Today started off quite normal. I drank my delicious coffee, checked my email, checked my social networks, and then decided to go in search of free/pirated download Google links to my book to send take down notices to, before I started writing. Usually, I don't find any links, but today, oh I hit the jackpot.I found a mobile sharing website that allows people to upload files and 'share' them. Some of these files are freeware and others are uploaded illegally. Well, I came across one of these links and it said that my ebook had been downloaded more than 600 times! My first reaction was, "I'VE BEEN ROBBED!"
But what can I do? I thought to myself. Nothing, but send a takedown notice. Really? That's it? So, I sat and I thought and I thought...all day. Then I saw that this blogger--who shall remain nameless--had posted their email on the mobile file sharing website. The light bulb in my head turned into a flood light and I was momentarily blinded. Turns out the blogger was on my friends list on Goodreads and Facebook. I had sent this person swag. I had trusted this person, and they stabbed me in the eyes and in the spine of my book!
I guess the blogger liked my book so much that they wanted to share it with the entire community on that website. How thoughtful and splendid! I mean, it was only over 600 people that were really interested in my book, right? Technically, this blogger is acting as a distributor, like a bookstore. Then I remembered, hey my book is copyrighted! So what did I do? The only thing I could think of doing when a bookseller wants to buy my book, I sent the blogger a very neat and nice looking invoice for 600 digital copies. And that's a discount because technically it was over 600 copies, and I did not bill the blogger for those extra copies.
In the email subject line, I wrote, "Thanks for your purchase!"
And now, I await the reply.
READ I Bill E-Book Pirates: Part 2 HERE.
Good Show, Good show. Love it!
ReplyDeleteROFLOL! And this is why I ♥ you Nely! :)
ReplyDeleteGo Nely!!! That shows so much disrespect to an author or anybody in this business. It makes all bloggers like myself look bad. I am so sorry you had to go through this. I hope this blogger gets found out by all.
ReplyDeleteI like your style! Great idea. Mind if I borrow it? Dean
ReplyDeleteBorrow away, my dear.
DeleteThis is EPIC!!!!! Go Nely!
ReplyDeletePerfect response! I can't wait to hear what that person says, lol.
ReplyDeleteGreat reaction. Good luck "collecting". I guess if they don't pay, you can address it to the AG of your state for "nonpayment of goods"? I mean, they provided your material without compensation, and you've billed them. That sounds like a completed business deal to me.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Love this!
ReplyDeleteIt's so very annoying to search for these sites everyday, but it does feel good to know that tough authors like you aren't taking this laying down!
ReplyDeleteWow! I would love to hear what they say! LOL
ReplyDeleteWow, Nely - you have amazed me tonight with your amazing approach into re-compensating for the distribution of your book. Well done you"
ReplyDeleteThis. Was. Great.
ReplyDeleteVery interested to see what happens. Thanks for sharing your story, Nely.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, that is so awesome! Kudos to you for taking this action. I can't wait to hear an update. These stupid pirate people ruin the fun of reading for the rest of us, from a loyal purchaser and buyer I say "stick it you them".
ReplyDeleteAWESOME!!
ReplyDeleteEPIC!!! Just too good! xD
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, I hope to see their reply!
ReplyDeleteOh, please keep us posted. :)
ReplyDeleteLove it, great thinking!!
ReplyDeleteI love you so much right now. I definitely want to find out what happens next.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I hope and pray I am not following said blogger.
ReplyDeleteKeep us in the loop--you go, woman! These jerks have to be held accountable for their pirating!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that happened! To have the person be a friend on Goodreads and Facebook ... but the way you handled it is epic!
ReplyDeleteJust one of the many reasons I love you. Gangsta! You rock, Nels!
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes, that is genius!! Way to rock it. I sure hope said blogger pees their pants.
ReplyDeleteGood for you!
ReplyDeleteI love this! Hope you don't mind, but you've inspired me to blog about pirates too.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind at all. You do what you have to.
DeleteThank you, everyone, for your support.
ReplyDeleteCant wait to hear the reply - This is shocking - How can authors trust bloggers to do reviews when they give it away so easily !! shame !! Maybe other authors need to know who this blogger is so they can stop sending them requests as obviously u r not the only one !! boooooooooooooo
ReplyDeletekat
That's utterly brilliant, Nely! Brilliant! :D
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely brilliant my dear!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Awesome :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear that, I can't believe that a blogger do that kind of things, shame on her/him.
ReplyDeleteLately I have not been too active on facebook and I think that I missed a lot of things, but if I can help you with something, just tell me. :)
OMG! That's awful. But your email is hilarious. I am very curious what they'll reply. Keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteI love your book and it sucks that someone pirated it.
By the way I started a campaign against ebook piracy a few weeks ago. I hope that makes at least some people realise how wrong it is what they're doing.
Maybe you can help me with it. Would you like to guestpost? :)
http://vanillamoonblog.com/category/say-no-to-e-book-piracy/
I'd love to. My email is info@nelycab.com
DeleteFirst, this happened to me too. A blogger who won a copy of one of my books uploaded it to a sharing site. I didn't think of this as I don't view pirating as lost revenue. I view it as a bunch of folk who I don't want to share my work with because they are disrespecting me. Since that's the case they wouldn't have paid anyway. Obiviously I had it taken down.
ReplyDeleteSadly, what I know from goodreads is that this is not isolated. I happened upon a link from twitter one day which led me to a thread where several blogger were talking about pirating. They were pretty open about the fact authors don't deserve their money just for writing a book and if they want a free copy there's nothing wrong in taking it. This was a public thread so myself and a few others entered the conversation. I argued that there are samples to decide if the book is worth buying or other ways to get review copies. I was very civil but was told they could ruin me if they chose for objecting to pirates. Lol More worrying was I knew a couple were aspiring authors, one now under contract. They explained it away by saying they spend so much money on books they like that they are entitled to download books free.
Personally I don't care how much a person spends on books. If they haven't received it free from my publisher or myself they don't deserve the entertainment of my books. It's not like writing is a collective. Them paying for someone else's work doesn't put money in my pocket for my work.
Fortunately they are in the minority and the vast majority of bloggers are lovely and trustworthy and helpful. They wouldn't dream of helping themselves to an author's work in this way.
Wow. Well done! Hope it teaches them a lesson!
ReplyDeleteIf she (I'll bet it's a she) doesn't pay (and of course she won't), can you report the non-payment and have a lien put against her? I'm not sure what that involves. But she did distribute your copyrighted property.
ReplyDeleteYou are very noble, not naming her. Of course, posting a screenshot of her name and link next to the downloads is not exactly naming her ... but I'll be it would be effective, plus evidence to support the lien.
Hi, Dianne. I do have screenshots, but I've chosen to not post them...yet....maybe not at all, or maybe later.
DeleteI've been telling my boy for ages that I think it's bloggers themselves who pirate the books. I've seen many 'free' links when I google reviews of the books or images to use for my posts and it's such a shame. Often it's books that are not even released yet... and that's a dead giveaway. I mean come on... 0.99 for some books... and they can't just buy it? Let me also say that I'm South African so the price is x10 for me and I still make the purchase if I want the book and don't get to read a free advanced copy.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is, is that this is making it hard on the rest of us because eventually authors wont want to give us advanced or free copies because they wont know who they are giving it to.
I'm sorry this happened to you Nely :( But I love the way in which you've handled it :) #Bravo!
Thanks for the blog loaded with so many information. Stopping by your blog helped me to get what I was looking for. shipping
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