My intention has never been, even as a small child, to write without any return on my effort.

Writing is a career, and getting paid for doing it is part of it.

There are things we have to do to make a go of it, to build an audience, if we have no intention of going the traditional publishing route.

One of those things is showcasing our work in the hope of finding readers who will enjoy it. Readers that will become supportive fans, which of course will hopefully translate into ‘buyers’ for our story products.

We may choose to offer free stories for online reading, or free ebooks. People will bypass purchasing a book, regardless of its finished form, if they can’t thumb through or browse it in some manner, rather than plunking down a chunk of change for it, sight unseen.

I know this, because I’m a reader. I thumb through books at bookstores, and check out samples online before making the decision to buy any book.

‘Free’ doesn’t mean we’re releasing those stories to the wilds of public domain for people to use however they may feel they are entitled to.

Writing is personal. Stories come from our imaginations. The characters in them are our children.

We choose to share them in certain ways, but they belong to us.

Just because that’s true, it doesn’t mean we’re selfish, money grubbing hard asses.

It means that they are our creations and no matter how much or in what fashion we share them, they belong to us.

Not because of laws that say so, but because stories, art, photos, software and any kind of creation wouldn’t exist if someone hadn’t imagined it and then decided to create it.

That is the truth and something that, no matter how hard others may try, cannot be taken away from us.

Copyright infringement and illegal distribution can’t take that away. Plagiarism attempts to, but can’t.

What those do take away is our lawful right to control how our works are distributed in line with current laws granting us such rights, and who earns a portion of the pie we’ve slaved over to bake just right.

Before anyone brings up the First Sale doctrine, let me point out that it prohibits making copies. It gives rights only in regards to a single, lawfully obtained copy. It only allows resale or other relinquishment of ownership of that single, lawfully obtained copy.

Having said that, here’s for readers – not book pirates:

I don’t view sharing a lawfully obtained copy of one of my ebooks with a few friends as piracy. You share when you like something enough to, or because you think your friend will enjoy it.

Readers are the reason I prefer not to have DRM on my ebooks. The purpose of my writing is to entertain, and putting something on there that prevents you from being entertained when you’ve purchased an ebook doesn’t do anything for either of us.

It frustrates you, and it impairs my ability to attempt to earn a living from my work.

Readers are the people I won’t ever file a copyright infringement suit against, because you’re merely doing what has been a long standing, socially accepted tradition: sharing the love of reading.

The emergence of digital books shouldn’t put an end to that ability to share. Your sharing is done in a limited fashion, and with my permission as the copyright owner to do it with any lawfully obtained ebook of mine you have.

I’ll bend over backwards for my readers and potential readers. Not just because I want to make some money from writing, but in hopes that I’ll get an email saying someone really enjoyed a particular story, or comments on one of my sites, or trip over someone mentioning this or that one on their blog.

I’ve stated before that money isn’t the only form of compensation to be had as far as I’m concerned, and it’s not.

However, giving permission to readers to share an ebook they purchased doesn’t mean I’m handing off my rights to those ebooks.

It doesn’t mean I’m giving permission for any person who comes across one to turn around and throw it up on a file sharing network, to put it on their own site, or to attempt to resell it.

I’m not.

That’s not sharing the love of reading; that’s trying to gain something for nothing. It was pointed out elsewhere that those who provide the networks and download sites are earning money from advertising placement, or by offering their services as ad free if you pay for it.

They are making a profit off the work of others. Whether book piracy is damaging the potential for sales or not, no one is entitled to make a profit from the works of others without an agreement in place between them and the owners of those works.

So justification about doing it without financial gain is flat out bullshit. Maybe you, the singular book pirate, aren’t collecting any money on the deal, but you’re enabling others to do so, and you have no right to.

It is illegal to make copies of work under copyright, and to distribute those copies without the permission of the copyright owner of the works in question.

Doing so is breaking the law, and people who break the law are known as criminals. If that hard fact causes you to gasp in outrage, take umbrage, start screaming about how unfair copyright law is and start cursing those who point it out, you’ve got a lot of damn nerve.

You are the ones doing something illegal. Authors attempting to protect their work have the legal right to do so. Authors aren’t the bad guys, no matter how many take down notices they send out.

Though some could try being a little less hysterical about the matter. Getting hysterical doesn’t do any good.

The thing is that writers, whether traditionally published or not, are affected by book piracy in negative ways.

It’s not just the possible lack of sales numbers that might result; it’s a feeling of violation that others feel perfectly entitled to take something they created and do whatever the hell they want with it just because they can likely get away with doing so.

It is a form of mental/emotional rape, and leaves writers feeling victimized. There is no justification for that. None; and that may explain why some authors do rant hysterically about book piracy.

That may sound harsh, but it’s a harsh world with some people who feel entitled to whatever they want, however they can get it, and to hell with everyone else.

It’s been said that publishers and authors will just have to adapt to the changes and learn to deal.

No. Really?

I agree that we do, and have begun experimenting with ways to continue to earn from writing. Because honestly, and though it may not be a great loss to anyone, if I’m not making at least a little money from all this effort I put into writing, learning more about writing and honing my skills a bit sharper with each story, I won’t be putting them out for anyone to read.

Neither will many other authors. Several have stated exactly that.

The problem with piracy, other than being illegal, is that it is driving a wedge between the people who have the most to gain by sticking together: authors and readers.

Readers are getting lumped in with the book pirates by a lot of authors, and they’re getting tired of having book piracy shoved into their faces constantly. Of having some authors go ballistic if any mention of sharing ebooks with friends comes up.

I don’t blame them; I’m pretty sick of it myself, though for probably slightly different reasons.

If any of my ebooks that aren’t specifically licensed by me for free sharing end up on pirate sites, I will send a takedown notice.

Not just because my permission to distribute wasn’t asked, or because my copyright is being infringed, but because piracy is illegal; I will not knowingly aid and abet anyone in the breaking of law by ignoring it.

Ignoring it implies consent, in my personal opinion.

It won’t stop piracy, and I doubt anything will, unless the point is reached that there’s nothing new available to pirate. If that point ever is reached…well, it’ll be so far into the future, why should any of us care, right?

That was sarcasm, by the way.

It might appear that my opinions flip-flop on this issue, and they have to a point, as I’ve learned more about the matter.

But these are pretty much my final opinions on it at this time:

I am not an author backed by a big publishing house. I’m an independent, so anything done that harms my ability to earn from my work isn’t a jab at Big Business or the Man. It’s not showing support for me as an author. It’s a jab at a single person who’s just trying to earn a little extra money doing something she loves.

I have the right to give certain permissions to certain people; to withhold those permissions from others in order to protect my work, and thus, my ability to earn compensation for having done the work. Also to control how those works are distributed within the boundaries of the laws governing such rights.

Choosing to exercise those rights doesn’t make me the enemy of anyone except those who want to take those rights away from me or trample all over them.

Piracy is illegal; I won’t imply consent by ignoring it.

Readers are precious, and I will bend over backwards to show my appreciation to them. For them, I will make lawfully obtaining my books as simple a process as possible, and do my best to see that nothing interferes with their ability to share any of them that they might enjoy enough to do so with other book lovers.

Having said that, I think I’ll put it up on a permanent page as a manifesto of sorts.

And if any of what I’ve written above pisses you off, guess what?

That’s your problem, not mine.

One thing I’m as entitled to as the next person is having opinions.