Free copy vs. Pirated copy . . .
Yep, this is the one that got stolen and is now available for free. Of course, it always was available for free. I guess I should be happy that out of the millions of books on Amazon, mine got chosen. Someone thought it valuable enough to steal and put it up on their site to be downloaded. I found out by way of twitter a month or so ago. A young lady tweeted about it, saying that she was happy that she had found it, finally. She said that she had been searching all over the internet for it. Well, duh, why not go directly to the main source? Amazon. This book, I believe is still in the Kindle Select program, which means I get five days in a 90 day period to give it away. All she had to do was ask, and let me know which day was most convenient for her to download it. If it isn’t in the program, I can give it away outside of Amazon (pdf or epub version, whichever is preferred) all day long, every day.
I followed the link she posted and went to the site. There were several other people who said they had also been looking for the book. I didn’t go into the site. You had to sign up to get access. However, I could see where someone was asking about how to access/download the book. Someone else responded that the person just had to input a ‘CC’ which I assume meant credit card. Now why would you have to input a credit card in order to download a free book? Furthermore, if the site had no qualms about stealing my book, do you think that they would think twice about stealing your credit card info? Or other personal information? Call me crazy, but I don’t think so. And that’s what worries me.
I love readers. I especially love readers who are interested in reading My books. I love writing! I love writing and sharing! I would hate to see someone get ripped off trying to get a copy of my book. It doesn’t cost me a penny to give it away (digitally) once it is uploaded. In most cases, anyway. If I’m doing a GoodReads giveaway, then it costs me. But, aside from a case like that, or possibly a handful of other cases, it doesn’t cost. If someone wants to read my books, hey, they are more than welcome. And if they want a free copy I can usually arrange it. Just ask!
Now, having said that, does that mean I will want to give all of my books away, all of the time? No, but I consider myself fairly generous. As I said in the last post, I would be willing to give away two books for every one book that someone purchases (or some similar deal). I’m grateful for readers. I want to get my books into the hands of anyone and everyone who is interested in reading the types of books I write. All anyone has to do is contact me. And throw me a bone every once in awhile by leaving a review.
So, am I angry about the book getting stolen? No, not really. Do I love that it got stolen? No, not really. It’s kind of funny, and flattering. I’m happy that people want to read it. I would just be happier if whoever wants to read it comes to me for a copy. I would hate to see the person get ripped off, or get their information stolen.
I semi-frequently do a search to see where my books pop up. I love that they are gradually making there way out into the world, New Zealand (which for some reason cracks me up), India, Spain, etc. I’ve sold books through Amazon in the UK, Canada, and India, so far. I love it! It’s fun to see, to watch them “migrate,” so to speak, and spread all over the world.
There is a website for readers, which I believe is fairly new, that has listed my book, I Fear Only the Dogs, that I ran across. The site is a notification service for book lovers, letting readers know what is newly released in whatever categories the reader chooses. I think you can even list authors you want to be notified about when they release new books, and the site directs you to where to find the books. The site is called Any New Books.
I have to commend this site for what they state in their FAQ section:
Any New Books FAQ
2. Can I get the actual books for free?
This is a reputable notification service about new releases, not a piracy site. Any New Books let you know, “Hey, Paulo Coelho has a new book out”, so that you can buy it from one of the convenient links on Amazon, at a local bookstore, or borrow it from the library. We felt the need to clarify this point here, because quite a few people have contacted us before because they were disappointed to see a list of new releases instead of illicit downloads.
Here is the link (where they list my book, of course), so it is the horror section, but you can always navigate to the home page from here:
I will say that the cover for the book, The Weird and Whatnot, is pretty cool looking. A pumpkin with spider legs? Reminds me of an old movie I watched on the Dialing For Dollars T.V. show (odds are you’re more than likely too young to be familiar with the show) years ago, where giant spiders were attacking a city. Kind of hilarious.
In any case, KUDOS to Any New Books for not being another “Piracy” site!
I’ve digressed a bit, but yes, my book, Daguerreotype Dreams, is FREE! Or it can be at any time. Just Ask!