It’s apparently a common issue for many Indie authors or ebook authors in general now. And I’ve just discovered both my books on a couple of torrent sites. Part of me is flattered that people think my books are good enough to go to this trouble for and the other part of me is just pissed off. My first book is already free pretty much everywhere on the internet. My second is all of $3.00 US which for a full length novel is damn cheap. I’ve reported the links to the site owners and whether or not they do anything remains to be seen but I am going to say this.
The Arrival took 18 months of my life to write. Most of the characters are based on people I genuinely know and adore in real life. It took an IMMENSE amount of work to create the world, Gar’nyse, and an immense amount of work to get the story to where I wanted it.
Awakening was 12 intense months of work. Again an enormous amount of my free time because being an ebook author doesn’t pay well, not in the beginning that’s for sure! Hell, if I get on the top 100 on Amazon and stay there for a year or so, maybe then I’ll be able to quit my 9-5 job and take up writing full time. But until then, I’m a full time receptionist who’s working her arse off in her free time, moonlighting as a novelist.
I began writing The Arrival because I LOVE the story, not because I expect to be a millionaire (hence buying lotto this week ;p), but at the same time I don’t open myself up to ridicule from readers/reviewers just for the hell of it. I published The Arrival because I thought others might enjoy it, and then I made it free because I wanted people to have an obligation free way of seeing whether or not they enjoy it. Charging for Awakening is a way for readers to essentially say they enjoy my story that much that they’re willing to pay a fee (however small) for my hard work. And I am grateful for every single purchase. Because it means that person is a fan of the story and essentially me and mine. Unless you know me, or meet me, most of you won’t realize how very personal this story is to me. Yes the setting is fantastical but the ideas and characters behind it are based on reality a fair whack of the time.
Please do the right thing by hard working indie authors such as myself, and take the time to purchase our works. You wouldn’t steal from me in the street, why do it online?
Take care all!
Nic
The Arrival, available for free right here on this blog!
Awakening on Amazon or UK Amazon or in Epub format right here on my blog (the bright yellow buttons on left!)
