Shiloh Walker's Blog, page 160

The Bad New/The Good News…

The Bad News is…

Reading contracts makes my head hurt.  O.o

The Good News is…

Thank You, God, I'm reading a contract for a book I just sold to Ballantine…

O.o

This is a standalone romantic suspense title, called Stolen, (tentatively) probably due out mid to late summer of next year.  It's a in-between title of sorts, between the series that's due out this fall and the next series I'm going to write for them.

The current plan is to set it in Alaska…

It involves a weird writer… that's the heroine.  And a hero.  And that's all I'm telling you.

Asheville, NC signing

So I had a polite little rant set up to go live today.  And while I still haven't changed my viewpoints, it's dawned on me… I don't wanna give the person any more exposure.  Bleh.  Maturity kind of sucks sometimes.

Anyway, instead, I'll take the high road and post about a promo thing.  See?  Am being mature here!

I'll be signing books in Asheville, NC next Friday!

Details…

Friday March 25, 2011 7:00 PM
Asheville Mall
3 South Tunnel Road
Asheville, NC 28805
828-296-7335

Ways to be a pain for pirates

courtesy of Mandy M Roth

If you've seen my posts about places like iOffer, then you know I firmly believe authors can make a difference if they'll stay on top and keep fighting with piracy.  Is it easy?  Nope.  Is it fun?  Nope.  Are the results immediate?  Nope.

But ignoring it doesn't make it go away either.  Leaving it in the hands of the publishers doesn't do it.  Publishers have their entire houses to watch for and small legal staffs.  We've only got to watch for our own works.

A properly worded DMCA, for MOST websites, will get your works removed.  Not sure how to word it?  Check out this guy's site.

Don't do anything extra-don't get pissed, don't get crazed, it won't do any good.  Just state the facts.  I routinely check for pirated stuff and slowly, I'm seeing my stuff less. I know it's still out there-pirates will always find a way to get something for nothing.

FYI, for the pirates who are reading this and getting all high and mighty with their excuses… well, if it wasn't for DRM, territory restrictions, blah blah blah… educate yourselves.  Most of the works of MINE that you pirate-no DRM.  No territory restrictions.  Those that do have territory restrictions, this isn't anything *I* have control over, and often the publishers don't-it's controlled by deals struck with the publishers within your country.  Yep.  However, the majority of my works that get pirated have no restrictions.  None.  You can buy, legally, across the globe.  You choose not to.  You choose to steal.

There are always going to be those who think they are entitled to get something for nothing, those who think they are entitled to take what others have worked hard to create. The only thing we can do is either ignore it, or fight to protect our rights. I refuse to ignore it.

Something else I've started doing?  As of February, I report all copyright violations to the IC3.

If it's on iOffer, I take screen shots of the auctions, I take note of the seller's names, and I report both iOffer and the seller. Not familiar with what the IC3 is? Per the website:

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

I also do this for copyright violations on filesharing sites.  As not all pirates are located with the US, I also report to several agencies outside the US, especially if I know the site is based in a certain country.

Another thing I do with filesharing sites, especially the problematic ones that don't remove promptly-I do a whois lookup.  Go to this site http://whois.domaintools.com/ and enter the website of the site pirating the works.  Find out who their server is.  Try CCing your DMCA takedown to them and advising something like… "please be advised this site is violating your TOS by violating third party rights-namely my copyright and they refuse to remove the works in a timely manner.  As they are not abiding by your TOS." (FYI, find the TOS of their site and copy it into the email.)

Is this time consuming?  Oh, yes.  But when more authors start fighting back, things will get better for all of us.  Complain to the IC3-let them know which sites they need to focus on next. Send in your DMCA takedowns-sites are only protected from lawsuits if they take prompt action.  Does it seem overwhelming now?  Probably.  But right now ebooks are really taking off.  Imagine how bad it's going to get if you ignore it now…and things really explode in five years.  If more authors speak up now, the more we fight for our rights now, the better it will be for us in the future.

Random…Tempt Me news, Broken & Fragile

Quickie random ramble…

I uploaded Tempt Me on ARe / Omnilit. Dunno when I'll get around to Hunter's Choice but I'll get to it sooner or later.  The site is very easy to work with, once you have the books in the formats-if they offered the step on the site, they'd be far away the better choice over Smashwords, other than the fact that they don't send books out to vendors other than Ibooks.

But it is an easy site and they also don't go on rants comparing the 'ebook revolution' the revolutions that happened in Egypt.

There just a few days left on the signed copies of Broken and Fragile over on ebay-the proceeds will go to benefit earthquake victims in Japan.  The books will be personalized to the winner.  FYI-I'm utterly delighted-the current bid is $61.  The books together are only worth $30.  You all are amazing.

Other news-I think I will soon be getting my life back.  Thank You God.  Those of you who know about that other hat I wear sometimes?  I'm cutting it back to two days a week.  Hopefully soon we can make it one day a week and then maybe … gasp… no.  Better not say it.

Okay.  I rambled enough.

So…you wanna bid on the books Broken and Fragile ?  Or buy Tempt Me ARe / Omnilit?

Let's talker Master Resale rights…ebooks, etc *REPOST*

Yes…you've seen this before. I plan on posting once a month, perhaps. Or at least until asinine sites like ebay & ioffer stop letting people abuse copyright owners' rights. BTW, this stuff also applies to writers who aren't me. For modern works, after 1978 and somebody is claiming to have 'master resale rights' or "I'm the copyright owner" or any crap like that over a work…it's very likely FALSE. Copyright remains in place for the author's lifetime, plus 70 years. Info on that can be found at copyright.gov – a nice government-y website so don't be fooled by the BS

.

Okay, I'm hoping some people out there researching 'master resell rights' stumble onto this page. Or I hope some of the people mistakenly claiming to be 'authorized ebook resellers' find this page.

Because I've got news for you.

You can't buy the resale rights to my work…unless you go through me, and I can't sell them to you, because it would be conflict with my contract to my publisher. Which could get me sued. Which is why I'm pretty certain other authors out there aren't likely to be doing this either.

You can resell a paperback, because after all, there is just the one copy.

But you can't resell ebook after ebook after ebook because that's not selling one copy-that's making new copies and you know what that does? That violates my copyright. I own the rights to my work. Me. Just me.

I contract with my publisher and they publish the books. Through my publisher, I may sell the foreign rights (and please, dear God, I'd really love to), I can sell the audio rights (please God, I would love to) and other assorted rights. I own the rights. They are mine. You can't buy a 'master resale right' to anything I've written, because I won't give it up.

If somebody claims they can give you master resale rights, you were lied to. Possibly by mistake, possibly with the intention of deceiving you, I don't know. Email the publisher if you don't believe me-ask the person claiming the 'resale rights' bit who their contact at the publisher was. But don't shell out money to somebody who claim to give you master resale rights to ebooks.

Now this isn't to say there aren't books out there with 'master resale rights'. I see all this 'set up your own ebook biz' and all the ebooks are self-help and do-it-yourself, and maybe, just maybe, those do come with legit resale rights.

But if you think Nora Roberts sold her resale rights to somebody who in turn now sells them out to others so they can sell a slew of them on ebay for a few bucks when the author doesn't see a red cent for all her hard work, you're wrong-somehow, I suspect Nora Roberts is a little too smart for that. She doesn't do it. Neither does Shiloh Walker, neither does Larissa Ione, neither does Lauren Dane, neither does any fricking writer I've talked to about this…and yeah, writers do talk about it. A lot.

Publishing doesn't work that way.

Ebook publishing doesn't work that way.

This is about rights. Plain and simple rights. When people 'create' digital copies of our work, they are making new copies-that is copyright infringement-and that violates our rights. Plain and simple. It violates our rights and if somebody came in and rode roughshod all over your legal rights, you'd be bit upset. You do not have the legal rights to resell our works, no matter what you were told.

And if anybody who was told this is reading this…seriously, completely seriously, I want to know who is telling you. You were misinformed. A lot of people have been misinformed and that circle won't stop until we get to the root of it all.

Feel free to email me. Shilohwalker(at)gmail.com. Of course, if you're emailing me just to tell me how I mean I am for wanting people to respect my fricking rights…don't waste your time. I'm really handy with that delete button and I don't waste my time arguing with people who can't understand that I'm entitled to have my rights respected, the same way others want their rights respected.

BTW, if other authors reading this wanna do the same & spread the word…well, the more readers who are aware, maybe the fewer sales those bastards will get. Some people are thinking-you're telling them where these are! But plenty of people already know. And it won't get better until more people speak up and take action.

Plus, readers can also help if they want. On ioffer, if you see a modern author, be it romance authors you already read or people like Stephen King, Nicholas Sparks, whoever, there's a report item button down at the buttom-click it-report that you believe the item is still protected by copyright and you'll be notifying the author. Hell, leave notes on the buying page by 'asking a question' if you want telling the would be buyers they are buying stolen property and you can refer them to this page at the FBI- http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investiga.... iOffer got nasty with me a few times and tried to close my account when I did such things. I pointed out that they can't allow people to buy and sell stolen goods and then try to shut down my account when I inform them people are buying & selling stolen goods, which is what copyrighted material is. They opened my account back up very, very fast.

With ebay, you can also report items suspected of abuse. It's more work, requires an ebay account and it works best if you can get the seller to send you the list of books. But if you're not an author, this is actually awesome. Then you can get the list of items, report them and if I'm one of the authors… SEND IT TO ME! *G* Be my spy! (Yes, I'm bad.) If you click on report item, it will give you a bunch of drop down menus…you want:

Counterfeits and copyright violations (after that, if the listing showed it as being on a CD-probably did, ebay policy now makes it a violation to email stuff) click on:

Bootlegs and counterfeit media… then from there:

Media on Recordable formats (CD-R, DVD-R, VHS Tape, etc.)

Once you get there, mention something like…

Message: Claiming modern works in public domain-the list of books I saw were all copyrighted.

Please note, this DOESN'T apply to classical works. Only to works put into print after 1978. Tom Sawyer is public domain. Bronte is public domain. But those aren't the books the majority of these people are selling.

And I will warn you, although most of the time the sellers just slink off once the auctions are shut down, some of them do get testy. I'm mean for not wanting them to make money…*even though they do it by stealing from me, making it harder for me to earn my rightful living*, I'm taking food from their kids, even though they are doing it in a dishonest, dishonorable fashion, not to mention the example they are setting…so if readers decide to do this, be aware, somebody might get nasty in response. Ebay also has gotten irritated with me. Imagine, expecting them to take action when people are selling illegal goods on their site.

Japan…looking for a way to help out?

I posted this back when the quakes hit China a while back…figured I'd repost again.

image via thedailymaverick.co.za

the below is from reposted 5/16/2008

When I'm checking out a charity, one of the first things I check is their annual report. I give to a couple on a regular basis. I've been blessed and I like to do what I can to help others. But I do want to know my money is going to an efficient charity.

Charities, at least in the US, are required to disclose how much of their monies go to their program, to fundraising, to 'other' (often administration). A little checking around can give you an idea if they put their money where their mouth is.

Some money is required for fundraising and for the full time employees. As much as some people might like to be able to do it for free, not many people are independently wealthy-so paychecks? A good thing. But I do like to see the places I give to focusing most of their moneys on their programs. Anything above 80% works well for me. But that is something each individual needs decide for him/herself.

Here are some that I think are beyond outstanding:

World Vision

(86% of monies received go directly to their programs)

Mercy Corps

(90% to programs)

Save the Children

(89% to programs)

Compassion International

(83% to programs)

Half the Sky

(83% to programs) (China-specific…struck out on 3.13.11)

Doctors without Borders

(looks like 86% according to the Charity Navigator)

If you have a certain charity in mind and you want to check them out, try the Charity Navigator, an independent group that evaluates charities.

~*~

Edited in on 3/11/2011 specifically for the Japanese quakes…

Check out this page if you're looking for a charity that has a presence in Japan…they have a number of charities listed-some are already active in Japan, others are mobilizing.

Broken & Fragile… auctioning off signed copies on ebay

Auctioning off signed copies on ebay to benefit the earthquake victims-100% of the proceeds will go to Global Giving.

Info here!

Saturday Snippets…tentatively titled KEEP ME

Not much to post, because this is brand new…not sure exactly where I'm going with this, or if I'll finish it, even.  It was a spur of the moment thing I started while waiting for the doc to see the monster earlier this week.  Sometimes those things don't get finished.  This has Lacey from Tempt Me.

It had been three weeks since he had seen her.  She hadn't called, hadn't emailed. The one time he finally had her on the phone, she hadn't talked for more than three minutes before she hung up.

Ok. So he had hurt her. He had to fix that.

Hooking a hand over the back of his neck, he stared at the mellow gold of the deck. He would go see her tomorrow—

Grace's words came back to him.  "I don't think you should waste time…"

The Friday 56… the next contest…

Yes.  This really is the closest.  I left it here, yes, knowing I'd do the contest, but…well, it's still the closest…

"See, this kind of threat usually has an 'or' attached to it.  Or an 'and'.  'Tell me and I'll allow  you to live' or something like that."

His eyes ignited with gold.

The first book in the Kate Daniels series.  So it's no secret I'm a junkie for this series.  Since I'm a junkie, I want you to be one, too.  Have you read this?  No?  Wanna?  Cool.  Here's your chance.  All you have to do to enter is participate in this week's FRIDAY 56 here on the blog. (As always, make sure you've read my disclaimer.  If you haven't, well… that's kind of required…)

About the Friday 56

Grab the book nearest you. Right now
Turn to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST

Also, must draw winner from last week-that would be Christina H, email starting with… monstermeanie@

As per my contest rules, the winner has two weeks to email me to claim her prize! Shilohwalker@gmail.com.  Also, I'm swamped under deadlines, so for the time being, also CC Nicole @ grimmhunter.shilohwalker@gmail.com-she's keeping me straight right now.

Do not post to sweepstakes sites, twitter sweeps, etc.

Beg Me news…

A few things… the first one is just a cool sort of thing…Beg Me has been in the top 100 erotica books on Amazon pretty much since it released in November.

Next thing-I uploaded Beg Me onto All Romance Ebooks/Omnilit yesterday.  For now, this is the only book I'm putting there.  Unfortunately, I have to format all of them or hire the service out-just another thing on a list of many things and before I mess with doing it, I want to make sure it's going to be worth it.  If Beg Me does well, I'll add the others when I have time.

Last thing-although not directly tied to Beg Me, I'm playing with an idea involving Lacey, Rocki's best friend from Tempt Me.  Dunno when/if it get finished, though… O.O