In an article by Scott Turow in the NY Times readers learn of yet another event in the publishing market that chips away at the author income. It shouldn't surprise anyone, really. After all, as long as the powers-that-be profit from such a move, that makes it somehow okay. They must think that authors somehow won't care about it. Right? Yeah, sure. Midlist authors, ingenue authors ... all those struggling to make a name for themselves ... they don't need money. They are only writing for the pure art of it. Uh huh. That's one way to appease guilt and greedy acts.Seriously though, I personally don't do this for the money. I enjoy writing and sharing my stories with readers. However, that's not the point. The point is that some very greedy people are profiting off of each and every writer's work, the work that may have taken him/her years to finish. I look at it this way. If I choose to give away my work, that's my right and my business. If somebody else is doing this and profiting from it, that's copyright infringement. And I realize there are fine lines to this. For instance, we purchase an item, any item and may turn around and sell it on Amazon, eBay, or even a garage sale. But the point is we purchased it in the first place. That seems perfectly fine to me.
Anyway, read the article for yourself. In this age of digital products, purchasing online, and such easy access to most everything makes life indeed a tempting playground to do things not so very ethical or fair. I guess when it comes down to it, I'll keep on writing because I love to and keep on publishing because I want others to enjoy. And I'll have to accept the bad along with the good. Such is life ... cheers, all. Enjoy reading!
The Slow Death of the American Author by Scott Turow
