Piracy

Touchy subject, yes? As authors there is nothing worse than knowing that your "baby" is out there being passed around like a hooker at a frat party to anyone who wants her. I have learned that most of the "sharing" sites are out of the US and there really isn't much that can be done to have them take down the material that is in CLEAR violation of the copyright. Sucks but true.

As readers I have heard so many crap line that it makes me sick. One man said something along the lines of..."authors are just bitching because now they can't buy that second house in the Bahamas" ROFLMAO!!! I don't know about you but the first royalty check I got wasn't even enough to fill my car up with gas.

Don't get me wrong, I love writing and plan on continuing to do so, but I know so many other e-published authors just like me. They don't roll in the dough. Barely make enough to scratch by in this economy and then to have someone steal it?

Another woman said that Piracy is no big deal so I posed the question, "What would you do if you were standing in line at the grocery store, waiting to pay for the dinner that you were going to feed your family that night and a total stranger walked up, reached in your purse, took the $ you had in it and walked off?" Her response was that it wasn't the same thing.

I BEG TO DIFFER!!!! I have kids! They depend on me! THIS IS MY JOB!!! and YOU, the pirate, are stealing, literally, the food from my kids mouths!! The gifts from under the tree at Christmas!! DAMN YOU MR GRINCH!!! Have you no shame?

What did my kids ever do to you?

The answer...nothing. And you don't care. Why? Because to you, my kids and I are nobody. You don't know me, you don't live in my life or pay my bills or see the looks on my kids face when the tree only has a few gifts under it on Christmas morning. If you could see that, you would think twice. Do you really want to hurt the kids? Is it really your goal in life to make children unhappy or sad? If you say Yes, then I feel sorry for you.

remember, Piracy of movies or books is illegal. It isn't just some stranger you are hurting, but all those around them who you don't know, and don't care about, but for all you know you are stealing a book written by a single mother who needs that royalty check to put gas in her car to take her special needs child to the doctor. or to put presents under the tree. or for their next meal.

How does that make you feel?