Recently, an author friend of mine sent me a link to a website that had pirated her upcoming release. Not only that, but she showed me that said website also had all four of my upcoming books available for free download — including one I haven’t even written, one I’m halfway through writing, and the other that has been seen by a single beta reader thus far.

Which, let’s be real, that’s some crazy pirate sorcery. Somehow they’ve managed to reach into my brain and produce a manuscript without my knowledge, and now have it available for mass consumption!

No.

As long as the internet lives, there will be piracy. Still, it sucks when you pirate our books. It sucks hard.

So, don’t pirate. Why?

1. Indies don’t make a lot of money, and you’re basically stealing what little money we do make when you pirate.
   • I mean, yes, I know there is a percentage of indie authors earning 4-5 figures each month, so obviously this doesn’t apply to them.
   • Actually, yeah, it does. No one wants to have money stolen from them, whether they earn a lot or a little.
2. Pirating sites might be collecting and selling your credit card information.
   • This is bad.
3. Pirating sites might be delivering a virus.
   • I think of this when I see that my books are available for PDF and EPUB download… and I haven’t even written them yet. So, what, exactly are you downloading? Something shady, that’s for sure.
4. For traditional authors, you pirating their book vs. buying it means their publisher won’t have all the actual sales data — and might not ask for the next book in a series if they think it’s performing poorly. Help your favourite authors by buying their work.
5. Sometimes pirating websites charge you for books that are actually free on legal channels. I once saw someone selling my permafreebie for $5.50. Like. Bro. No.

If you’re someone who burns through four books a week, I understand it can be expensive to keep buying books. However, there are other ways you can contribute that doesn’t involve piracy.

1. Become an ARC reader. If your favourite author is looking, offer to read and review advanced works. You get the books for free, authors get review on release day — it’s a win-win.
2. Try Kindle Unlimited or other set-price programs. Here, you pay a set fee per month, and can read as many books as you want within that program. If you don’t have a Kindle, Amazon offers a free download of their e-reading platform, allowing you to read on your tablet or even your phone.

So, don’t pirate. And don’t download books I haven’t even written yet. I guarantee it’s a scam.