No matter what, some people will always believe that they should not have to pay to have access to things that cost money. These people are often thieves or pirates, and pirates are not welcome around these parts! I’m sure you're like “elle, what the hell are you going on about?” Well, let me tell you! I am talking about piracy or the unauthorized reproduction or use of work belonging to another person.
Piracy is a huge issue in the author community. In my own experience, I have seen people on social media asking where they can find my books and others' for free!! Seeing posts like this upsets me deeply. The culprits of this intellectual theft claim that they are looking for PDFs because they cannot afford books. This is a selfish perspective that begs the question… is it that you can’t pay for it or that you don’t want to pay for it? Though I am peeved, I don’t mean to sound unsympathetic. I understand financial hardship and have struggled plenty. When it comes to my reading habits, I have to be resourceful. Libraries, sharing with friends, a KU subscription (problematic as that can be 🙄), and library apps all help when money is not readily available. Authors put so much into everything that they create, from the characters to the story to the cover to the marketing. For someone to just decide that all that work and creativity is not worth remuneration is frankly disgusting to me. But I won’t waste any more words on bashing the pirates. Instead, I hope to offer an informative post for readers and authors on protecting yourself (or your favorite author) from piracy.
It was brought to my attention that several of my books can be found on a piracy website. This is the kind of thing that you don’t know until you know, so I highly recommend searching the web to determine if your book is being offered in an illegal format. There are a few steps to take if you find your work is being stolen. One method is to report that website to Google and other search engines. Doing this has the potential to result in the website's visibility being minimized to prevent future victims. You can also report the website to the domain the website runs on, so if the website ends in -.com, -.org, or -.net, you can report it to ICANN. When making your reports, provide evidence to show the illegal activity the website is participating in. To increase the intensity and potential repercussions of your complaints, report the website to your local police and the FBI or send cease and desist letters. Now that we have gone over some solutions, let's go over how authors can protect themselves from piracy.
If you are familiar with copyright procedures and protections, there are agencies that will scour the web and notify you when they find work that is similar to yours. This is a very useful tool, especially in a world where people would rather steal and make fast cash. As an example, Muso.com scans the web for piracy and automatically issues takedown notices of offending websites. The site offers three different price plans: one that covers individual books; another is a monthly package that covers you as an author; and the last is a discounted yearly price to cover you as an author. Now, these options are not the most indie author-friendly but look at it as an investment in your future as an author to protect your work. Another option is to file your own copyright for your books with the US Copyright Office. This is one of the avenues I am in the process of taking for some of my books. Of course, nothing in life that is necessary is easy or free.
There are also protections you have to enact for your audiobooks even if you do not have audiobooks. Amazon ACX allows authors to claim their books on the platform so that they have the rights to go about creating the audiobook. Unfortunately, it seems anyone can claim the book, begin making the audio, and set up payment and royalty information for themselves. Once your book becomes available for preorder on Amazon, it is up for grabs by anyone on Amazon ACX. This is horrible for a number of reasons but especially if you had zero intention of ever creating an audiobook; you may be forced into a contract with Amazon ACX to prevent anyone else from making one without your permission. This is one of those things that Amazon does not tell you. It is also difficult to find via internet search, so I will be including a link to a video that discusses audiobook scams in more detail.
The fact that we have to worry about things like this is unfortunate, but it is the way of the world in this age of scams. People would rather make quick money profiting off the backs of others than use that same energy to make money off their merit and creativity, but I digress. Whether you are an author or a reader, I hope this post has been informative. I wish this was not another issue added to a long list of problems that authors have to worry about. If we stick together and help one another maybe one day we will find ourselves in a world where there are better protections for authors and their intellectual property. I have included a link below with more information on talking down a website. If you have other ways you know of to protect authors' works from pirates, please drop them in the comments below and as always
Blissful Reading!
Resources
Claim your book on ACX no matter your audiobook strategy | ACX Pirates | Audiobook Scams
How to legally take down a website
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