J.K. Rowling still fighting ebook piracy, and ebooks are still being demonized
I’m pretty convinced that J.K. Rowling does not read this blog, because if she did, she would have read this earlier post about her problem with ebook piracy. Yet Rowling has still refused to release her popular Harry Potter books into ebook format, creating a ripe environment for unscrupulous pirates to post digital copies of her novels online.
Today I came across this article from the Times Online, which says that her novels, along with other popular books, have shown up on the popular site Scribd.
Publishers and agents representing the authors J. K. Rowling and Ken Follett were battling last night to get free copies of their novels removed from a Californian website that claims to be the most popular literary site in the world.
Obviously, the authors who have refused to go digital are either totally blind to the ebook revolution taking place, or someone (i.e. agent, publisher) is influencing them to shun digital books. I’m not going to spend much time rebuking Ms. Rowling, as I already did that in a previous post (see link in first paragraph).
Thinking about piracy in a different way
The article, however, does bring up a major point about piracy. I find it interesting that piracy is always portrayed as the problem, and not what it really is, a symptom of the problem. The real problem is authors and publishers who are refusing to embrace new technology (ebooks) and meet consumer demand by releasing popular books in ebook format.
If the author/publisher doesn’t release an ebook, then someone will come along and throw up a pirated copy on the internet. This is why a little quote from literary agent Peter Cox caught my attention from the Times article:
Peter Cox, a literary agent and editor of the Litopia blog, said: “These people are pirates. We don’t have to give in to this. We can’t afford to make the same mistakes the music industry did.”
What he says is a little cryptic. So I went to his blog for clarification. The issue is being debated in his Litopia forum, and only users have access. I searched some more and found this little nugget from a Channel 4 news site:
Peter Cox a literary agent and editor of the Litopia blog told Channel 4 News: “Publishers have been asleep at the wheel. Sites like Scribd make their money by allowing their users to steal from writers. Most of us aren’t JK Rowling, many live on a minimum wage.”
The article continues:
Pointing to the growth of the e-readers like the Amazon Kindle, Cox said: “The e-reader is going to turn this from trickle to a torrent. It’s the ideal piracy magnet. Why bother to pay for a book when you can
get them for free on the net?”
I’ll agree with Peter that publishers have been asleep at the wheel. But not in policing sites for pirated copies of their author’s work – they’ve been asleep at the wheel in not embracing ebooks earlier. And I’ll also agree that many writers are living on minimum wage. I doubt a few pirated ebooks on a site like Scribd is the cause of the problem. I think he’s just throwing out anything he can against ebooks and sees what sticks.
But it’s what Peter Cox said about the e-reader that really got my blood boiling. I’d say a vast majority of ebook readers have no problem paying a fair price for an ebook. The problem arises when the publisher wants $15 + for a book in digital format, or refuses to release a book as an ebook at all. Then pirates will come in and give people what they are hungry for.
Not all ebook fans thieves
If I had a choice between a legitimate Harry Potter ebook, and a pirated one, I’d chose the legitimate copy every time. Why? Because, as a struggling writer myself, I think it’s only right an author gets paid for what he/she produces.
Doesn’t Peter realize that fans of ebooks are not trying to get anything free “on the net”, or trying to rip off writers? Of all the ebooks I own, I paid for all of them, or downloaded them free with permission of the author and/or publisher.
Peter, the problem is not e-readers or ebooks. The problem is when an entire industry refuses to embrace new technology that is becoming a staple in the way many people are consuming books. That is what motivates piracy. The music industry is an excellent example of the fallout from ignoring technology and the demands of the consumer. The music industry has been reduced to suing their own customers.
Do you think piracy is the problem, or just a symptom of the problem? Is Peter Cox unfairly demonizing ebooks? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!
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