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Yes but this also takes money away from the author, who put in a ton of work to make that book. It's not as simple as claiming the piracy is 'ethical' just beca

Yes but this also takes money away from the author, who put in a ton of work to make that book. It's not as simple as claiming the piracy is 'ethical' just because it circumvents the publisher

Moru 3y ago
I buy books and music by writing the author and asking them how to pay directly. This ofcourse only works with very small authors so I'm not buying much any more. Reading and watching movies I do from the local library.
- lxgr 3y ago
  Do you think that the editor, cover art designer, potentially illustrator etc. don’t deserve to get paid? I know at least one author that refuses “out-of-band payments” for that reason. And this is to say nothing about advance payments where the publisher is taking the risk of a book not selling, and the author gets paid regardless, which can be a big thing for small authors too.
NoGravitas 3y ago
I think the idea is that by hurting sales of DRM-ed books relative to DRM-free books, and by increasing the piracy problem only for DRM-ed books, you make it more attractive for publishers to sell DRM-free books, and for authors to apply pressure to their publishers in that direction. Of course, you have to put your money where your mouth is by actually buying books from DRM-free publishers (like Baen and Tor).
lrvick 3y ago
So we should ban libraries, book scanning, and used book sales too?
- condwanaland 3y ago
  No, because the book was still bought in the first place. In all your examples someone still bought a book which helped ensure the creators of it got paid. Using piracy from the beginning ensures nobody gets paid.
  - lrvick 3y ago
    The book that was scanned and shared with others, was also bought in the first place. Piracy sites are just decentralized libraries.
    - condwanaland 3y ago
      Yes, but these secondary markets have been fine because they still require a large primary market. A library can only lend as many copies as it purchases. Someone selling their copy can only sell the copy they purchased. These secondaries are constrained by the primary. Your talking about one person buying a single copy and then distributing it for free in perpetuity. This secondary is not constrained by the primary.

Yes but this also takes money away from the author, who put in a ton of work to make that book. It's not as simple as claiming the piracy is 'ethical' just because it circumvents the publisher

Moru 3y ago

I buy books and music by writing the author and asking them how to pay directly. This ofcourse only works with very small authors so I'm not buying much any more. Reading and watching movies I do from the local library.

lxgr 3y ago
Do you think that the editor, cover art designer, potentially illustrator etc. don’t deserve to get paid? I know at least one author that refuses “out-of-band payments” for that reason. And this is to say nothing about advance payments where the publisher is taking the risk of a book not selling, and the author gets paid regardless, which can be a big thing for small authors too.

NoGravitas 3y ago

I think the idea is that by hurting sales of DRM-ed books relative to DRM-free books, and by increasing the piracy problem only for DRM-ed books, you make it more attractive for publishers to sell DRM-free books, and for authors to apply pressure to their publishers in that direction. Of course, you have to put your money where your mouth is by actually buying books from DRM-free publishers (like Baen and Tor).

lrvick 3y ago

So we should ban libraries, book scanning, and used book sales too?

condwanaland 3y ago
No, because the book was still bought in the first place. In all your examples someone still bought a book which helped ensure the creators of it got paid. Using piracy from the beginning ensures nobody gets paid.
- lrvick 3y ago
  The book that was scanned and shared with others, was also bought in the first place. Piracy sites are just decentralized libraries.
  - condwanaland 3y ago
    Yes, but these secondary markets have been fine because they still require a large primary market. A library can only lend as many copies as it purchases. Someone selling their copy can only sell the copy they purchased. These secondaries are constrained by the primary. Your talking about one person buying a single copy and then distributing it for free in perpetuity. This secondary is not constrained by the primary.