Month of #Love #99cents Sale (No #Piracy) by Brenda Whiteside

Following on the heels of Andrea's Post yesterday, the illegal distribution of someone else's creative endeavor drives me bananas. Those who steal for profit should be prosecuted or at the very least shut down. If an author wants to give away her books for free, that should be her choice.

But there's another side to this, and I doubt there's anything that can be done about it. Art, in any form, has long been considered a product of love not profit. No one would think the work and material and time that goes into making an item such as a light bulb is born from love or that the end product should be offered up for all of society to enjoy for free. For some reason, creativity, in any form is viewed differently. Not to say people do not want to put out big bucks for a Van Gogh or a first edition of Alice in Wonderland. Eventually, creations are valued. Unfortunately, I think the Internet is the biggest reason there is a free for all attitude on music and books today.

The Internet has introduced millions to what they might not otherwise know. It enriches. Yet, it also takes away. What do you think? Can I blame the Internet?

I'm offering up two ALMOST FREE reads. Books three and four of my Love and Murder Series are on sale this month.

A LEGACY OF LOVE AND MURDER

Inheriting an Austrian Castle is an Alpine fairytale for August, until someone begins killing the heirs.

Amazon Link-ON SALE

THE POWER OF LOVE AND MURDER

Penny Sparks has secrets that can ruin a presidential contender, got her family murdered…and mark her as the next hit.

Amazon Link-ON SALE

Publicity or #Piracy by Andrea Downing

I don’t watch much TV but I do like to keep up with the latest films.  When I say latest, I mean, I put them on my Netflix DVD list and a few months later they’re released, and I eventually receive them.  I pop them into my player and what I see first is a stern warning from the FBI:  “The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by federal law enforcement agencies and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.” Of course, their very fine seal and badge also accompany the page, which is followed by the statement, “Piracy is not a victimless crime” put there by the National Intellectual Property Center, who have a web page recounting how piracy affects the economy.

Well.

Why isn’t that reproduced on the copyright page of every book? Can they not send out a meme we could all download to use?

Nominated for a RONE Award, I attended the very first InD’Tale conference in Las Vegas, which was my very first conference as well. There, I sat in on a panel by a well-known, NYT best-selling, award-winning author. She let it be known that she earned upwards of 400k a year. I’ll never forget her advice to us—not to worry about piracy, see it as free promotion.

Well.

Whether you’re earning 39 cents through a publisher ebook, or a higher percentage through being self-published, those little pennies can add up.  Maybe it’s not going to make you 400K; in fact, I personally don’t care about the money--it's probably a small amount.  What I care about is that someone else has taken control of my book, is publishing it where they please, or handing it out. Some are free, some are not. Intellectual Property is just that—property, owned by someone. It’s true that most of the piracy sites are not, in any case, giving away books; they’re phishing for credit card details and using our books as the bait. I believe authors rarely get reviews from the readers who help perpetrate these crimes, and they are presumably not readers who might become lifelong fans. The books they receive are often badly formatted through whatever method the pirate has used. Plus, there are now enough free books and discounted books to keep anyone reading for a lifetime without patronizing a piracy site.

Well?

Reader or author, let me know what you think: Publicity or Piracy?

And with a bargain like this, who needs a pirated book?  It's nearly Valentine's Day, and love is in the air with these seven novellas by seven award-winning and best-selling authors. What's more romantic than a sexy cowboy? Treat yourself to a best-selling contemporary western anthology with 53 Reviews and 4.5 Stars, only $0.99. A COWBOY TO KEEP is at https://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Keep-Contemporary-Western-Collection-ebook/dp/B072869SGV/ . Go catch a cowboy . . .. and keep a cowboy!