Authors: What to do about ebook ripped and shared?

[mckitterick]

So I happened to do a search on my book and discovered that the top results no longer link to my website (or Amazon or Powell's or Alibris or whatever) but instead to a wide variety of file-sharing networks.

Is this normal these days? Do I combat it by doing the same, offering my own free download on my website as an "official" way to get it free? Do I contact all the forum managers to remove such posts - or is that a Sisyphean effort? Or do I not try to combat it at all and learn to like it?

Huh!

EDIT: Or should I just take it as a compliment that someone liked it enough to share it? *sigh*

EDIT2: I've decided to fight fire with fire and just give it away electronically!

Thanks for any advice,
Chris

Comments

[chernobylred.livejournal.com]

I think if you try to find all the places that are putting your work up without your permission, and attempt to get them to remove it, you're never going to have the time to write anything new.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid so. It's kind of flattering that someone worked so hard to create multiple file types from a ripped Kindle. Maybe they'll send me copies, too, so I don't have to make them for my own site ;-)

[ryltar.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately the only thing you can do is contact each site and ask them to take the file down as the original copyright holder. Most sites have a DMCA policy at the bottom of the page. Unfortunately, as red said, that is eat all your time.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I started contacting sites, but it's a mega-pain, mostly because it's nearly impossible to find contact info unless you're a member. Egad.

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

Did you use whois? That is the easy way. Then past the address of the contact into a bcc and contact lots of folks with the same request.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I do not know of this magic contact tool of which you speak. Please enlighten me!

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

http://www.networksolutions.com/whois-search/

Go to this site, and enter your main domain name (ending with .com, .net, .org, etc) -- or enter an IP address. On the page you get there should be contact information.

One time someone was talking about KU's web site and did not know who was responsible for it, so I went to the whois for KU's web site and got the information.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Neat, thanks!

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. I learned about it a long time ago when chat was all IRC -- no sweet little interfaces until AOL's IM came along.

[auroraceleste.livejournal.com]

I think you know google search rankings, is there a way we can link to McKitterick's stie or Amazon en-masse in blogs and such to at least push the crap down the search page?

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

That's a great idea, thanks! Here are the links:

My site with an HTML excerpt (where people can download the whole thing in .pdf format for free):
http://www.sff.net/people/mckitterick/Me/Transcendence1.htm

My publisher's website with my book:
http://www.hadleyrillebooks.com/transcendence.html

Here's the link to Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982946708/?tag=CSSF-20

It's also been Kindled:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BA5GJ0/?tag=CSSF-20

Powell's:
http://www.powells.com/biblio?PID=29700&cgi=product&isbn=9780982946701

Barnes & Noble:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Transcendence/Christopher-McKitterick/e/9780982946701

It's at lots of other places, too, like Alibris and so forth.

Thank you!
Chris

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

And I created a Creative Commons license for it. I'm clever! ;-)

[gryphonrose.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I don't think there's any way to stop it. I'd say just relax, be happy people are reading it no matter where they're getting it, and know that the people who read it and enjoy it will search out your next one--and at least a few of those will decide "hey, I liked his last one, this time I'm going to actually buy it from him!" :)

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's half of how I feel!

[gwyndolin.livejournal.com]

There's definitely a balance issue -- to try and track down every pirated copy will only drive you nuts. On the other hand, if you see your book on a site, do contact the admins and get them to take it down. No reason to leave the ones you find up.

[bogwitch64.livejournal.com]

I vote for gwyndolin!

That seems most sensible to me. Knock down the ones you find, but don't drive yourself nuts.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I did contact the two biggest torrent sources (as opposed to the sharing sites), and they've already said they took down the file.

[bogwitch64.livejournal.com]

As far as I've heard, the bigger sights are quick to rectify the situation. Still, wouldn't it be wiser to check BEFORE posting it up?

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I tried contacting a few of the file-sharing places, but it's a HUGE PITA - most don't have a way to contact the admin without becoming a paying member. Good lord.

[lanerobins.livejournal.com]

When it happened to the Sylvie books, the publisher worked to knock down the top ones, just so that my site, etc., would be the first page of search results. After that, it becomes less important, I guess?

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Excellent point! Thanks for the tip.

[geekmom.livejournal.com]

That makes a certain amount of sense, too.

[imago1.livejournal.com]

I wrestle with this. I've concluded anonymity as an author is a greater evil than being pirated.

[bogwitch64.livejournal.com]

I vote for Laird too! Very wise words, here.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

So true. I'm going to have to get on the ball about posting free downloads from my OWN site!

[imago1.livejournal.com]

I think that's wise. The whole thing is annoying as a lot of these sites are based in countries where our laws don't reach.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

...and now I've done it! Posted the whole thing to my site so that maybe people will go there first to get it (free) rather than from unscrupulous types.

[geekmom.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I hear you. The ONLY Google Alerts I've had for my book have been ripped eBooks up on share sites. I decided that people who shopped on file sharing sites for books were not people who shopped on Amazon, so I probably didn't lose any actual sales for it.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Ha! Good point.

[professormass.livejournal.com]

I 100% agree. More to the point, it's free advertising. I have overheard variants of the following conversation more than once:

"Who's this guy?"
"Good author."
"Where'd you hear about him?"
"Torrent."

As they were buying the book in the local megastore.

[stina-leicht.livejournal.com]

contact your publisher. get them to post a knuckle-smacking letter.

[the-monkey-king.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this sucks and people oughta know better, but... I've seen a LOT of torrented books and magazines with my name on them. Take down the worst offenders, make your own site the home for this as far as you can, and hope your fans also put down cash for other things.

I'm always amazed that people don't seem to think authors who are paid for their work are likely to make more of it. But the siren call of "free books" is pretty strong.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping my new strategy of giving it away, myself, and asking friends to link to the "official" sites does the trick!

[kimberlywade.livejournal.com]

A most appropriate tag: "decline of civilization." Sigh.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Yep. That and road-rage: Two big indicators.

[normalcyispasse.livejournal.com]

Well hell. Maybe just think of the Internet as a big library or something.

[ericreynolds.livejournal.com]

True, but libraries tend to pay for their books, except for the few that are donated.

[alaneer.livejournal.com]

It's a compliment for sure, a terrible one.

I posted about this on FB and LJ. Charles Tan has also added it to his daily links.

Sophy

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Sophy! And neat to hear about Tan linking it.