Re: Re: Copy protection and Smashwords

I'm not arguing with any of these points--I know that many (most?) authors
have no choice about DRM and that publishers often require it, and for
understandable reasons too.

But in fairness, I feel compelled to point out that the topic was started
this time by an author who is reluctant to use Smashwords because it
doesn't involve DRM. I wouldn't make assumptions about all author desires
based just on the presence/absence of DRM, though.

Here's hoping that publisher experiments like the new DRM-free Tor
bookstore will be a huge success, that longstanding DRM-free publishers
will continue to succeed, and that DRM for books will naturally fade away.

In the meantime, thanks for writing and publishing good books, everyone! I
enjoy reading them,

Beth


On Sun, Aug 12, 2012 at 8:32 AM, Brenna Lyons <[email protected]>wrote:

> You probably don't talk to as many authors and industry professionals as I
> do. I'm on in excess of 50 lists and a handful of industry organizations,
> for precisely these aims, most indie/e (where people are much more
> reasonable in general than conglomerate) but some cross-industry. I'm on an
> additional few dozen that have both authors and readers on them, so
> no...I'm
> NOT ignoring readers either. I'm also distribution manager for a publisher
> with in excess of 270 authors AND former EIC for another publisher that
> rivaled that. DRM is a nearly constant discussion point on all of these
> forums and lists. So...of the two of us, I'm going to assume you are the
> one
> that doesn't know what most authors think.
>
>
>
> Most of the ones I deal with on a daily basis are not the evil nasties you
> portray and are not at all unreasonable about access to what a reader has
> purchased. In fact, since most of them are also ebook readers, they know
> first-hand what it's like to lose books when Gemstar or Mobi went down or
> their old reader died and they purchased a new one. They don't want it to
> happen either, to themselves or to readers. There are a rare few authors
> that go off the deep end, but there will always be high-strung types in the
> mix, in any population. I don't apologize for them, because I don't agree
> with them and don't feel it's my place to apologize for anyone else.
>
>
>
> It seems to me you just want to believe you are being wronged by authors,
> and rather than learn the truth, you'll continue to think so due to
> whatever
> personal biases you harbor. So sad. Two people have explained to you now
> that it is NOT authors that DRM books (unless they are self-publishing and
> choose the option to do so). PUBLISHERS choose to DRM or not and can change
> their policies mid-stream without even telling authors it's happening. I've
> seen it happen, and it's not pretty when authors against DRM find out it
> has
> happened. Believe it or not, we advocate for our readers a lot more than
> you
> believe, but we are also trapped in bad situations until the end of our
> contracts with said publishers. It may not be that an author doesn't WANT
> to
> leave but contractually cannot leave yet.
>
>
>
> The ONLY thing I agree with you on is the idea of showing your dislike of
> DRM by not purchasing it in the first place. Excellent first step. I've
> tried to organize groups of people doing this to sway the conglomerates
> into
> realizing what DRM costs them, but it doesn't seem like many people are
> interested in a concerted effort.
>
>
>
> Brenna
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Subject: Re: [ebook-community] Re: Copy protection and Smashwords
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Since you are the first author I have seen who has made a statement
> like this it I rather doubt that the majority of authors agree with
> you.
>
>
> I can now break the DRM on almost any book out there, it's a trivial
> matter. I don't purchase DRM books because I don't want to encourage
> the use of DRM. And the attitude pisses me off.
>
> Barbara
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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