Posted: 12 November 2017 at 4:17am | IP Logged | 1
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Worth a read:
Call me old-fashioned, but I believe in PAYING for something. And ensuring that a creator gets something, even if it's only a few pennies now and again (I appreciate royalties may not always be great for creators).
Perfect:
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This is a bit like stealing an expensive bottle of champagne, and saying to the arresting officer: “Obviously, if I’d been paying for this, I would have chosen a cheaper brand.” Theft isn’t the same as getting stuff free. |
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I've heard that excuse so many times. Someone I know of hasn't paid for a film in at least ten years, but he says, "Oh well, I wasn't planning to visit the cinema, anyway."
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Yes, but digital books cost too much. If they were cheaper, more people would buy them legitimately. |
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There are lots of things I'd like to buy in life. I'd love an Apple Mac. Can't currently afford one. Wouldn't steal one, though.
If we all used that 'logic', we could steal cars, bottles of wine and digital devices - and then say, "But it cost too much!"
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Wrong. Most authors don’t earn enough to make a proper living. Many have to take secondary jobs just to make ends meet. Sure, some authors make a lot of money, but they are the exceptions. Most just can’t afford to lose the thousands of sales that are being lost right now through e-book theft. |
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I don't know any famous authors personally, but I know some who aren't famous - and who have released eBooks via, say, Amazon. From what I've read on social media, and in discussions with them, it's not a full-time gig. They are not buying mansions. Maybe one day they will (good luck to them). But I've heard from people who've told me they've earned pennies or a few quid on their eBook sales.
So if people are downloading for free, it takes money from their hard work.
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But I want to make sure I like a book before I buy it. I download books onto my e-reader, and if I like them, then I buy them legitimately. If not, I delete the book and move on. Why buy something you might not enjoy? Irrelevant. You don’t steal a bar of chocolate, taste it and then go back and pay for it afterwards. Every purchase is a risk. Take the risk, or do without. Or borrow the book from a library. |
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That's another one I've heard numerous times.
Every purchase is a risk. I've seen some films which turned out to be awful. But I never tried to get a refund from the cinema.
I bought some green cola a while back from Ocado. It was awful. So awful that I gave the remaining cans to someone else. But every purchase is a risk. I won't buy it again. But I tried it.
Imagine if everyone took every product back because they didn't like it. It'd cost businesses loads (and I am not, of course, referring to returning faulty products, that is right).
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Wrong. Like authors, a lot of musicians struggle to survive. But bands make money through touring and merchandising. Authors can’t do that. |
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Very true.
There is a sense of entitlement from some. I have lost track of the times I have typed a book title into Google (or magazine title) and the search results pertain to wanting a free copy.
Type in the name/issue number of a comic (e.g. ACTION COMICS #900) and you'll see results pertaining to "free downloads". Same with films. Or books. Or CDs. It seems no-one wants to pay for anything.
A friend of mine (social media friend) has released two eBooks. She has told me it is not a full-time income. I typed her book titles - and, yes, there were search results pertaining to free copies.
I typed in the name of a magazine. Same thing.
Why don't people want to pay? If EVERYONE did that, with EVERY product, soon writers, musicians and so many others would not have an income.
On a final note, the one thing I do hear from some is authors/musicians/actors are overpaid and won't miss a lost sale. Assuming that is always true (it isn't), it's still not ethical. And imagine if we apply that to other things.
"Oh, that car salesman has won countless awards and I hear his car lot makes huge profits. He is very successful. Oh well, he's earning a lot, he won't miss it if I break in and steal just ONE car."
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