A few quick points...: seanan

A few quick points...

So the discussion on my latest book piracy post is fascinating, and I fully intend to answer comments. However, right now, I'm not feeling terribly awesome, so I'm going to take some cold medication and go lay down. I just wanted to address a few high-level points first. Forgive the brevity, I really feel like crap.

Point the First: "Not everyone who illegally downloads your book would have bought it, so you shouldn't act like they would have."

True! That being said, I know enough people who have illegally downloaded books and then bought them, or have told me to my face (or via email) that they were planning to buy the book, only then got it for free, that I feel some consideration of the number of illegal copies is warranted. Just going off what I do know, I tend to assume about one person in ten represents a "lost sale." This accounts for new readers only, not people downloading copies of books they already own.

Point the Second: Downloading copies of books you already own is a morally gray area.

True. I completely understand and sympathize with people who download virtual copies of books they already own. Unfortunately, a) I don't own the e-book rights to my books right now, and thus can't say "sure, have a PDF with proof of purchase," and b) the methods for getting those downloads are non-legal. There's not a private literary speakeasy where you have to send in a photo of yourself with your legal physical copy before you get the download link. And so while I can understand the moral ambiguity of it all, I can't endorse the practice.

Point the Third: It's not piracy, it's copyright infringement.

Okay, true. For precision of language, I should call it copyright infringement. But the people who sometimes post intentionally inflammatory things on message boards aren't actually trolls, they're just being mean. In some cases, the prevailing language of the land is going to win out over precision. I apologize for any confusion.

Point the Fourth: "Does this mean you don't like me because I initially read your book in a sub-legal format?"

Did you buy the book? I mean, really, that's where my concern is here: In whether I can feed the cats. I first discovered the X-Men because my friend Lucy had an older brother who wasn't careful with his comics, and I didn't pay for those, either. As I said above, I can't condone illegal downloading, but once you've paid for the material, I lose all personal animosity.

Point the Fifth: Books and music aren't the same.

Most the research on illegal downloads has been in the music arena, and the numbers aren't the same. According to iTunes, the single song I have listened to the most often is the cover of "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Spork, which I have listened to 342 times. The single book I have read the most often is IT, by Stephen King, which I have read, if guessing generously, eighty times in the last twenty years. Many people don't re-read, or do so only sparingly. So saying that illegal downloads increase sales when you're only looking at music is like saying that breeding mice increases the elephant population.

Point the Sixth: Cory Doctorow does it.

Cory Doctorow is also recognized by my spellchecker, which doesn't recognize my name. He chose to distribute over the Internet, and it worked out awesomely for him. He's also doing Internet-savvy fiction, with a keen edge of interest for the online crowd. I write urban fantasies about women with silly names. We don't have the same target audience; it's mice and elephants again.

I'll come back and participate in the discussion more one on one later. Now? DayQuil and sleep.

cleothyla

November 5 2010, 02:32:10 UTC 6 years ago

New comment

I will always read/buy physical copies of books because I cannot read off a screen. I like the feel of a dead tree book in my hands and reading the words. But I will download audio versions FROM THE LIBRARY if I need to read but my hands are busy. I am trying to get the money together so I can get a decent MP3 player(no I-phone or I-pod for me) so I can get the MP3 versions of your books as I enjoy listening to Mary Robinette Kowal reading your words.(And I will tell her so at Orycon). I still need to get the dead tree version of FEED, though so I can get it signed. I <3 the audio book version.

I am very good at re-reading books until they fall apart.

By the way, feel better soon.

And hardcover is better than softcover

urban_terrorist

November 5 2010, 02:34:18 UTC 6 years ago

Gotta love the feel of a new hardcover. There's nothing like it.

Re: And hardcover is better than softcover

seanan_mcguire

November 5 2010, 05:46:16 UTC 6 years ago

Sales stay good and the creek don't rise...

But you know the best thing about a good hardcover?

November 5 2010, 06:42:48 UTC 6 years ago

Makes a fantastic murder weapon.

November 5 2010, 05:46:04 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you.

November 5 2010, 06:04:55 UTC 6 years ago

Have a better night. :)

palmer_kun

November 5 2010, 06:39:31 UTC 6 years ago

FWIW, have you tried a test read on an actual e-reader like a Kindle, Kobo or Nook?

It is nothing like reading off a normal LCD screen. It's worth a try. You can test read a Nook at any Barnes and Noble

caersidi

November 5 2010, 12:38:49 UTC 6 years ago

I am glad that libraries here in the UK are starting to use ebooks. It does often take months though for new titles to get into the library system. They have budgets and buying schedules. So, yes for those that like them it is a good thing and hopefully will make popular books available.

I do often buy books after I borrow them.

It is a nice way to test to see if an author appeals though I will often buy secondhand which means no real £££/$$$ to the author.

In Seanan's case, I read a good review of 'Rosemary & Rue' borrowed it from the library and almost right away fell in love with the character, so bought it and slapped in orders for the next (and returned the book).

I do think it helps if you realise the authors are people with cats to feed and mortgages to pay. As I have so many friends who are writers (and have a modest career myself in a specialist field of non-fiction) I do appreciate the dynamics.

Buying Books After Borrowing Them

November 5 2010, 13:20:54 UTC 6 years ago

Heck, that's how I found almost all of my favorite authors, in the Library. If you have a good library system, it's a jewel beyond measure.

November 5 2010, 17:48:28 UTC 6 years ago

See, I appreciate buy-after-borrow and used books. I love my local used bookstore like fire. It's just the "steal and maybe buy and that makes it all better" that makes me whimper.

trialia

November 5 2010, 19:45:47 UTC 6 years ago

Sadly, not always a good option for some of us. Like the Harry Potter books - I can't very often re-read them in my dead-tree copies because the weight makes my hands hurt! But really, e-reader screens aren't as bad to read off as regular computer screens. I promise.

November 5 2010, 21:12:40 UTC 6 years ago

That's when I take out my audio book copies. :)

Screens

November 5 2010, 23:05:50 UTC 6 years ago

Curiously I've never used my IPad as an e-reader. For note taking and other productivity uses it's great though.

Oh yeah. And Twitter. I'm addicted to Twitter.

November 9 2010, 02:24:49 UTC 6 years ago

There was a story about a man who got bruises from reading Under the Dome while on hospital care...

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