An Arr-gument of Sorts

You all know that I’m in the middle (or, to be more accurate, near the beginning) of The Legend of Charzahn. I really need to pick up my pace, but that’s beside the point of today’s ramble.

As any writer should know, I’m taking pains to get my story done. The thinking, the writing, the eventual editing, then the scrapping of probably over half of my work, then the re-edits, and so on.

And that’s just one of my books. I have more in the back of my head. Way, waaaay more.

What do I hope to gain out of all this?

Well, a feeling of accomplishment, definitely. A modest degree of popularity, and recognition for my developing talents. Good friends who understand my efforts. And a rabid fan following screaming my name as I step out of the limousine would be nice, too. Hey, I’m just saying, I wouldn’t turn it down if I ever got offered it, alright?

Then there’s this:

No arguing with wanting that, is there?

And, well, let’s not beat around the bush. I also happen to want to make money.

Who doesn’t?

It’s a competitive world out there, and making money is what most people aim for. Money to eat, pay the bills, throw around at the store from time to time, and to hang around on a hammock all day without feeling the slightest bit guilty.

Now that that’s out of the way, let me proceed with the tale.

A few days ago, I was browsing through the timelines of Facebook and Google Plus. I am still not that much into it with Twitter, and my new Goodreads account is just lying there gathering dust. I haven’t the faintest idea what to do with that one. Any comments on that would be really helpful.

Down my Facebook timeline, I saw a status update on the wall of one of my good friends. It set me thinking, and the comments on it even more so. With his permission, I took a few screenshots just so you could see just what I mean.

This was his status update:

That really set me thinking about piracy and how it was just so futile. Was there any real way to stop them? You see movies, music, and worst of all, books being ripped off and available for free to anyone with an internet connection on numerous sites.

Like he said; after all the hard work I do to get my books out, was it fair to lose all that money?

The comments below that post prompted even more thought. With permission, I took snapshots and posted them here. I also got a bit creative and decided to color code the blocked names, just so you know who said what. Well, you’ll see what I mean. (Click on it to read it easier)

If that’s all too much to read, I’ll just summarize what I want to highlight in this post. Green was, and assured me that he still is, all against pirating. Blue didn’t disagree with him, but pointed out why it was useless being upset over it. He had some pretty interesting things to say. Namely;

Those who download free stuff might never have paid to get the original anyway

… and therefore would not have read your work, and would not have loved it. Sometimes, they might have just been stone broke, and would have bought it if they had the cash. Then again, they might have not, but think of the possibilities.

Seems legit

You get a larger audience than if your books weren't freely available

Pretty much similar to the line above. People who download pirated eBooks could very likely pass them onto their friends if they liked them well enough. Who knows, you might even make a fan who likes you enough to go out and buy your entire paperback series. Stranger things have happened.

Someone actually bothered to pirate your book?

               

                If someone thought that one of my books was good enough to be worth the effort... I guess I could feel flattered. After all, how many other books might have got them reacting like this?

                            

 If mine was worth all the trouble to make it freely available, at risk to life and limb (I’m still making them regret it if I find them), well, that's gotta make you feel good for the entire two seconds before you realize exactly how much you lost out of it.

                           

Sure, maybe they never read and never will, but something had to grab their attention, right? 

This is a fight you can never win

And that’s the end of it. Pirates will pirate, and have been doing so for far too long. Trade secrets handed down from ancestors?

"Arr, Great-great-great-Grandnephew! Fire those seeders!"

This is going to keep happening, and though it’s easy to get upset over it, as I still am to a very substantial degree, it’s going to be there, regardless.

Personally, I hate eBooks.

I read all eight Artemis Fowl books on my laptop (loved them) along with Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom (loved that, too)… but I would have been much happier if I had them in my hands with my favorite bookmark inside the back cover, ready to save my page.

It just isn’t the same.

But if eBooks are to be the medium by which people are going to read my work, and if those particular eBooks do not bring me any benefit… I don’t know if there’s anything I can do about that other than throwing a temper tantrum and having something unsavory happen. (It’s happened. The unsavory things, I mean)

One thing I want to clear up before you run me through with your well-worn pen; I am not in any way promoting piracy of eBooks or of anything else. I work hard and I feel I deserve proper reward for all my efforts. But there’s probably little I can do to prevent my books being ripped off; and rather than cursing, lamenting that lost cash and ruining my mood on that nice hammocky day, I guess all I can do is flow with it.

What am I trying to say here, you ask? Just this: don’t let it get you down. It’s here and it has been there for a while, and as much as you and I and most other hardworking people want it to end… it’s just not possible. Seeders will seed.

But that shouldn’t put you off writing or publishing. There’s more to life than money. If it gets you more audience and has more people appreciating your work… it’s too much to ask you to embrace it, but the least you can do is tolerate it.

I understand this may be a controversial topic, but I feel that I had to have my say. I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t. Feel free to yell at me in the comments.