I think we pretty much agree. Though some people will steal no matter what, most won’t when an eBook is reasonably priced and doesn’t make legit buyers feel like criminals (i.e. no DRM).

I’ve heard the argument that piracy advances sales, but it’s all anecdotal. Also, Joe Konrath (yes, I’ve seen his blog) has an established audience and writes to a larger market than lesfic writers. The smaller the market, the direr the potential consequences from piracy.

As far as eBooks go, I don’t think small indie publishers should have more difficulty with price. I find that most eBooks from lesbian presses are overpriced (okay, everyone can throw rotten tomatoes at me now, but it’s true). But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to steal them, and we both seem to agree on that!

My objections to copyright go more to restrictions on fair use, especially in education, and the extended duration under the DMAC. It is a violation of copyright, however construed, to download recent novels from filesharing sites. It’s wrong morally, too.

That said, I’m not sure that filesharing hurts artists’ interests as much as some may assume. Have you seen Joe Konrath’s blog? He argues that at this point piracy may indirectly advance sales. (Any publicity is good publicity?) In any case, the best way to combat piracy is to make legitimate downloading (and subsequent use) easy and cheap. Uploading work to Lulu, Smashwords, and Amazon, charging a reasonable price, and avoiding DRM would seem to fit the bill. I think small indie publishers have more difficulty with price and availability, but indie authors should be able to minimize piracy over time.

I agree that some pirates aren’t doing it for malicious reasons and don’t understand that they’re stealing. Educating them could be effective.

I also agree that every file shared doesn’t necessarily result in a lost purchase, but sales are definitely affected by piracy, and so are writers.

Your last sentence seems to imply that it’s okay for those who can’t afford books to download them from sharing sites. If that’s what you meant–and I could be misinterpreting, so please forgive me if I am–I disagree. I can sympathize with someone who can’t afford food and steals to eat, but not with someone who steals books, especially when there are libraries.

Thanks for your thoughtful comment!