Comments on: Teachers always said to share! http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2010/02/12/teachers-always-said-to-share/ Reviews of books as queer as a three dollar bill Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:22:13 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Emily http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2010/02/12/teachers-always-said-to-share/#comment-105 Emily Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:27:35 +0000 http://threedollarbillreviews.com/?p=346#comment-105 I absolutely agree with you, the dividing line really comes when an ebook is uploaded to a file sharing website. At that point, as you said, it's no longer sharing a good book with a friend it's throwing the ebook out there for all the world to access. That's piracy, plain and simple. And most definitely no warm, fuzzy feelings! :-) I absolutely agree with you, the dividing line really comes when an ebook is uploaded to a file sharing website. At that point, as you said, it’s no longer sharing a good book with a friend it’s throwing the ebook out there for all the world to access. That’s piracy, plain and simple. And most definitely no warm, fuzzy feelings! :-)

]]> By: Meg Leigh http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2010/02/12/teachers-always-said-to-share/#comment-103 Meg Leigh Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:42:49 +0000 http://threedollarbillreviews.com/?p=346#comment-103 You know, I don't mind if people are sharing a copy or two with their friends. That's not a problem to me, at all. We all do it with hard copy books and have done it all of our lives ya know? It's the people who take and upload my work on a file sharing site that really wrinkle my nightie! I don't consider them fans, I don't consider them friends, and I sure as hell don't have any warm, fuzzy feelings when I see that the top search that led people to my website this week was for "meg leigh (title) free download" >:( Share away, if all you're doing is sending a copy of a book to one or two friends with a "Read this!" recommendation. In the long run, that's going to earn me the kind of readers who DO give me the warm fuzzies! You know, I don’t mind if people are sharing a copy or two with their friends. That’s not a problem to me, at all. We all do it with hard copy books and have done it all of our lives ya know?

It’s the people who take and upload my work on a file sharing site that really wrinkle my nightie! I don’t consider them fans, I don’t consider them friends, and I sure as hell don’t have any warm, fuzzy feelings when I see that the top search that led people to my website this week was for “meg leigh (title) free download” >:(

Share away, if all you’re doing is sending a copy of a book to one or two friends with a “Read this!” recommendation. In the long run, that’s going to earn me the kind of readers who DO give me the warm fuzzies!

]]> By: Val Kovalin http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2010/02/12/teachers-always-said-to-share/#comment-99 Val Kovalin Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:49:35 +0000 http://threedollarbillreviews.com/?p=346#comment-99 "We can only hope… :)" I hope so! That would be great. “We can only hope… :) ” I hope so! That would be great.

]]> By: Emily http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2010/02/12/teachers-always-said-to-share/#comment-97 Emily Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:05:13 +0000 http://threedollarbillreviews.com/?p=346#comment-97 "Try before you buy" is definitely a good way of putting it. Often when another reader recommends an author I'll read excerpts from books but sometimes the short snippets just aren't enough. I read a lot of reviews but there's one or two readers in particular where I listen when they tell me what they think I should read, and I reciprocate with my own thoughts as well. Sometimes my opinion might not be enough to sway them, and being able to "share" in that case is invaluable to convince my friend I'm of course totally right. ;-) <blockquote>Sure it loses me a few sales initially, but it picks up new readers and spreads the love, and I am all about spreading the love</blockquote> That really is the best way to look at it. Spreading the love is a wonderful thing, and if other readers are like me at all, when I find an author I'm impressed by, I often end up buying the rest of their backlist. Loss of sales on one book versus the gain of sales to numerous titles from the backlist is a total win for the author. :-) Uploading to a file-sharing website is a <b>WHOLE</b> different story for sure! Once you start giving an ebook to people you've never met before, you've left "sharing" and moved on to piracy. No question about it. There is no excuse for uploading an ebook to a file-sharing website, and I've yet to see an argument that would justify downloading from one of the sites. <blockquote>One of these things is not like the other. Sharing != wholesale theft</blockquote> I couldn't have put it better myself and you are absolutely right. Most definitely not the same thing. :-D “Try before you buy” is definitely a good way of putting it. Often when another reader recommends an author I’ll read excerpts from books but sometimes the short snippets just aren’t enough. I read a lot of reviews but there’s one or two readers in particular where I listen when they tell me what they think I should read, and I reciprocate with my own thoughts as well. Sometimes my opinion might not be enough to sway them, and being able to “share” in that case is invaluable to convince my friend I’m of course totally right. ;-)

Sure it loses me a few sales initially, but it picks up new readers and spreads the love, and I am all about spreading the love

That really is the best way to look at it. Spreading the love is a wonderful thing, and if other readers are like me at all, when I find an author I’m impressed by, I often end up buying the rest of their backlist. Loss of sales on one book versus the gain of sales to numerous titles from the backlist is a total win for the author. :-)

Uploading to a file-sharing website is a WHOLE different story for sure! Once you start giving an ebook to people you’ve never met before, you’ve left “sharing” and moved on to piracy. No question about it. There is no excuse for uploading an ebook to a file-sharing website, and I’ve yet to see an argument that would justify downloading from one of the sites.

One of these things is not like the other. Sharing != wholesale theft

I couldn’t have put it better myself and you are absolutely right. Most definitely not the same thing. :-D

]]> By: Ann Somerville http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2010/02/12/teachers-always-said-to-share/#comment-96 Ann Somerville Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:48:40 +0000 http://threedollarbillreviews.com/?p=346#comment-96 "how do you feel about readers sharing your books?" They're going to do it anyway, so they may as well do it with my blessing. Try before you buy works for me. I do what I can to make sure readers know what they're buying if they buy a book of mine (especially if it's one of my self-pubbed books) through previews, free copies etc, but often there's no substitute for a reader saying to a friend, 'hey, you should really check this out!' Sure it loses me a few sales initially, but it picks up new readers and spreads the love, and I am all about spreading the love :) But put one of my books up on a file sharing site - or go onto a blog and whine about it's totes your right to make a digital version of my books and *then* put it on a filesharing site, because my mean old poopyhead publisher won't give you what you want now, damn it wah wah wah entitlement bitching - and you will find a pissed off, claw's extended author up in your grille so fast you won't have time to brake before you're shooting through the windscreen of doom. One of these things is not like the other. Sharing != wholesale theft, and so long as you're clear on the concept, then we're good. “how do you feel about readers sharing your books?”

They’re going to do it anyway, so they may as well do it with my blessing. Try before you buy works for me. I do what I can to make sure readers know what they’re buying if they buy a book of mine (especially if it’s one of my self-pubbed books) through previews, free copies etc, but often there’s no substitute for a reader saying to a friend, ‘hey, you should really check this out!’

Sure it loses me a few sales initially, but it picks up new readers and spreads the love, and I am all about spreading the love :)

But put one of my books up on a file sharing site – or go onto a blog and whine about it’s totes your right to make a digital version of my books and *then* put it on a filesharing site, because my mean old poopyhead publisher won’t give you what you want now, damn it wah wah wah entitlement bitching – and you will find a pissed off, claw’s extended author up in your grille so fast you won’t have time to brake before you’re shooting through the windscreen of doom.

One of these things is not like the other. Sharing != wholesale theft, and so long as you’re clear on the concept, then we’re good.

]]> By: Emily http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2010/02/12/teachers-always-said-to-share/#comment-95 Emily Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:20:51 +0000 http://threedollarbillreviews.com/?p=346#comment-95 Thanks Val! I wish I did as well, it's something that I think about often but don't necessarily have any good solutions. E-theft issues and piracy are most definitely worrisome, and for those of us that do follow the rules we become even more careful like you said. I agree with sharing with another reviewer for the reasons you mentioned, though I know some authors would be aghast at reading that. I've talked with people who are adamantly against sharing and others that are for it, and it's hard to find a happy medium. I don't wanna share with the world, and not even that many people, but I wish I could share with one or two people and not have to feel guilty about it. I spend lots and lots of money on ebooks and books in general, and in the end I don't really share that much. I've bought books on recommendations and been disappointed and wished I had "borrowed" the book before going out and buying it myself. I've also had the reverse be true, where I bought books based on a recommendation and ended up buying the author's entire backlist. You just never know. Maybe one day we'll have a magical eReader that has functionality for sharing. We can only hope... :-) Thanks Val! I wish I did as well, it’s something that I think about often but don’t necessarily have any good solutions.

E-theft issues and piracy are most definitely worrisome, and for those of us that do follow the rules we become even more careful like you said. I agree with sharing with another reviewer for the reasons you mentioned, though I know some authors would be aghast at reading that. I’ve talked with people who are adamantly against sharing and others that are for it, and it’s hard to find a happy medium.

I don’t wanna share with the world, and not even that many people, but I wish I could share with one or two people and not have to feel guilty about it. I spend lots and lots of money on ebooks and books in general, and in the end I don’t really share that much. I’ve bought books on recommendations and been disappointed and wished I had “borrowed” the book before going out and buying it myself. I’ve also had the reverse be true, where I bought books based on a recommendation and ended up buying the author’s entire backlist. You just never know.

Maybe one day we’ll have a magical eReader that has functionality for sharing. We can only hope… :-)

]]> By: Emily http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2010/02/12/teachers-always-said-to-share/#comment-94 Emily Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:58:22 +0000 http://threedollarbillreviews.com/?p=346#comment-94 I hope so! It's something that's often on my mind as I read so many ebooks these days. LOL Don't worry, I don't really have any answers either. I know that some libraries are looking into ways to check out ebooks from alibrary and then read on your eReader for a certain time period. I really think that's the direction things are going to be going in the very near future. I would personally *love* to be able to check out an *ebook* from my library. I might read even more than I do now! :-) I hope so! It’s something that’s often on my mind as I read so many ebooks these days.

LOL Don’t worry, I don’t really have any answers either. I know that some libraries are looking into ways to check out ebooks from alibrary and then read on your eReader for a certain time period. I really think that’s the direction things are going to be going in the very near future. I would personally *love* to be able to check out an *ebook* from my library. I might read even more than I do now! :-)

]]> By: Val Kovalin http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2010/02/12/teachers-always-said-to-share/#comment-93 Val Kovalin Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:17:24 +0000 http://threedollarbillreviews.com/?p=346#comment-93 This is a really good post, Emily. I wish I had more answers. I almost never share ebooks because I'm so bothered by the e-theft issues. Like maybe 1 out of every 100 books I read, I might share (but probably not) and if I choose to share, I'll send it only to another reviewer because I know she'll do a review and it will help the author. In that way, I'm telling myself that my doing this isn't so far off the advance-reader-copies that the publishers send to introduce a reviewer to a good book to review. But even with all that in mind, I virtually never share and don't even like to receive a shared book (I'd rather have someone send me a purchase link to a good book) because the e-theft issues are so worrisome. Great post -- thanks for doing it. This is a really good post, Emily. I wish I had more answers. I almost never share ebooks because I’m so bothered by the e-theft issues. Like maybe 1 out of every 100 books I read, I might share (but probably not) and if I choose to share, I’ll send it only to another reviewer because I know she’ll do a review and it will help the author. In that way, I’m telling myself that my doing this isn’t so far off the advance-reader-copies that the publishers send to introduce a reviewer to a good book to review. But even with all that in mind, I virtually never share and don’t even like to receive a shared book (I’d rather have someone send me a purchase link to a good book) because the e-theft issues are so worrisome. Great post — thanks for doing it.

]]> By: Chris http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2010/02/12/teachers-always-said-to-share/#comment-92 Chris Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:37:31 +0000 http://threedollarbillreviews.com/?p=346#comment-92 Very good questions, Emily! I'm sure this will lead to a lively discussion. :) Not that I have any answers, just more questions - what happens to libraries as ebooks become more prevalent? Very good questions, Emily! I’m sure this will lead to a lively discussion. :)

Not that I have any answers, just more questions – what happens to libraries as ebooks become more prevalent?

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