you would need permission, but not for a link, and not for a couple of lines quoted with attribution (which would mean the name of the author and the link to their site).

Of course, every author who blogs is most appreciative when a visitor takes a few moments to add a comment, or to sign up to "follow" the blog.

Blogging can be lonely. Thanks for your support!