Here's an excerpt:
Q: But I don't want my writing to be shared.
A: Then don't write. Simple as that. JK Rowling has lost millions of dollars, because she refused to let Harry Potter come out in ebook form. Newsflash: you can get ebooks of all the Potter books from pirate sites. She didn't cater to her fans, so her fans catered to themselves. And if Rowling can't stop it, with her billions and armies of layers, you can't either.Q: No, seriously, in a future where everything is free, how will...
A: We're not in a future where everything is free. But I'll play the "let's pretend" game. Let's pretend that all ebooks are free. How will writers make money? The same way all media makes money. Advertising, merchandising, and licensing.
Q: But I don't want ads in ebooks.
A: I don't want ads in anything. But that's how capitalism works. Deal with it.
While Konrath applies his arguments specifically to ebook piracy you can substitute the term "movie" or "comic" or "series" to the equations and come pretty close to the bullseye he hit here. Especially when you understand he practices what he preaches by having free versions of his books on his site and is still selling 220 books a day.
In terms of what we do here at Pulp 2.0 Press we are making plans to embrace this sort of future and put our books into as many hands as inexpensively as we possibly can. We're even figuring out ways to make sure talented fans like you can make money with our books and content. It's new. It's not always easy to figure out...
But it is the way things are going and we don't plan on swimming against the waves only to drown. We're going to grab a surfboard and ride into shore with our books and other media. Besides, I look good in jams, and I need some sun.
Stay tuned. Maybe by signing up for our free newsletter?
