…”we find but very few writers of controversy who have not been manifestly hurt by it. Either they grow in a sense of their own importance, or imbibe an angry, contentious spirit, or they insensibly withdraw their attention from those things which are the food and immediate support of the life of faith, and spend their time and strength upon matters which are at most but of a secondary value. This shows, that if the service is honorable, it is dangerous. What will it profit a man if he gains his cause and silences his adversary, if at the same time he loses that humble, tender frame of spirit in which the Lord delights, and to which the promise of his presence is made?
“
| — |
John Newton, On Controversy h/t Aaron O’Kelley |
I’m RAD.
The Smashwords Blog has a good article about Readers, Authors and Librarians against DRM.
Last week I bought a digital book (whoops, forgot, the publisher would say I “licensed” it) from one of the big online bookstores. I have one of their e-readers. I also have an e-reader from the even bigger online bookstore. Though I chose to purchase (whoops, again) the book from their bookstore, they don’t treat me like a customer - instead they treat me like a potential thief. They lock me into only reading the book on their device, for fear I’ll do something nefarious with the content. The other bookstore’s device is better, and I’d rather read the book on it. That leaves me with three choices: 1) don’t buy from them anymore, so I can read on the other device; 2) settle for a second-best reading experience, or 3) break the worthless DRM and transfer it to the other device. I chose… well, I’ll let you guess.
Of course, all the same things are true about the other bookstore’s practices.
I grow increasingly frustrated with these barriers to enjoying a good book I’ve paid for (whether you call it buying or licensing, I paid for it). The other barrier I’m frustrated with is pricing: a couple of weeks ago I wanted to take a walk down memory lane and read a 72-year old classic. It is in paperback for three or four bucks at one of the online bookstores. On the same book site, the digital copy is $12.99, thanks to agency pricing. Guys, you’re not helping yourself.
Smashwords has some great points. Like why to say “no” to DRM:
- Readers (who know about DRM) don’t like DRM
- DRM adds expense to books
- DRM makes books complex
- DRM limits accessibility to books, especially for those with vision disabilities who require Text-to-Speach (TTS)
- DRM doesn’t prevent piracy
They also point out that the best way to combat piracy is to make purchasing preferable to pirating - by making the book widely distributed and easily available, by pricing the book fairly, by making it available in multiple formats and available to any device, and by communicating to the customer in word and deed that they are trusted.
There’s more at the site. Go read it. In the end, DRM doesn’t stop anyone from copying your book, it doesn’t prevent or deter piracy, and it makes your customers mad. That’s a bad business practice.
If you want to read more still, take a look at this article that will tell you what the publishing bigwigs think of DRM. They don’t believe it deters piracy either - or that piracy is the primary reason DRM exists. Read the article to find out what they’re really trying to prevent.
Words can be like X-rays, if you use them properly—they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.
“
| — | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley |
Madness and despair! Give me that for a lever, and I’ll move the world.
“
| — | The Secret Agent a Simple Tale by Joseph Conrad |
