Ahoy, authors! There be pirates in these waters!

The category of "Romantic Fiction" on the AstaTalk forum is a big one. Apparently, those who believe they shouldn't have to pay for ebooks have a huge appetite for the genre.

It makes me wonder what makes these people tick. Where does a person acquire that sense of entitlement? Do they shoplift in meat space, too? Are they self-proclaimed Christians? Are they so dirt poor that they can't afford to buy what they steal?  Do they have hard drives full of all manner of electronically pirated media -- music, movies, books? What are their demographics? I'm quite curious.

It is no surprise that those who post in search of "free" ebooks typically do so under nicknames and have their profiles set to private. They know they're doing wrong. KNOW it. Hence, they hide. And they sneak. And they steal.

They steal from me and those like me: authors, publishers, editors, and cover artists. And they'll keep doing it until someone does something to stop them. The "authorities" aren't much help at this juncture, so that someone is US.

So, when you become aware that your work is being pirated, post a link to where the book can be LEGALLY obtained. I recommend:

Thank you for your interest in my work. I would appreciate it if you would not steal it on this or similar sites. Not only is it wrong, it also deprives me of the income that I use to pay my bills. We -- author and reader -- have a symbiotic relationship. I'm doing my part. If you don't do yours, I may not be able to continue to write books for your entertainment. This book can be legally obtained via the following link:

INSERT BUY LINK HERE

In appreciation, if you send me your receipt, I will be happy to (insert incentive here).

Please post links to your activism in the comments. Perhaps we can make a difference.

peace and passion,

~ Alessia

BWAHAHAHA!

"Second, there is a certain segment of digital publishing that is publishing porn under the guise of romance thereby diluting the brand of serious romance digital publishers."

Diluting the brand. Oh, that's rich! Let's talk instead 'bout the "serious romance digital publishers" who are publishing the "porn under the guise of romance" like, for starters, the publisher of a recent #romfail snarkfest. Rather than holding up Aphrodisia for public scorn, Dear Author instead opts to use an example from an author cooperative that has never claimed to be publishing "romance." eXcessica, on the other hand, has always been upfront about what it is (and what it's NOT).* I really can't say the same about any of those serious romance digital publishers.

To me, the referenced post sounds a whole helluva lot like a recent controversial blog post by the president of a large, purportedly professional romance writers organization. Same holier-than-thou attitude. Y'know, elitism *can* be a good thing if it raises the bar. This sort, however, only sounds petty and defensive.

Back to work...

peace & passion,

~ Alessia

* P.S. It's no secret that I admire Ms. Kitt for what she's done with eXcessica -- especially, precisely, for not sucking up to romancelandia while doing its own thing and bothering no one. It just goes about its business, not seeking "acceptance." I figure the quality of the material it puts out could be improved at about the same ratio as the "legitimate" (Oh, wait! That's an RWA word.) um... "serious" (Oops, 'nother one!) um... nevermind.

Some folks, however, are annoyed that eXcessica even exists -- kinda like some "career focused" folks are annoyed that epublishing exists. (Don't track that hypocrisy into the house!)

Goooooooo, E!

With Big Exception, Trade Sales Slowed in September
-- Publishers Weekly, 11/5/2008 7:57:00 AM

Reports from various publishers and booksellers that sales slowed considerably in September are borne out by the just-released AAP monthly sales estimates. According to the 17 publishers that report adult hardcover results, sales fell nearly 30% in the month, while sales in the trade paperback and mass market segments were both off by more than 8%. The children’s hardcover segment provided some good news, with sales jumping almost 42% led by shipments of Brisingr, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake and Disney High School Musical 3 Junior Novel; all three had first printings of over 1 million. Children’s paperback sales were down 19.1%. The strong performance of e-books continued in September, with the 13 publishers that report sales totaling revenue of $5.1 million, a 77.8% increase over last September.

Big e-Step

Harlequin Goes All E-Book
By Josh Kerbel -- Publishers Weekly, 9/21/2007 7:25:00 AM

Harlequin said yesterday that from this point forward it is making its complete frontlist catalogue available in e-book format. Active in the e-book marketplace since October 2005, with an initial publication schedule of nine titles a month, Harlequin will now be releasing more than 120 titles per month in both print and digital formats.

Harlequin’s e-books will be priced slightly lower than their print books and be available in Adobe, Microsoft Reader, MobiPocket, Palm and Sony formats. The company said it is launching this initiative because its customers embrace the immediacy and portability of the format and the titles do not go out of stock.