It has come to my attention that my books are appearing in collections, or on pirate bookstore sites, or in book clubs where they are given away either for a very low price or for free.
Bottom line: When it is done without my permission, or the permission of my publishers, that means it is a violation of my copyright.
That means it is illegal.
The people offering these books claim that the books in the collections are either in public domain, or they own the copyrights, or they have the right to give away copies of the books to anyone they want to because they bought ONE copy.
NONE of my books are in public domain.
My copyright extends for my lifetime, and quite a few years beyond that -- and since I am still very much alive, NONE of my books have gone into public domain.
Nor have I or any of my publishers granted permission for my books to appear in any collections.
Therefore, the people offering any collection with my books or short stories in them are doing so illegally.
Please do not patronize thieves who have no regard for copyright or the rights of authors. And if you buy stolen merchandise from them, YOU are a thief as well.
These people often defend their illegal actions by claiming that authors make "thousands of dollars" on their books, and it won't hurt them if "a few" people download their works for free.
Where are the "thousands of dollars" I have earned from my books?
After the distributor gets his cut, and the publisher gets her cut, and the artist gets her cut, and the editor gets his cut, my share is often around 50 to 75 cents.
When you share a stolen, illegally copied electronic book, you are stealing from all the people who helped to produce it, and who have the right to expect some recompense for their time, skills, and labors.
These thieves add insult to injury by claiming that we should be "flattered" that people like our work so much that they steal from us.
Would you expect a farmer to be flattered if people cut down his fences and walked through his fields and helped themselves to his crops, and refused to pay because obviously, since he owns all that land and equipment, he must be very wealthy, and therefore it won't hurt him if they steal the products of his labors?
Bottom line: Making a copy of an electronic book is, in essence, PUBLISHING that book. And only my contracted publishers have the legal right to publish my book.
Do you work for free?
Why do you expect me to work for free?
If you can't pay for books and movies, go to the library. Stop stealing from authors and artists -- or we might end up having to choose between writing and paying our bills.
