How do you feel when you see your works in the pirate sites?

ChronicleCrawler

♠ItCrawls♠
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I just saw my novels getting pirated on a few aggregator sites. I won't rant or anything but I am definitely curious about how other authors feel when their works get pirated. Because for me, it's kinda a weird feeling - half happy since someone spent their time strafing and pirating my novels. Is that a sign of getting acknowledge or whatnot? And half not, cause, you know, it got pirated...:blob_sir:

Let me hear the voice (howls) of our dear author's out there. :blobtaco:
 

Valmond

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Depends in all honesty. On the very unlikely scenario, if they asked permission. Then maybe, which has never happened. Then on the other hand, it is more or less insulting. To take a story behind the author’s back is showing disrespect for their work. On a pirate site however, this is where it becomes a bit more complicated. These are usually done in places where copyright laws are not respected, or there are not any. In a case like this, you have two options. DMCA, or contact the site to have it removed.

I would be fine if my work is elsewhere. However, under two conditions. One, I am asked permission with documentation of the agreement. Just in case they may try to pull something. Two, the works are not used for profit in any way. Since my intention is to have my works out there for free. I do not want anyone to be charged. If these two conditions are met, then I really do not care much. Since, if I decide to expand my work, I can show the documentation to have it posted on another site with ease, rather than going through a hassle to get it done.

Though, if they deliberately copied the story behind the author’s back, and post it elsewhere. It may be showing acknowledgment for the quality of the work. Depending on the type of mirror site used. At the same time however, it is showing disrespect. Since it is taking the work of the author, that person who has put in who knows how much time into making it.

Then there is the possible scenario here that happened to a friend. Someone stole their work, kept the story, but changed the characters actions. Such as sexual identity, or relations. On the off scenario, you may think this is not so bad, it will get the work more views, and they will go to the original author. Wrong, critically wrong. These people supported the knockoff, believed it to be real, and got angry at the original for claiming it is their own last I remember. There was a whole conflict on this a few months back.

So as you can see, there are several scenarios here. Copied with permission is okay, and the best outcome. Since the secondary party will have to agree to the terms to distribute the content. No problem here whatsoever. The next scenario is pirated towards mirror sites. Where it is usually done in places that has no respect, or no copyright laws. This here is better dealt with contacting the site itself, or DMCA. It is honestly better to be on sites that can have some kind of defense against this, even if it is not much.

The third scenario is what I mentioned, they stole the story, kept the bulk of it, but change things like the characters actions. Keeping the names, etc. Which may lead to others believing that work is the fraud’s own, thus giving the original author problems. In two out of the three scenarios, it is absolutely not okay.


Restoration(Book 1)
Restoration: Covenant
 
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ArcanePunkster

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Well, I've never had my work pirated and I can't really blame people for that cause my work isn't that good anyway.

But if it did and in turn I was getting traffic to the original novel website then I wouldn't be too fussed about, on there other hand, if they were making revenue off of it when I'm not then I'll probably be a bit miffed about it.
 

Owl

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I don't like people taking stuff without my permission. It's more okay if it's clear where the original is from.
Or, in my case, if it's stolen and translated and put behind a paywall, I'm pretty pissed at someone making money off my work without permission
 

yansusustories

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Acknowledgment? No, absolutely not. People who read a story and genuinely liked it would share a link to the original source because they want to help us so we can write more. Pirate sites just pick up the text and show it on their own sites while never linking back to the actual source. It's not helping us at all. Most readers would just read on the aggregator site itself so this is actually actively harming most writers because we'll use a chunk of readers we could have had. This means: Less interaction on our sites (you won't get views, reads, favorites, comments, or whatever else the sites you post on have) which is demotivating in the long run, less money if you rely on advertisements on your own website to make money which might mean people can put less time into writing because they'll have to focus on other work (not everyone, of course, but for those that have writing as at least a part-time job).
Furthermore, I don't think those sites actually go and read any of the stories they display. They automatically grab and display them. It's not a badge of honor to be on x pirate sites, it's just a sad fact of people not actually caring about us and what we do. Because if they did, they would just fucking post a link and maybe review the stories on their site. But I guess that would make them less money.
 

CupcakeNinja

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I just saw my novels getting pirated on a few aggregator sites. I won't rant or anything but I am definitely curious about how other authors feel when their works get pirated. Because for me, it's kinda a weird feeling - half happy since someone spent their time strafing and pirating my novels. Is that a sign of getting acknowledge or whatnot? And half not, cause, you know, it got pirated...:blob_sir:

Let me hear the voice (howls) of our dear author's out there. :blobtaco:
Pfft I dont care but if they make money off it I better be getting a cut, else you gon GET cut
 

tiaf

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Pfft I dont care but if they make money off it I better be getting a cut, else you gon GET cut
Totally agree, share my stuff, share the money. Better: give me all the money.

I only saw my story pirated to one site. I don't make money with my story, but it kinda bugs me that they also copy my illustrations and don't put up edits I made later. Maybe I should add a meme to the next chapter to ridicule them. :blob_hmm_two:
 

CupcakeNinja

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Totally agree, share my stuff, share the money. Better: give me all the money.

I only saw my story pirated to one site. I don't make money with my story, but it kinda bugs me that they also copy my illustrations and don't put up edits I made later. Maybe I should add a meme to the next chapter to ridicule them. :blob_hmm_two:
Troll those fuckers yo. It's the only logical course of action.
 

Yorth

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One thing I always do is add a link to my website (or the main website I use to post my story) at the end of each chapter. Something like "Hey, if you're reading this from a pirating site, know that my work is free to read on my website in its entirety. While I don't condone people that use pirating sites, you need to understand that you run the risk of having malwares/adwares installed in your computer when you use them. On my site, you don't have to worry about that, there are no ads, and it's much aesthetically pleasing (imo :s_wink:). Here is link : (share the link)"

I think something like this could prolly help you net a few readers. I know it did for me (not that much, but Im gonna guess at least a couple dozens?)
 

Freesia.Cutepearl

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You know. I hadn't given this much thought before. Probably because I was only practicing writing a story I started on the fly to just START ACTUALLY WRITING and didn't expect it to blow up.

This thread prompted me to search for my story's name on Google and most links were for Scribblehub. I did see it listed on another site, but it links to Scribblehub(kind of like how NovelUpdates links to the translator's pages? I think?)

Code:
https://www.wlnupdates.com/series-id/128723/the-compassion-amp-terror-of-lilith-everhart

I'd probably need more time to seriously consider things for a detailed answer, but off the top of my head, I agree with some sentiments posted here, I'd just want permission to be asked, with some kind of written agreement.

And I wouldn't want them to make money off from it, I don't make money from it myself, I am just writing to write, right now.

If they were making money from it, I'd prefer they either stop or.. cut me in. It'd be nice to pay Hans for drawing my new cover and making my banner, for example, even though he didn't want anything.

My biggest concern is that, I'd want all my updates/changes/fixes/corrections to be in whatever people are reading. That's probably what'd bother me the most, is not being able to fix things or update a chapter with a rewrite/polish/whatever.
 
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