So, what exactly is e-piracy and how do I know if I've done it?

I know most of you will skip this post, and that makes me really sad. To those who will read ahead, THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time.

Okay, I’m going to try to keep this short and simple because I’m on deadline and because it’s a holiday here in the US, and I have SO MANY work and real life things to do today. But here goes. PLEASE READ THIS.

Yesterday, I found a “review” on Goodreads that included a link to where people could read Before I Wake for free on a pirate site. I was very upset by this, so I left a polite comment letting the poster know that whether or not she was aware of it, that link she left was to a site offering illegal downloads of books. It was an e-piracy site.

Within an hour, the poster wrote to me and apologized (which was sweet, but unnecessary), explaining that she hadn’t known it was illegal. She immediately removed the link, and later the entire post, I believe. That interaction and the subsequent discussion on my FB page led me to the realization that there actually are people out there downloading illegal electronic copies of books with no idea that what they’re doing is illegal.

For the record, I think that today, in the year 2012, those people are in the VAST minority. I think most people know exactly what they’re doing and why it’s wrong. I think most of them just don’t care. This is for those few who truly don’t understand.

Because I’m short on time, I’m not going to define e-piracy today, nor am I going to explain why it’s bad. Ally Carter has already done a much better job of that than I ever could, so please, if you’re not sure you fully understand what e-piracy is and how it hurts EVERYONE, read this post. It’s very easy to understand.

What I am going to do here is answer a couple of questions that I commonly get about e-piracy. Here they are:

Q: Sometimes ebooks are legitimately free. How can I tell whether the free ebook I just downloaded was legal or not?

A: That depends entirely on how you got it. Ask yourself these questions:

• Did I get the book through a legitimate distributor like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or The Book Depository? Those are professional distributors which are PAID by publishers to sell their books. Did your free ebook come from one of those?
  • Yes? Then your book was legal. You probably found a promotional bargain, which is awesome. Go enjoy your book. (But DO NOT upload a copy of it for someone else to read. Only those distributors have permission to give that book away.)
  • No? Please proceed to the next question.
• Did I get the book directly from the author who wrote it (sometimes authors give away their own books or stories online for promotional purposes) or from the publisher who published it? (This would be like reading “My Soul To Lose” or “Reaper” back when Harlequin Teen and I were giving them away for free. You could have read the stories on my site or downloaded them from HQTeen for free.)
  • Yes? Then your book was legal. You probably found a promotional bargain, which is awesome. Go enjoy your book. (But DO NOT upload a copy of it for someone else to read. You DO NOT have permission to give that book away.)
  • No? Please proceed to the next question.
• Did I get the book from a torrent site? (These are file sharing sites where people upload and download copies of a book without the author’s or publisher’s permission. They’re easy to spot because they let you “click to download” rather than letting you “check out” from your virtual cart. The files on torrent sites are uploaded by INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE who do not have permission to make electronic copies of these books, not by the publisher or author.) These downloads are illegal because neither the author nor the publisher will be paid for their work (Months and sometimes YEARS’ worth of work, from many, many people involved in the publication of any book).
  • Yes? Then your book is an illegal copy and you have stolen from one of the very authors whose work you presumably love.
  • No? Please proceed to the next question
• Did you get the book from an individual’s blog or from e-bay? (Neither of whom have permission to make and distribute electronic copies of the book.)
  • Yes? Then your book is an illegal copy and you have stolen from one of the very authors whose work you presumably love.
  • No? You’ve discovered one of the more difficult to describe instances of electronic download. Feel free to leave me the details in the comments, and I will tell you whether or not your book is a legal copy.

Q: I lend books to my friends all the time. How is downloading a copy someone else uploaded any different from borrowing a physical book?

A: When you lend books to your friends, you’re lending them the ONE copy of the book you presumably paid for (or were given). You’re not making a COPY of that book, then enabling THOUSANDS of other people to make THOUSANDS more copies of that book. There is a HUGE difference between making and uploading a copy that will be further replicated and lending a single physical book.

Q: Authors don’t get paid for books bought and sold at used book stores, but that’s legal. What’s the difference between that and e-piracy?

A: Here’s the difference: Used book stores sell (or trade) ONE COPY OF THE BOOK to one person. They’re not making and distributing copies of it. They’re selling one copy that has ALREADY been paid for by the original owner. Who is then free to keep, lend, sell it as he wishes. That’s different from MAKING A COPY of an electronic book, which others are then free to copy as well.

Let me just emphasize that. Piracy is MAKING COPIES OF A BOOK, not lending it. You do not have permission to make and distribute or to download unauthorized COPIES of a book you do not hold the copyright to. Period.

Any questions? Leave them in the comments. I will answer them as soon as I get the chance.