When I think of a pirate, I think of those swash-buckling villains of old, riding the high seas, maybe with a peg leg and hook for a hand, pillaging and taking what isn't theirs.
We still have pirates. Maybe not the swash-buckling kind, but the anonymous behind-the-computer schemers and thieves who steal copyrighted works -- whether they be books, music, video games -- and sell them.
I've been pirated.
I don't like it. Similar to having your home or car broken into, and your stuff taken, I feel violated. I work hard writing my books, spending time and money on writing, learning, marketing, promoting ... only to have someone else take my work and put my royalties in their pockets.
One USA Today bestselling author had to send out FOUR THOUSAND take down notices to pirate sites.
Fortunately, I was given a DMCA take down notice, and I used them today on the 2 pirate sites I discovered: trusmedia.com and hugestfun.com.
Don't get books from these pirates, even if they're free.
Food for Thought:
I received a google alert to download some of my books for free. I clicked the links to check them out. The first was a site called hugestfun.com. Obviously a pirate site, since they don't have permission to give my books away for free. I wanted to see what other books of mine they had, but to see the library you have to become a member; to become a member you have to give a credit card number "to verify the country you live in since they're only licensed to distribute in certain countries". Scam alert!
Trusmedia just automatically downloaded my book when I clicked it. That's worrisome (see below).
You can check if the site is a pirate through scamadvisor.com. Through scamadvisor I learned hugestfun.com originates in the Czech republic. Trusmedia is US based but may also be from Indonesia; scamadvisor indicates this is a new site with links to a high-risk country.
I also noticed by paperbacks were available through other sellers on Amazon. I don't know about these other sellers; I don't know if they're pirates, or if I get any royalties from what they sell, or maybe they bought my books legit and are re-selling them. I need to check them out, but until I do, don't buy my books from the following: Nimbus Retail, Better World Books, super star seller, PBShop US, BooKnackrh, MovieMars-Books, myrockland, amitcj, Book Depository US, Blackwell's UK, Bookshopee US.
If anyone knows anything about these sites/sellers, I'd be happy to hear more.
We still have pirates. Maybe not the swash-buckling kind, but the anonymous behind-the-computer schemers and thieves who steal copyrighted works -- whether they be books, music, video games -- and sell them.
I've been pirated.
I don't like it. Similar to having your home or car broken into, and your stuff taken, I feel violated. I work hard writing my books, spending time and money on writing, learning, marketing, promoting ... only to have someone else take my work and put my royalties in their pockets.
One USA Today bestselling author had to send out FOUR THOUSAND take down notices to pirate sites.
Fortunately, I was given a DMCA take down notice, and I used them today on the 2 pirate sites I discovered: trusmedia.com and hugestfun.com.
Don't get books from these pirates, even if they're free.
Food for Thought:
I received a google alert to download some of my books for free. I clicked the links to check them out. The first was a site called hugestfun.com. Obviously a pirate site, since they don't have permission to give my books away for free. I wanted to see what other books of mine they had, but to see the library you have to become a member; to become a member you have to give a credit card number "to verify the country you live in since they're only licensed to distribute in certain countries". Scam alert!
Trusmedia just automatically downloaded my book when I clicked it. That's worrisome (see below).
You can check if the site is a pirate through scamadvisor.com. Through scamadvisor I learned hugestfun.com originates in the Czech republic. Trusmedia is US based but may also be from Indonesia; scamadvisor indicates this is a new site with links to a high-risk country.
I also noticed by paperbacks were available through other sellers on Amazon. I don't know about these other sellers; I don't know if they're pirates, or if I get any royalties from what they sell, or maybe they bought my books legit and are re-selling them. I need to check them out, but until I do, don't buy my books from the following: Nimbus Retail, Better World Books, super star seller, PBShop US, BooKnackrh, MovieMars-Books, myrockland, amitcj, Book Depository US, Blackwell's UK, Bookshopee US.
If anyone knows anything about these sites/sellers, I'd be happy to hear more.