Comments on: Piracy vs Obscurity: Which Is Worse For Authors?

By: Podcast: Scott Sigler On How To Be A NY Times Best-Selling Author | The Creative Penn

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:50:27 +0000

[...] On piracy vs obscurity. Stop worrying about it and get your work out there! It’s a cost/benefit ratio. Example given is Cory Doctorow who gives his work away for free. Obscurity is the enemy of book sales, not piracy. It’s a way to get fans. You are competing with video games, TV, movies and millions of other books in the entertainment industry. You have to get people trying out your stuff somehow. [...]

By: Creative Commons: What Is It and How Can It Benefit You? by Joanna Penn | The Creative Penn

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 06:13:44 +0000

[...] On Piracy vs Obscurity. You need to make your own decision as to whether you want your ideas to be out there and used (and potentially pirated), or whether you want to keep them in a drawer where no one will discover them. If you want to be a successful author who sells books, you need to be known and the internet is the place to build your global presence. The risk of piracy is nothing compared to being unknown. Cory Doctorow addresses this in “Giving it away”, a Forbes.com article where he describes giving the ebook versions of his books away for free under a Creative Commons license. His sales increased but his books were also translated by fans and his ideas spun into new creativity. [...]

By: Friday Link Love 9/11 (Late Edition) | Brad’s Reader

Friday Link Love 9/11 (Late Edition) | Brad’s Reader — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:37:48 +0000

[...] Piracy vs. Obscurity: Which is worse for authors? [...]

By: Joanna Penn

Joanna Penn — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:08:01 +0000

Hi Debra, if you can’t get the host site to take them down, then I would post the Take Down Notice on the blog with your information, and then ignore it. I see these things often as an attempt for traffic from you, i.e. auto posting to get attention.
I hope you are successful!
Thanks, Joanna

By: Debra Shiveley Welch

Debra Shiveley Welch — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:41:59 +0000

Very well done. I catch plagiarists using Google Alerts all of the time, and usually the DMCA Take Down Notice form gets the site taken down. However, lately, I’m having trouble with Blogger and Google. It has now been three weeks and my work is still up under another person’s name. This particular thief took chapter eight from my book and put it on their blog. Outrageous!

I’d like to know who to go to when the web host does not comply.

By: Joanna Penn

Joanna Penn — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:57:44 +0000

Hi all, thanks for the comments – a few replies:

* @BenDawe – glad I inspired a post for you!

* Serene – Absolutely, you must value your own work, but giving it away for free is the only way a new author may get an audience these days. Give away a chapter, or first book for free and gain readers for your next ones. Case in point is JC Hutchins whose 7th Son podcast trilogy released for free eventually got him a deal with St Martins Press and his books are out this year. Also, on the music industry – many new musicians make there money without the record industry because they can make and sell it themselves – it collapsed but reinvented around digital. I only buy digital music now.

* CS – thanks for your comment and for sending to Paulo Coelho. I am a fan of his and want to write “Like a Flowing River”! Of course, you are welcome to reprint this with a link back to the original. Thanks so much.

* Victoria – I’m glad to help! I still think you need to patrol your work, but that perhaps having it out there is more important. I think most people are interested to find the original author/creator.

*Brad – that’s definitely the strategy! I am currently writing my first novel and already aiming to podcast it for free next year. One has to build a market before a publisher is really interested! I intend to actually sell some books! (as I am sure you do!)

*Hans-Olov – I still think giving stuff away is the key to selling! All the sales I make on this site are made to people who have downloaded my free information. There is room for both in a sales and marketing strategy!

Thanks all – Joanna

By: Hans-Olov Öberg

Hans-Olov Öberg — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:51:59 +0000

If we find the formula to translate for-free readings (be they pirate stuff or other freebies) into some kind of sales (be they “proper” eBook or even hard copy revenues) – then it’s ok in my book (be it…well, you get the drift) . But if we’re choosing between giving stuff away and not selling any at all, then I find the argument a bit toughter.

By: Brad Vertrees

Brad Vertrees — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:39:31 +0000

I definitely think obscurity is worse for authors. If one’s books are being pirated, it means they are out there being noticed and that there is a demand for them. There are things one can do to turn pirated books into an advantage.

For example, I’d try to give away as many back titles as possible to increase demand for my newer titles. And when a new title is release, I’d release it in as many different formats as possible.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:38:38 +0000

Hi Joanna,

Wanted to say your article gave me a clearer perspective on this topic, I was aware of a few of the issues but not all the benefits! It’s funny that having my photographs pirated has triggered me more than having an article republished with no credits, guess that comes from my time with daily and weekly newspapers on a small Caribbean island where copyright is virtually non existent or rather not respected. Today I have a new perspective on all that, thanks to you my friend! best Victoria

By: Naomi Estment

Naomi Estment — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:11:10 +0000

Thanks so much for a great article, Joanna, and also for your feedback, Serene.

Being an aspiring author, I am most grateful for this insight. I have also been wondering how it might affect potential publishing contracts if content is available ahead of time. What is your advice on this in particular?

Sincere thanks again,

Naomi