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1.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Jul 15th, 2009 @ 10:25pm

   
   

   Not to mention with books you could probably read it free from the library anyway.

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2.  

   Re:

   

   Anonymous Coward, Jul 15th, 2009 @ 10:37pm

   
   

   So there is a way for one person to buy a book and lots of people to read the exact same thing not just a poor quality facsimile.... quick call the RIAA

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3.  

   Re: Re:

   

   Anonymous Coward, Jul 15th, 2009 @ 11:35pm

   
   

   And whats more ... its sponsered by the US Government!!! Leads the lynch mob to Capitol Hill via the Library of Congress for a good old fashioned book burning !

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4.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 2:50am

   
   

   Maybe he should do a Wells Fargo and sue himself for copyright infringement.

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5.  

   Books...

   

   Ilfar, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 3:05am

   
   

   I get all my stuff from the Baen Free Library and Webscriptions. The prices there are cheap enough that it's easier to buy them than fire up the ol' file sharing app, search, find a REAL copy, etc, etc.
   
   They have the first... two or three books in the Lt Leary series for free in the Library to get you hooked, and I've purchased the rest (seven total in the series last time I checked). :3

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6.  

   Author

   

   Edmond Woychowsky, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 4:28am

   
   

   As an author I have to say that if it came down to being read or making a few dollars per book, I'd rather be read. It's more important to be able to hold a copy of something that I wrote in my hands and be able to get a cheap laptop every four years or so, than to join a country club.
   
   I'd also like to thank the unknown person that made a compiled HTML of my book, it's easier to deal with than the Word documents or PDFs.

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7.  

   Stackpole on scanning books

   

   Nick, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 5:04am

   
   

   I've long been an admirer of Stackpole's writing and his pragmatic approach to his craft, but these comments remind me of a *much* older screed he wrote back in 2000:
   
   http://www.michaelastackpole.com/?p=37
   
   A nice example of someone changing their opinion as circumstances change (in this case, his realising that digital piracy actually wasn't worth chasing anyone over).

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8.  

   More from Stackpole

   

   Nick, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 5:07am

   
   

   Stackpole actually responded to some of the comments on that article on his own blog:
   http://www.michaelastackpole.com/?p=397

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9.  

   Re: More from Stackpole

   

   Nick, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 5:15am

   
   

   Sorry, missed his first two replies to the article Mike linked:
   http://www.michaelastackpole.com/?p=378 (The Myth of Formula)
   http://www.michaelastackpole.com/?p=391 (The Myth of Established Authors)
   
   The third article (which I linked above) is about "The Myth of Traditional Publishers Leading the Way"

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10.  

    Hey...

    

    NullOp, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 5:41am

    
    

    If libraries did not exist but someone wanted to start one do you think it would be possible? I think I can hear copyright infringement freaks yelling in the background. Actually, come to think of it, I think the argument would be that "YOU have to buy a copy to be able to read or view the content." My local library loans DVDs/tapes, I wonder if that's a problem.

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11.  

    Lesson's learned for Mike.

    

    Anonymous Coward, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 6:16am

    
    

    I met Michael Stackpole at a seminar class I took from him- nice guy, smart guy, learned a lot from him. He did spend time on marketing and how to get published and how to be a successful working writer.
    
    He is a writer because he wants to write. He does his homework and it show in the novels he writes.
    I find his works do provide me with a real value that I actually pay for. Downloading his works for free would, to me, seem like an personnel insult to him and his effort.

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12.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 6:26am

    
    

    Ilfar beat me to mentioning Baen Books.
    
    I'm another proof it work... John Ringo put alot of his older books on there for free... and now I buy the eARC of all his new books before they even hit the stores

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13.  

    Re: Author

    

    Davis Calvert, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 6:28am

    
    

    As an author, I'm going to agree here. I write for the sake of the art itself. Gaining notoriety (however that's done) is far more valuable to me than marketing my talent. I think we've all been so brainwashed into thinking that every little thing we do deserves payment that we forget to do what we enjoy.

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14.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 6:58am

    
    

    Hey Mike,
    
    You ought do more stories like this and compare them to RIAA type stories... It seems that you get more support from people that matters...
    
    (Maybe because those "music artists" aren't as literate in the first place?)

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15.  

    I do that too...

    

    Anonymous Author, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 8:52am

    
    

    Yeah, that makes sense. I also have a pirated PDF copy of my technical book; I needed to send an excerpt to somebody and couldn't find my originals. So I just sent my friend a chunk of that pirated PDF.
    
    Was it wrong?

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16.  

    Great Author

    

    CrushU, Jul 16th, 2009 @ 3:02pm

    
    

    Mike Stackpole is a brilliant writer. I know him mostly for his Battletech works. (Rules and novels. There's a rule named after him.) When I finally got around to reading the novels instead of just the rules, I went and bought the books instead of trying to download them from somewhere. I usually don't mind just having a digital copy, but I like holding the book in my hand, I must admit.

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17.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Jul 29th, 2009 @ 7:50pm

    
    

    If I like something enough, I'll buy it, but if I don't, even though I may download it off the Internet, I wouldn't buy it if the Internet weren't an option. He has a point. I like holding the things I like in my hands, too.

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18.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Jul 29th, 2009 @ 7:50pm

    
    

    If I like something enough, I'll buy it, but if I don't, even though I may download it off the Internet, I wouldn't buy it if the Internet weren't an option. He has a point. I like holding the things I like in my hands, too.

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