this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2024
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I was listening to a podcast yesterday, and the two hosts, who have both written books, made a brief aside complaining about people pirating their books.
And I think they were failing to understand that, if I pirate your book and I really like it... I'll probably go out and buy a physical copy for myself. Or vice vera. I bought your book, but I want it on my ereader. Pirate it.
It's no different from the sales "lost" when people freely check out a book from the library. In fact, it will increase exposure to your book.
Lots of people have become incredibly successful, because their art got known through piracy networks. Think Metallica playing stadiums off the back of tape trading.
We talk all the time about how "piracy is media preservation" which is true, but it's also a form of media discovery, and I think we should talk about that more.
Especially small niche authors, I always try to buy a physical copy directly from them or from a non corporate bookstore.
If it’s like Asimov or Tolkien, I’m stealing that shit because their estates and shitty kids don’t need the couple cents the sale would yield them.
That argument is the exact same one Netflix uses when they whine about "losing" money because peoole share accounts.
They aren't "losing" anything because if it wasn't free, most people would just do without. Like im not buying a fiction book if I don't know if ill like it, if I cant get it for free in some way, im just not reading it.
If I really like it I will buy a copy though