Just had to weigh in.

Yes, piracy bad. Contravenes the Seventh Commandment ("Thou shalt not steal"), and in some cultures you could lose a hand or two if they caught you. And since I intend to make a living as a writer, even though I'm not managing to do it yet, I am not interested in the proliferation of processes that result in writers not getting paid for their work.

That said, I would consider having some of my work pirated an honor. It'd let me know somebody anonymous thought my stuff was worth stealing, and was something they could make a lot of money off of. Dang, I'd like somebody to have that kind of confidence in my writing. I sure haven't gotten that from any record company or music publisher (with the exception of Lynman). Sure, if it happened, I'd do my best to make sure it never happened again--but I'll write more. I'll always write more. And my ability to write is something no music pirate can take away from me.

In the meantime, as a writer struggling to get noticed, I think I'd view the piracy of my stuff as a promotional expense. Yep, they're making money, and it's cost me money in terms of foregone revenue--but the pirates are (theoretically--ain't happened yet, remember) making my name a Household Word in Russia, or Nigeria, or whatnot, and what's that worth?

Now, if I were already famous, and making money off record sales in sufficient amount to support my fambly, I might feel different, and I accordingly understand the folks who are, and who feel differently about it. I ain't there yet, and I frankly could use all the exposure I can get.

Which is why I usually preface comments about piracy with "alas." Alas, no one is stealing my stuff. Maybe someday...

Joe

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The Writer's Blog: http://nakedspacehamsters.blogspot.com