Book Piracy BAD

[A. E. Lowan]

Never!!!

Least not the SWFA. I might look at others. I don't know much about them.

I did join a group in my state, but I found it to be pretty much completely useless. I am not sure what they even do...


Just pay me my money.

Okay, I need to ask. Why the SFWA hate? I think I've missed something.

And we're talking about the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America? They of Writer Beware fame?

 

[pmmg]

I am not sure I can answer that in public without stirring things up. I'll just say, they have shown we dont share the same values.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

I'm in the SFWA and well, I pretty much ignore them. Did a virtual panel at the Nebulas in '22 and tried to stick my face in hot water by using the word "fat" in reference to Po in Kung-fu Panda. That was the Nebulas where Mercedes Lackey upstaged my "fat" comment and they shit-canned the old gal for saying "colored." My fat, lazy comment about a panda was forgotten, LMAO.

And seriously, Pandas are fat and lazy. One seriously boring critter in the zoo.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Oh! and also on topic. Lackey spoke about book piracy and how it derailed careers. From what she surmised, she would've been a much wealthier lady without piracy, not having to crank out more and more books, heh heh.

 

[pmmg]

Sorry Dems, but there is no call to be shaming pandas.

I can see now why you never did another one.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

For the record, I hate pandas. They're idiotic, aggressive, often unable to mate in the wild because they can't figure out how to. It's eaten its way up the bamboo to extinction, a dead end. And yet, we pile money and effort into saving them while somehow not stopping the forces that push them faster down the last bamboo path. But no, they're cute and charismatic, so... yeah.

 

[pmmg]

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Sad panda?

 

[Ban]

Are we now shaming pandas for choosing a life of harmony and non-violence? Born to be an apex carnivore, they collectively forewent slaughter and carnage to find balance in the bamboo. So harmonious even the herbal life suffers little under the gentle giant's reign, for bamboo is fast-growing and its spread is hard to halt. It was at least. The panda cannot be faulted for thinking the plentiful bamboo ought sustain them forever.

I am disappointed. Glory to placidity.

 

[pmmg]

Sad panda?

He looks a bit concerned to me, but...if he can't figure out how to mate, I mean...What's the point? Maybe he's into red pandas.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

The bad part is that it totally derailed a point I was going to make in the Realism in Combat panel. Why of course fat lazy people can be great warriors! Wait... what? Brain melt from stepping into a PC trap, heh heh. But, oh well, LMAO. It was still a lot of fun

 

[pmmg]

Hmmm...sounds like a new subject, but Fat people would likely run out of breath and show poor endurance, but...if you walk around all day carrying 200 extra pounds, you do build up a strength that could seem unexpected. I'd expect leg and some portion of core strength to be a little stronger than one might expect.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

The key is the connector: fat AND lazy. You can be overweight and still athletic, see NFL Linemen, but they are not lazy, LOL. John Belushi, overweight, not Lazy, dude had some moves even as a Samurai.

But that still wasn't the point. The point I was heading for as that "realism" in combat is great, and I was heading for the pinky skedush punch thingee... and that cinematic or even ludicrous combat is all right, and that it is "know your book" and your audience that really matters. A tangent.

And arguably, while Po starts out fat and lazy, he ends being lazy.

The fact I had three panelists wide-eyed staring at me because someone complained about the word "fat" melted my brain and it took me ten minutes to recall where the hell I was going with that, LOL.

Hmmm...sounds like a new subject, but Fat people would likely run out of breath and show poor endurance, but...if you walk around all day carrying 200 extra pounds, you do build up a strength that could seem unexpected. I'd expect leg and some portion of core strength to be a little stronger than one might expect.

 

[ThrillhoBaggins]

The question here becomes are you okay with settling for just getting your book exposure as well as money or how important is getting your book out there in terms of who knows about it and what they are saying about it?

 

[CupofJoe]

The only book piracy that I know had a happy ending was via a guy I shared a house with at University.
This was the late 80s, and for his course [Electronic Engineering IIRK] my house mate had to buy a core textbook that cost £75.
“That’s a month’s drinking money!” was his position.
The entire class put their money together and bought one copy.
And then made photocopies for everyone in their year.
The bit I liked was that they all chipped in £5 and mailed the money [probably around £200] to the author explaining what they had done and hoped this made up for his loss in royalties.
He wrote back, saying he made nothing like £5 from each copy and offered to buy them a drink when he was next in town.
There was picture of that piss-up on the house noticeboard until we left.

 

[pmmg]

The question here becomes are you okay with settling for just getting your book exposure as well as money or how important is getting your book out there in terms of who knows about it and what they are saying about it?

Personally, I dont mind not getting the money if the book gets exposure, I am more bothered that 'they' are getting the money on my dime and not sharing.

I don't know, its all just noise really. I have no power to stop it, and I could not say if it is good or bad that they do it. I am choosing to ignore this problem until it come to bite me.

If someone was to pirate my book, I fear I would probably not know about it. And its most likely impact on me may be that amazon accuses me of breaking some agreement with Amazon Select. Amazon Select has not been helpful to me, I think I should just disconnect for him and save the future hassel.

I suppose its silly...if someone was to pirate my book, get it exposure, and make some money...is that much different that if I paid them to market for me? I just dont know. I am open to accepting the exposure. At present, I am pretty sure its not happening. And if it is, it has not helped.

 

[ThrillhoBaggins]

I think maybe even sending out autographed free copies for something to get it out there for a limited time and then you start to sell the book would be a great marketing strategy that would potentially make you more money in the long term. It becomes about making the game work to your benefit.

 

[pmmg]

I sent out a lot of free copies of book 1, and many of those were autographed. To date, no one I have given my book to for free has come back to leave a review. So....

I dont think I will be doing the same with book 2.

 

[ThrillhoBaggins]

Yes, in a perfect world everything would go exactly the way we want it to when we take risks such as this, but since we don't live in a perfect world we have to live by trial and error.

Perhaps next time giving them some sort of link to a place to review your work might go a long way.

 

[pmmg]

Perhaps next time giving them some sort of link to a place to review your work might go a long way.

I had that base covered too

Even had a QR code.