I've noticed, through the metrics that I get through Google, that some people are coming to my site to find out about ebook piracy, since I wrote about it here. I do tend to waffle on a bit about piracy in general, so grab your parrot and peg leg, kids! Let's talk...
Has my Book been Pirated?
Piracy is still a big issue for ebooks, in spite of the fact that DRM has been optional for a while now on Amazon (the only platform that counts*). I'm still of the opinion that it's basically irrelevant - you can't control it, can't prevent it, and worrying about it...
What You Need to Know about Book Piracy
Okay, we all know about this. Piracy, the great and terrifying force that's destroying authors' means to make a living on one hand, and getting their work in front of thousands of new readers on the other. There's plenty of conflicting information out there. Let's get...
The DRM Endgame – What Authors Can Learn From Video Games
Ah, video games. They're a wonderful procrastination tool for authors who like to switch off their brain a while. They are also a source of some very interesting technical developments, particularly in DRM - and hoo boy, did we ever get a doozy of a case study to pore...
Piracy is Not the Bogeyman
If the LendInk fiasco has taught us anything, it is this: when authors are faced with the prospect of someone getting their work for free, their initial reaction is one of panic. It's possible that this is a learned reaction, from big media companies that make a huge...
The Moral Panic of Piracy
Alright, if you haven't heard the full story yet, LendInk.com is a small ebook lending site that has been forced offline. It was a very straightforward business model - they let users register, and users listed which ebooks they had that could be lent out to other...
The Perception of Piracy
I got into a discussion over on Roz Morris' blog last week on the nature of piracy. It got me thinking on a rather interesting aspect of the whole thing: how authors perceive it, versus what it actually is. I've said before that combating piracy is a fool's game, a...
Leave Your Egos at the Door, Please
"The consumer [says] 'Where's my free music on the internet? Is this a free download?' Fuck off! It cost me a quarter of a million pounds to make it, you're not getting it for nothing. I want my quarter of a million back, thank you very much. That's why we're rock...
So much respect
In light of my last post, might I just say that my respect for Tor Books has increased substantially? They have made an announcement that they will begin to sell their titles DRM-free in July! I expect to see a lot more of the majors following suit, if they have any...
Indie Authors and the Problem of Piracy
In mainstream publishing, there is a definite worry that piracy is looming problem that must be guarded against and ultimately defeated. They fear the so-called 'Napster-ization' of their industry, similar to what happened to the music industry and the movie industry...