Welcome to guest blogger Cherish, who is posting on a topic near and dear to e-authors' hearts!

Thank you for hosting me during my Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour, which launches my award-winning romantic suspense, Lancelot's Lady. Today I'll be talking about ebook piracy and the toll it takes on authors and publishers.

 

I'm frustrated by the amount of ebook piracy that's going on. For some reason people believe they're entitled to make copies of an ebook and sell or give those copies away to others, regardless of the fact that piracy is illegal. But some people aren't aware they ARE a pirate. So what makes a pirate?

 

Piracy consists of two aspects―when you either use file sharing websites to download works by writers without the author or publisher's permission or when you use file sharing websites to share files you don't have permission to share with others. Both are illegal. Some people, however, feel this should be their right, that it doesn't really hurt anyone, that there's nothing illegal about it. The list of justifications goes on and on.

 

What they don't see are the devastating effects their actions have on the book industry, especially on authors and publishers. Publishers are hurt by piracy, especially when a book is shared prior to release, which has happened in the past. ARCs, advanced reading copies, are sometimes found on share sites. These came from reviewers who agreed to read and review or possibly review blurb a book for an author or publisher. When thousands of copies of a not-yet-released book is pirated and shared, this means the author and publisher lost sales during the launch or pre-order time.

 

Any time a book is pirated, whether an early release or one that's been out for a while, a publisher loses potential sales and they'll have to make some tough decisions. They may not offer the author another book contract. They many not market the book aggressively. They may not pursue co-op options in bookstores for premium shelf space or end cap displays.

 

What the general population doesn't realize is that authors must show high sales in the first few days and weeks if they want a publisher to back them with promotions and extra marketing or if they want a bookstore to feature them in a special noticeable area of the store or even on the bookshelf. Also, authors have spent hours and often years writing a work, sometimes receiving only a very small advance of $100-1000. They have the right to expect to be paid when someone reads their work.

 

While it's difficult to pinpoint exactly how many lost sales have resulted from piracy, it's not hard to imagine the number is high. I've heard all the arguments FOR piracy and all the excuses. I don't buy any of them (pun intended). If I get a free ebook, it should be because of a special promotion or contest that the publisher or author has arranged. If it was more difficult to find pirated ebooks, we wouldn't have such a problem. It's like anything else in life, if I can only get something by paying for it, if I really want it I'll pay for it.

 

My ebooks are all under $5, with the most expensive at $4.99 for a new release. My least expensive ebook is only $0.99, with the majority at $1.99 and $2.99.

 

Lancelot's Lady ~ A Bahamas holiday from dying billionaire JT Lance, a man with a dark secret, leads palliative nurse Rhianna McLeod to Jonathan, a man with his own troubled past, and Rhianna finds herself drawn to the handsome recluse, while unbeknownst to her, someone with a horrific plan is hunting her down.

Lancelot's Lady is available in ebook edition at KoboBooks, Amazon's Kindle Store, Smashwords and other ebook retailers. Help me celebrate by picking up a copy today and "Cherish the romance..."

 

You can learn more about Lancelot's Lady and Cherish D'Angelo (aka Cheryl Kaye Tardif) at http://www.cherishdangelo.com and http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com. Follow Cherish from September 27 to October 10 on her Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour and win prizes.

Approximately how many ebooks have you read?

 

Leave a comment here, with email address, to be entered into the prize draws. You're guaranteed to receive at least 1 free ebook just for doing so. Plus you'll be entered to win a Kobo ereader. Winners will be announced after October 10th.

 

What did you think of this article?

Liked
Disliked
No Opinion