‘Never a borrower or a lender be…’
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED IN THE LIGHT OF FURTHER INFORMATION RECEIVED.
Free borrows.
Is that so bad?
Hard hours spent conceiving well-reviewed work which is then listed on sites offering readers a chance to connect socially and swap said titles?
Below are just some of the sites that offer books by many mainstream and indie writers. (I debated long and hard about making the sites live and decided that if you, the reader, want to avail yourself of them, you are quite able to find them readily by copying and pasting into your browser)
http://lendle.me
http://www.booksformykindle.com
http://ebookfling.com
http://booklending.com
Illegal?
Possibly not. It seems they operate legitimately via a writer’s connection with Amazon’s and B&N’s publishing process. if a writer opts for the 70% royalty payment in Amazon, one is automatically allowing one’s books to be borrowed (for which I might add, one is paid a small royalty by Amazon. Me? I’ve hardly had any borrows in the 18 months I’ve been with Amazon)
Below is one comment on the social media today from an independent writer about the services the sites offer and their potential impact:
“Amazon can do nothing about it without tightening how lending works on the devices. They (the lending sites) are just sites acting socially bringing people together. I see it as no biggie – do you honestly think there are a queue of people on ‘these sites’ with our books, and, more importantly, a queue of people willing to loan them (Bearing in mind the lending limit is capped)? I doubt it.”
Is it akin to piracy?
Again, a moot point, but most moderators of the sites claim they are social networks putting readers together to share books.
Neil Gaiman made the following comment about the potential benefits of piracy:
“It’s people lending books. You can’t look at that as a lost sale. No one that wouldn’t have bought your book is not buying it… what you are doing is advertising.”
The average indie and maybe even for the midlist mainstream writer might feel it is effectively reducing potential income for those writers. Then again, using Neil Gaiman’s measure, we supposedly make up for it with free advertising, increased readership and potential sales for further books. And given that i would never be able to afford such advertising, perhaps it is a beneficial thing.
Also, one might assume that each time a writer offers a FREE promotion on Amazon’s KDP Select that they are in fact allowing a type of lending process to widen, the only difference between it and free borrowing is that the KDP Select process of downloads happens under the legitimate auspices of the Amazon banner, helping to drive sales of other titles up over a period of time. The sale to end all sales, if you like.
But back to the free lending: haven’t we all done it in many ways with print books all of our lives amongst friends and family?
You are the reader. I bet you have. I know I have!
I definitely can see your point! I haven’t been guilty of borrowing anyone’s ebook as yet….
but I did download the LOTR audiobooks free from YouTube because at least 2 people had uploaded them. I usually buy downloads from Audible.com (a part of Amazon) so I do feel guilty about my free ones! Maybe it’s my age – I’m 65 😀 My son (aged 41) actually owns paper copies of most of Tolkien’s books so he thinks I’m crazy to worry about it. I did buy the download of “The Hobbit” and intend buying the download of “The Silmarillion” so am I forgiven?
Kathryn, how many times do you think we have all loaned books to friends? Or sold books to secondhand book shops, or donated same to the school fairs? Of course, you are forgiven.
I think the process is just something all we writers may have to accept.
Great points–on one hand, I fully approve of being able to lend books through e-readers–there are times I buy a title knowing my husband or a close friend may like it too, and I like that I can pass it off just as I could a physical book. And I suppose that book swap websites have been around since before e-readers too–again, potential sales losses there. Yet it doesn’t quite sit right that people are able to seek free reads out like this and avoid supporting authors–you would think that the sampling available through Amazon and BN would be enough “free advertising” for a book. I think the biggest issue is that many readers could be more aware of the potential damage they’re doing to the writers whose works they enjoy by not buying their books, both traditionally and indie published.
Rowenna, unless one is an Amanda Hocking, income isn’t enormous and its what we all count on to enable us to keep writing. It might pay for a further edit, a cover, the power bill, a new computer; even food and petrol. It is our income after all.
Nevertheless, lending is a form of advertising, albeit an odd one, and may bring readers our way for newer books we write.
Equally, I could be a cynic and say that those readers who borrow from such sites are just going to hang out waiting for the next book to come up as a borrow or a free download, so the writer is on a ticket to nowhere. Whatever the case, I suspect it’s something all writers will have to accept, or go mad trying not to.
I think we’re going to have to look at it like a used bookstore. Somebody did buy the book in order to lend it, so we do get paid–just not by the second reader. I have to admit I’ve bought a lot of books in used bookstores and didn’t feel guilty about it until I became an author and realized it meant a lost royalty for the author. But I discovered a lto of authors buying their stuff used, then when a new book came out, I’d buy it new. So I think your comparison with freebie KDP select days is a good one. We have to see it as advertising.
You’re right about buying used books and thinking, ” yay, bargain!” without taking into account the author’s loss of profit. I would feel more guilty if I didn’t buy most of my books used because the work was out-of-print. Sigh. It’s hard to have one’s conscience expanded.
Exactly Anne. I’ve bought books in secondhand stores AND sold to said stores … do I feel guilty about it? Never did, but suppose I should now.
But I have given a lot of thought to Neil Gaiman’s statement. As an indie, I am hardly likely to be able to afford large scale marketing and advertising and if this is one way to get my books to a reading public (albeit a terribly minimal way of doing it) then I think I am at peace with the process.
Amazon KDP Select? Best thing that’s ever happened to my list.
You claim “Below are just some of the sites that offer books by many mainstream and indie writers, without permission.” … That is 100% wrong and quite frankly, a lie.
1) They are not offering any books. They are merely listing the books. As a writer, I hope you can understand this difference. Offering books implies they are in possession of it, which they are not.
2) Readers who have bought your ebook ARE in possession of your ebook, and rightfully so, they paid for it. If you have “lending” enabled on your book (and by agreeing to a higher royalty rate on Amazon, you agree to lending being enabled) which means you allow your ebook’s buyers to lend the ebook, according to Amazon’s policies.
3) Amazon’s policies indicate that someone who bought an ebook is allowed to lend it to 1 person, 1 time, for a total of 14 days. This is not just a suggestion… it is hard-coded in how the system works, and there is no loophole to break as you suggest in your article.
4) Sites like LendInk and the ones you showed above, connect people who want to use this lend feature. They don’t enable some weird loophole that allows someone to lend more than once. They don’t ever take possession of the book to lend to people over and over. They connect people who have a book to legally lend to people who may want to be on the receiving end of such a lend. At no point do these sites ever possess your book. The actual lending process is done through Amazon (or B&N), not through sites like LendInk and the ones shown above.
Please modify your incorrect post to remove the lies about “loopholes” and “sites that offer books” as neither of those are true.
I trust you will do the right thing in this matter. Such lies and half-truths, even if followed by rationalizations regarding piracy, are still harmful to such sites. These types of misrepresentations and lack of understanding how the process works, are the exact reasons LendInk was brought down.
I will certainly correct my misapprehensions. I believe that free speech is a universal right and if someone is wrong then they stand to be corrected. In addition, I also believe people need to make up their own opinions on the good and bad of any situation.
Thank you for your information. i appreciate you setting the record straight for all readers and writers who come to mesmered. In my defence, I will add once again, that after much thought, as I have repeatedly said, i think Neil Gaiman has the whole thing sorted and I agree with him.
Agreeing with Neil is fine (I agree with him too) but they really are two separate issues. 1 is being lent legally, with a right that you agreed to when you chose to publish at 70%, and 1 is being lent illegally. While they both may end up being good for the author, they are completely two separate things, and shouldn’t even be lumped together as you have.
I suspect you chose a 70% royalty rate (as I see your books have lending enabled) because 70% is better than 35% (and I do not blame you). But, as I have stated, by making the choice that you did, you enabled people to legally lend your book within Amazon’s guidelines. When you post on public facebook forums that someone lending your book via sites like those is akin to a boss taking half of your paycheck, you are in the wrong.
Hi Buddy Elf, thanks for the further comment.
I feel by editing my own blog to correct misinformation, I have been fair. In addition, I said publicly to AB DaDa that I never once asked for sites to be closed down nor did I sign anything asking for said sites to be closed down.
If you wish me to admit to lack of detailed knowledge of the business model of Amazon, I am prepared to admit that as I am a new writer who is learning the ropes, every day is a huge learning curve. I am not a business major, I am a 60 year old writer/ex-mother and housewife who has finally had the courage to lay her books out before the reading public.
But I think I have personally done all I can do. You would be best to spend your time dealing with those whom you claim created this whole thing in the first place, not someone who has given the whole thing due thought and also publicly claimed to believe in a top writer’s take (Neil Gaiman: a favourite writer of mine) on all such lending processes.
I hope I have satisfied your requirements as best I can. Perhaps you would prefer I deleted this whole post?
Hey Prue… Thank you for doing the right thing. Debating whether you like or dislike something is what free speech is all about. When you slander or misrepresent something, that’s where free speech ends up being harmful, so thank you for making those changes.
I wanted to let you know that you confused the borrows and the lending, as they are two separate things… Borrows are through the KDP Select system, which as you mentioned, we are compensated for. Amazon Prime members can borrow 1 book a month for free from the Amazon Kindle Lending Library, and each borrow comes to roughly $2-3 for the owners.
Lending is enabled on a book when the author takes the 70% royalty rate instead of the 35% royalty rate. A buyer of a lending enabled ebook, is allowed to lend the book 1 time, to 1 person, for a total of 14 days. It’s taken off of the buyer’s Kindle, and put onto the lendee’s kindle for a maximum of 14 days. At which point, the book is the returned to the buyers Kindle and it is unable to be lent to another person (unless they happen to buy the book again).
Hope that helps to clear up the difference between the two.
Cheers and thanks, Buddy. Best wishes.