Stolen files? Me? Really?

[K.A.]

I used a smashwords function called "SEO" and it appears that 'The Emissary' has been uploaded to a bit-torrent site.

Now, I know that it might not be a good idea to allow them to keep my ebook posted there. But I do have it free everywhere else, so it doesn't matter, today.

Also, frankly, my sales are crappy - so I'm pleased to have some interest.

I have to admit it's a creepy feeling.

[J.A.]

If a file is digital form (DRM or not), it's available somewhere on the internet. Since most people tend toward at least some basic honestly and laziness as long as things are relatively convenient and modestly priced, digital goods can still make money, thankfully.

[Andre Jute]

In the last week, Google kindly sent me notice that I can download two of my stolen books on different websites. I took a look and discovered they're both shills for other sites where there's a subscription many times the price of either book to join, before thieves can download anything. I don't think we're losing too many sales, Kat. I'm not going to waste any time straightening out such incompetent thieves.

[Claudine]

There are so many piracy sites out there that I honestly don't think there is truly any way to curb it.

My husband is a huge Depeche Mode fan. They recently released a new album. It was available for download about 2 weeks illegally before the official release. The only way to try and keep your hand on it is to contstantly do Google searches with the words free and the author and title and then approach those sites to remove your work.

[Andre Jute]

Claudine wrote: "There are so many piracy sites out there that I honestly don't think there is truly any way to curb it."

The more the merrier. The more sites there are, the more often the operators have to do the work for fewer paying customers, and the smaller the living of these thieves. Also, many of them depend on their customers to upload stolen stuff, and the fewer the customers each has, the fewer the uploads, which in turn attracts fewer customers. From the viewpoint of creators, a beneficial circle!

[K.A.]

Since none of the others are on that site, I'm not going to sweat it.

AND I'm hoping that when I release Part 2 in a couple of weeks, the readers will buy it.

This might be the break I've been looking for. Which is why I wrote a Zombie Apocalypse in the first place.

[Andre Jute]

Way to go, Kat. Nil carborundum illegitimi.

[K.A.]

Hmmm - what? (runs to Google for the 3rd time today)

Oh, thanks!

Actually, I'm tickled to have written something worth stealing.

[Andre Jute]

Ancient Italian for, "Don't let the bastards grind you down."

[Claudine]

Where's a like button when you need one!

[K.A.]

:)

[J.D.]

Andre Jute wrote: "...I don't think we're losing too many sales, Kat. I'm not going to waste any time straightening out such incompetent thieves. ..."

My sales dropped precipitously at the beginning of April, and haven't recovered despite some recent publicity. I read this thread a few minutes ago, and realized I had been slack about checking for pirates for a few weeks. Sure enough, on March 30th, Google indexed a free download for both of my titles. The timing certainly seems coincidental. Fortunately, it was on a filesharing site that has a clear and obvious abuse and infringement reportng link, so I think it is likely that they will comply with the takedown notice I just sent.

[Andre Jute]

Very unlikely, unless yours is a cult book with a very well defined hacker following for the genre, that any of these pirate sites by itself would cut into your sales. The middle of the year generally does see a fall in everyone's sales; it's just that it has been masked by a still expanding new market in ebooks.

[J.D.]

Andre Jute wrote: "Very unlikely, unless yours is a cult book with a very well defined hacker following for the genre, that any of these pirate sites by itself would cut into your sales...."

Well, I went from a steady rate of 80-90 Amazon sales per day all through March to a steady rate of roughly half that, with the drop happening abruptly in the span of a day or two. The download indicator on the file showed that there had already been downloads today, so I felt like it was worth the five minutes to send a notice to take it down.

[Andre Jute]

Oh, I wasn't suggesting that you shouldn't send the takedown notice if you have the procedure in place. I was merely explaining that the summer months have generally poor book sales. My sales too are down by something like a third, as they were last year, after making allowance for new books launched.

[J.D.]

Andre Jute wrote: "Oh, I wasn't suggesting that you shouldn't send the takedown notice if you have the procedure in place. I was merely explaining that the summer months have generally poor book sales. ..."

Well, it will still be an interesting experiment of sorts to see if the sales rebound at all after they take the files down, assuming they do. I'll let you know what happens.

[Sharon]

Those are some very impressive numbers, J.D.!

[K.A.]

I wish I was selling a 10th of that. (sigh)

Good for you, JD!

[J.D.]

Thanks, Sharon and K.A.

It took a lot of work and patience and more than a little luck to get things to this point. If I had the secret to great sales, beyond doing all the obvious things, I'd share.

[Sharon]

Claudine wrote: "Where's a like button when you need one!"

[[ click ]] Like!

[Andre Jute]

You must be doing something more right than just bumbling on, J.D. Congratulations.

[J.D.]

Andre Jute wrote: "You must be doing something more right than just bumbling on, J.D. Congratulations."

I don't know how I missed this, but I just saw it. Thanks, Andre.

It seems like as soon as one site comes down, two more go up. There does seem to be a 15-20% bump up in sales for the 24 hours or so it takes the internet to catch up with each mass takedown of pirated files.