Personally, I make it a rule not to pirate an ebook if I can buy the ebook. Generally the ones I pirate I've got in hardcopy, and just want to be able to carry them around in my reader.
Your books (and other authors whose work I particularly enjoy), I buy twice, once as ebooks and once as hardcopies, and generally "lend" hardcopies to friends who can't afford them, and not necessarily expect them to come home. (Not infrequently, I eventually buy audiobooks as well.) If I'm only going to buy it once, I buy it as an ebook. But a book I love, sometimes I'm going to want to curl up with a paper copy of, or someone else is, so they're nice to have.
There are some books that have never officially been published as ebooks, but somebody's scanned them in, and I can download a copy. Most of the ones like this I bother to go looking for are things I've loved for years, and have probably bought multiple hardcopies of (Trouble and Her Friends by Melissa Scott, Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, Chronicles of Amber, etc), because copies never come back, or get damaged, or fall apart because I've been reading them two or three times a year for ten years or more. And truly, if they ever get published as ebooks, I'll probably buy them again, because I love my favorite authors and want them to be able to feed their cats and kids and selves.
But I do share ebooks with my wife, across our devices, and sometimes with the friends who miss this hardcopy because I gave it to my mom instead, or whatever. My wife and I wouldn't buy separate copies of a hardcopy, and my friends wouldn't be able to afford the books at all (yes, in their thirties or more, no, not with Starbucks in hand; those friends can get their own), but will probably buy hardcopies when they eventually can, because they, too, love physical books. I don't upload them, and I don't share them with people who can afford them.
I dunno. I know quite a few authors personally at this point, and I would not want to cheat authors out of their money even if I didn't, but there's also, as you said, would this author be getting money for this book anyway? I try to strike a balance, ethically. Not saying I'd never, ever cross the line, but I do try to make a point not to.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2013-02-06 07:50 pm (UTC)Your books (and other authors whose work I particularly enjoy), I buy twice, once as ebooks and once as hardcopies, and generally "lend" hardcopies to friends who can't afford them, and not necessarily expect them to come home. (Not infrequently, I eventually buy audiobooks as well.) If I'm only going to buy it once, I buy it as an ebook. But a book I love, sometimes I'm going to want to curl up with a paper copy of, or someone else is, so they're nice to have.
There are some books that have never officially been published as ebooks, but somebody's scanned them in, and I can download a copy. Most of the ones like this I bother to go looking for are things I've loved for years, and have probably bought multiple hardcopies of (Trouble and Her Friends by Melissa Scott, Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, Chronicles of Amber, etc), because copies never come back, or get damaged, or fall apart because I've been reading them two or three times a year for ten years or more. And truly, if they ever get published as ebooks, I'll probably buy them again, because I love my favorite authors and want them to be able to feed their cats and kids and selves.
But I do share ebooks with my wife, across our devices, and sometimes with the friends who miss this hardcopy because I gave it to my mom instead, or whatever. My wife and I wouldn't buy separate copies of a hardcopy, and my friends wouldn't be able to afford the books at all (yes, in their thirties or more, no, not with Starbucks in hand; those friends can get their own), but will probably buy hardcopies when they eventually can, because they, too, love physical books. I don't upload them, and I don't share them with people who can afford them.
I dunno. I know quite a few authors personally at this point, and I would not want to cheat authors out of their money even if I didn't, but there's also, as you said, would this author be getting money for this book anyway? I try to strike a balance, ethically. Not saying I'd never, ever cross the line, but I do try to make a point not to.