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Look at the cover of the book you almost didn't get
to read.
to read.
I have finished it, edited it,
and even added a short story at the end for lagniappe
with a section for Readers' Discussion and Enjoyment.
(I thought I might encourage readers who have a book club or new readers to form a new club with my suggestions.)
Two Reasons Why You Almost Never Got
to Read This Book:
to Read This Book:
1.) My Createspace formatter fell off the face of the earth.
I do not know of any others besides one in Thailand! And he does not do covers anymore.
Google seems to be coy about giving me straight answers about where I might find any formatters.
THE BEAR WITH TWO SHADOWS looked like it wasn't going to be seen in paperback either.
I was afraid my formatter has encountered ill health, accident, or death. I emailed and Facebooked but no reply.
Google would not tell me anything either.
I needed the IMF or at least Rebecca Furguson!
I have since found out that my formatter was away on a work-vacation for a week where they did not have internet. Whew!
But Rebecca if you still want to visit, I am still willing!
2.) MY BOOKS HAVE BEEN PIRATED!
Googling for my formatter's name plus the subject obituary, I found nothing.
On a lark, I Googled my name. I got a few links to posts I have written, and then ...
I found a link to a page where you could download FOR FREE all versions of my print books with the images of their covers!!
Quote:
Do you want to search free download Her Bones are in the Badlands By Roland D Yeomans or free read online? If yes you visit a website that really true. If you want to download this ebook, i provide downloads as a pdf, kindle, word, txt, ppt, rar and zip.
Obviously, English is not the native tongue of this author!
Now, a few months ago, every one of my Kindle books were bought and returned within an hour of purchase.
It took a month for my entire library on Amazon to be bought and so returned.
And after that, the sales of my Kindle books dried up to ZERO!
It didn't take a genius to deduce that my books had been pirated.
I contacted Amazon whereupon they obliviously replied that their return policy was a customer service.
I replied that this particular reader had serviced my books for his. No reply to that.
I decided to do only print and audio books from now on.
NOW, it looked like the versions of my print books had been pirated!
(All the cover images were from my print books!)
I would give you the link to the page but I have found some dangers to those pages:
The majority of these sites don’t actually have your book.
Some are designed to install viruses and malware when you click on the “download” button.
Others are an attempt to steal credit card information when you sign up to open an account.
Some are web crawler sites (also known as spider sites).
They’re designed to crawl around the web and looks for entries for a search engine index.
So not only are those pirates hurting me, but they are using my books to hurt my readers!
This pirating almost made me quit writing altogether.
But Sandra thumped me on the forehead with thumb and forefinger, saying it was free advertising.
What do you think about pirating?
I had no idea that there is Amazon kindle pirating going on! That is scary as hell. I hope your terrible situation is resolved (Amazon, why don't you listen?), and now I'm off to see if the same thing has happened to my one lonely book.
ReplyDeleteI hope it hasn't. I am still considering just walking away from writing. Why go to all the work just to have a pirate, with Amazon's assistance, steal it and get the money?
DeleteMost sites don't actually have free books, they are just after credit cards and spreading viruses.
ReplyDeleteAmazon really does need to change that return policy. You download a book from iTunes, it's yours and there is no option for return.
Amazon arranged it so that the pirate didn't even have to pay for the book he stole to make money off my efforts.
DeleteThanks for caring, my friend.
If you have truly been pirated, it means you have arrived. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteIt may also mean I am leaving if the pirates have siphoned off my sales. Why bother writing for someone to divert sales to his site?
DeleteArgh, those sites are evil! I've found my book on a few of them as well. I've ignored them according to my editor's advice.
ReplyDeleteLike cockroaches, they just seem to multiply even when you kill one. Best of sales, J.H. :-)
DeleteI'm sorry that happened to you. Some authors have said they aren't concerned about piracy and it actually helps their sells. I wouldn't want it to happen to me. Not sure what can be done.
ReplyDeleteReally nothing can be done that would be effective. Judging from my sales going from steady to ZERO, I would say it hasn't helped me any! Thanks for caring. :-)
DeleteIf anyone out there is interested in one of my ebooks that they haven't read, it would be nice to see one sale on my ledger! Sigh.
Ah Roland, there are people out there who pirate every book as it comes up on Kindle. There are editors whose job it is to catch these people and demand it gets taken down. Some are uploaded on Amazon with new covers and a new title and a new author. Hmm...Apparently Amazon is not interested.
ReplyDeleteSo long as Amazon gets its piece of the pie from the pirated books, they apparently do not care.
DeleteWell, since I have recurring characters, some thief is a happy fellow with me. Sigh.
It is why I am only to do print and audio from now on.
Thanks for the info, Denise. :-)
Gee Roland,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that this has happened to you! HOW HORRIBLE! BUT, Sandra is right. I know sales mean a lot to writer's but readers do as well... AT least your works are being read... and people love them. Isn't that the main reason why we write... for people to read our works? Poor consolation, but I know you are a deep and caring man and this is one positive aspect to such a horrific act.
Take care and KEEP WRITING!!!!!!
Thanks, Michael. Yes, focus on the good side of this. How is your doggy addition doing these days? Still a terror? :-)
DeleteThis sucks! I am so sorry. There are a lot of scummy people out there :(
ReplyDeleteBut there are friends like you out there, too. Thanks for caring. :-)
DeleteThis does indeed suck. I would like to think that most readers have ethics and would prefer to read the true authors version. But then I take my head out of the sand and look around at the real world :( (and stick it straight back in again).
ReplyDeleteYes, the real world is irksome sometimes. I remind myself to follow the advise Gandhi gave: to be the change I want to see in the world. Thanks for caring. :-)
DeleteI am so sorry, Roland. This happened to a few other authors I know and they looked at it as pirating being a sign that they've made it, if one is willing to pirate their books. But it does hurt ones sales. I hope you don't stop writing because of pirating jerks. I hope a solution is found for you soon.
ReplyDeleteMurees, I am hoping the pirates spark my friends to go to my sidebar and hit on a book there they find interesting and follow the link to Amazon. Hey, it could happen. :-)
DeleteI am horrified by the pirating and how evil the perpetrators are. Not only are they stealing from you, and blocking real sales for you, they are trying to hurt your readers. I am so sorry that is happening to you. How can we get your books, now? Thank you for letting us know that is happening.
ReplyDeleteMary at Play off the Page
You're very kind to be concerned. If you visit my Amazon Author's Page: www.amazon.com/author/rolandyeomans you will find most of my books. Some are affordably priced at 99 cents.
DeleteAlso the images in my sidebar act as links to take you to that particular book. Thanks for being my friend.
Roland,
ReplyDeleteSadly my works have been pirated too. But in truth, the people who download from such websites are not your target audience. The odds of them ever actually having an inclination to purchase your works is close to zero. So, as I see it, you really haven't lost any sales. Those attempting to download your works for free...have no intention of paying--for anything. Actually, from my understanding, such individuals just download tons of books that they actually never ever even open or look at.
Since many of my books are 99 cents, perhaps there are those out there who prefer to pay nothing rather than even the small 99 cents? Thanks for caring, Terry.
DeleteSorry about your pirating experience, but I wonder how much it will affect you. Do the kind of people who actually read books even know how to find pirated versions? I think that the pirating may do more to help you by getting your name out there. Don't let the bad guys discourage you. Keep writing and keep blogging and your audience will grow larger.
ReplyDeleteMy blog: http://myantimatterlife.wordpress.com
Every person who downloads for free, I could lose as a reader forever since why pay even 99 cents when you can get my work for free?
DeleteGoogle helps those who wish to find ebooks for free. Just type "Ebooks for free" in the search box and WHAM! You are brought to a page full of links. :-(
Thanks for the encouragement. I needed it today. :-) I always read your posts. I even post links to those I especially like.
SO Sorry to hear about the pirating! Ugh, these scam artists are awful. Even if you're savvy online, these scammers can really be crafty.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post, thank you for sharing. One comment is this blog is a little hard to read with the black background and narrow column. I only say this as feedback to help your site be a little more reader friendly! I click through a lot of blogs and always give more time to IWSG-ers. :)
Stephsco, I know you are right about my format. But it and I are old friends. To part with it now would feel like saying Goodbye to an old, trusted friend.
DeleteThose scammers certainly jarred me. I didn't think I was that popular to be pirated. Now, of course, I am pushed off to the side by having my books available for free.
Thanks for taking the time to read all the way through and then talk to a fellow IWSGer. :-)
I believe that most of the pirating sites are phishing scams and advise all writers to not click on any of them.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you located your formatter. That must have been nerve wracking.
I believe they are phising sites, too, but one is certainly eating my sales away!
DeleteIt was nerve-wracking not to know about my formatter. Glad she is all right! :-)
Oh my - how awful to have your hard work pirated! Glad you're at a point where you can think about it as free publicity, but it's still a horrible thing to have happened to you.
ReplyDeleteCheers - Ellen | thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com
Thanks, Ellen. It saves my sanity to look at it from a positive perspective. :-)
DeleteThat's horrible! A relative of mine mentioned one of these sites a few months ago. I had no idea they were getting so prevalent. What bothers me is that people are willing to go to these sites and try to get out of paying. It's not like we're charging an arm and a leg.
ReplyDeleteYes, Nadine, you're right. Is paying 99 cents that much of a burden?
DeleteI am sorry that happen to you. Hope you benefit like advertisement and get more readers.
ReplyDeleteJuneta Writer's Gambit
Juanita, I hope I get some benefit out of it, too. :-) Thanks for caring.
DeleteThat is SO violating, Roland. GRRR. I've had all of my books pirated, too, but not with the dramatic nature of what you witnessed. I guess some authors give up and stop doing DCMA notices because piracy is a flood that walls cannot stop. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteIt is maddening. For my next book, I will do print and audio only. First, print.
DeleteYou're right: there are so many that DCMA notices just make them scatter like roaches when the lights go on.
I do feel violated. My books that I worked so hard on snatched away from me.
Thanks for the hugs. :-)
Hi Roland - I must say I'm horrified that the scammers have caught you in their net - a right pain and loss of sales.
ReplyDeleteCould you put those books into a series - so at least you've got them in some other format?
I'm delighted you found your formatter .. now for some good luck in life - with thoughts - Hilary
Thanks, Hilary. I will have to ponder what to do about these pirates. I need Captain Jack and his Black Pearl!
DeleteMay good luck visit us both! THE BEAR WITH 2 SHADOWS is just about to burst into paperback. And wait until you see the great cover Heather McCorkle and Designwest did for me!
Urgh. I'd hate to see it happen, but this sort of thievery could put a halt or at least a big dent in e-book sales. Odd to think we keep our money online, too, all of it in digital form and gone with the click of one keystroke.
ReplyDeleteMaddening. Buy more ammo.
- Eric
Another Carrington Event from a solar storm could wipe out our finances and our electric grid. We would find ourselves back in the early 1800's ... and you're right ammo would soon run out!
Delete