Do authors make a living now the internet has pirated their work?

[Răspunsul]

Raspunsul, in case you really are still wondering, "Original Poster" or "OP" refers to the original (or "first") person to post the question or statement in a thread or conversation.

Thanks, that's why I never use acronyms. I've always been told it meant Oldage Pensioner. It always strikes me as superior using them, as if to say, "I know what it means and so should you".

 

[sparkchaser]

Where is Meadow?

Not here.

 

[Angury]

This is a hilarious thread to read.

I'm not sure if the OP is going to clarify what she is asking, but I'll offer my experiences with publishing.

I'm published with a small micro publisher, we publish e-books and POD and are paid royalties, nothing in advance. For authors with
the larger advance paying trade publishers their experiences may be different.

My publisher is constantly checking to make sure our books aren't being pirated and I do as well. We have found pirate sites and had
our books removed. As authors has that cost us royalties, yes, I'm sure it has. Can we prove it? Doubtful. The site can always claim the books never sold.

What hurts authors just as much, maybe even more is Amazon A-Stores. When a publisher joins Amazon they can add to have
A-Stores sell their books, or reject that option. My publisher initially accepted the offer, then rejected it when they learned we would only
receive pennies in some cases for our books. Despite not participating in the A-Store option our books are still for sale in them.

Anyone can set up an A-Store, claim to have books in stock and sell them. Problem is, they do not have books in stock. The books are made through Createspace and drop shipped, using the A-Store info. Ergo, the seller has no financial stake in the book and makes the lion's share of the profit. In some cases authors make as little as 18 cents per book.

Amazon defends themselves saying they are giving the author extra, free publicity and sales outlets. Very few of these stores generate sales large enough for authors to see a financial benefit. It is in many ways legalized piracy.

Very interesting reading your experiences, thanks for sharing. Do you think that your books would receive more publicity if they were pirated? I've heard that argument a lot and wonder.

I have received books for free in the past and loved them so much that I've gone out and bought other books by the author, as well as telling my friends about them.
I imagine word-of-mouth is a very powerful tool, and I think some people aren't willing to pay for a book written by an author they've never heard before. Whereas they'd be more willing to read the same book if they got it for free (say, through piracy). Then again, with websites like Goodreads these days, if you've seen a book in a shop but never heard of the author or are unsure whether to buy it, you can just check out what other people are saying on these sorts of websites.

 

[regdog]

Honestly we have no way of knowing if they would sell better. If someone reads a pirated copy of one of a book and wants to read
more by that author, what is to stop them from just buying more pirated books?

Amazon uses that justification for its A-Stores. "Think of all the free publicity authors get" But what the author gets can be as little
as pennies per book.

Think of it this way. You work at you job and your paycheck is always given to someone who did nothing and when you complain, you're
told, "Sure you weren't paid for your work, but people like what you did, be happy with that."

It wouldn't fly.

Why should it be okay to do that to authors?

 

[Angury]

Honestly we have no way of knowing if they would sell better. If someone reads a pirated copy of one of a book and wants to read
more by that author, what is to stop them from just buying more pirated books?

Amazon uses that justification for its A-Stores. "Think of all the free publicity authors get" But what the author gets can be as little
as pennies per book.

Think of it this way. You work at you job and your paycheck is always given to someone who did nothing and when you complain, you're
told, "Sure you weren't paid for your work, but people like what you did, be happy with that."

It wouldn't fly.

Why should it be okay to do that to authors?

Thank you for your perspective. I think it's a pity regarding how little authors can sometimes be paid. I'm currently a university student studying a healthcare degree, and there are a lot of scholarships and funding out there for research degrees in science etc. I was speaking to one of my friends recently who studies English Literature and she says there isn't as much funding in the Arts. I don't know how true that is, but it does seem that the money seems to be going in one direction.

I know a few people who would like to write for a living, but end up doing other jobs simply to pay their rent and provide for their family because otherwise it would be next to impossible to make ends meet.

 

[Polly Parrot]

I'm doing a Ph.D in English literature and this year there was one funded place for the entire Arts & Humanities faculties. I'd say your friend was pretty much spot on there.

 

[Angury]

I'm doing a Ph.D in English literature and this year there was one funded place for the entire Arts & Humanities faculties. I'd say your friend was pretty much spot on there.

Wow, that's sad to hear. We receive funding to do little scientific research projects over the summer, and students are encouraged to apply. Everyone who applies for a position manages to get a place usually.

Having spoken to a few people in my year, some of them don't seem to see the point in reading. It's not just that they don't read fiction, which I can understand - they don't see the point in it.
Then again, I'm sure there are some bookworms hiding in my lectures as well, I just need to find them.

 

[MrHill]

Honestly we have no way of knowing if they would sell better. If someone reads a pirated copy of one of a book and wants to read
more by that author, what is to stop them from just buying more pirated books?

Amazon uses that justification for its A-Stores. "Think of all the free publicity authors get" But what the author gets can be as little
as pennies per book.

Think of it this way. You work at you job and your paycheck is always given to someone who did nothing and when you complain, you're
told, "Sure you weren't paid for your work, but people like what you did, be happy with that."

It wouldn't fly.

Why should it be okay to do that to authors?

would it be naive to suggest that authors should do what the music industry has done and publish their own endevours?
you say authors get pennies, this was true of recording artists so they all formed their own record label to maximise profits.

 

[sparkchaser]

would it be naive to suggest that authors should do what the music industry has done and publish their own endevours?
you say authors get pennies, this was true of recording artists so they all formed their own record label to maximise profits.

Authors are already doing that. Look at the explosion in self-publishing.

 

[regdog]

would it be naive to suggest that authors should do what the music industry has done and publish their own endevours?
you say authors get pennies, this was true of recording artists so they all formed their own record label to maximise profits.

Self publishing has exploded in recent years but it hasn't solved the piracy problem, or the problem of places like Amazon and their A Stores. What we need is for people to buy from legitimate sources, our publisher, and places like Barnes and Noble, even Amazon directly. It's when they buy from A Stores and pirate sites the author gets nothing.

If a person is unsure they can always go to the publisher's site and ask if a book seller is legit or buy directly from the publisher.