I mentioned on Monday that my friend “Steve” sent me a full novel in a text file. Just as if he had handed it to me except that it came over email (and was therefore copied). I gladly accepted it, and look forward to reading it, but was feeling guilty about stealing content that someone worked so hard to write.
Steve read my blog post and sent me an email saying “…this ‘Steve’ guy sounds like a self-important ass, and I suspect he might be a Bolshevik. You should avoid him at all costs.” He then went on to tell me about a favorite author of his (Cory Doctorow) who claims he was only finally able to make a living as a writer after he started giving his goods away for free.
I’ve heard this before, the “give it away” plan for gaining fame as a writer. The main crux of the argument is that for most of us starting out as fiction writers, piracy isn’t the biggest problem, obscurity is. Can’t argue against that.
At this point, should I ever actually finish my novel, I don’t think I would mind if it was pirated. I think I would be flattered. Even if I only sold say 500 copies, but 5,000 people read it. Well, I wouldn’t be making a fortune, but that’s 5,000 people that now know me as a writer, and might buy my next book, right? Or they might just pirate that one too.
What if 50,000 people read it without paying for it? That might hurt a little more, but the truth is, very few people are getting rich on literature anyhow. If that many people love my book, odds are one of them works in Hollywood and will offer me an option. Hollywood’s where the money is. Who reads books anymore anyway?
Point is, I write my fiction because I love it. Should it ever replace my business writing as a means of income then praise jeebus, I’ll enjoy it. Until then, I’ll simply enjoy falling into a good story.
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