# I am the Watcher. I am your guide through this vast new twtiverse.
#
# Usage:
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/users View list of users and latest twt date.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/twt View all twts.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/mentions?uri=:uri View all mentions for uri.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/conv/:hash View all twts for a conversation subject.
#
# Options:
# uri Filter to show a specific users twts.
# offset Start index for quey.
# limit Count of items to return (going back in time).
#
# twt range = 1 12
# self = https://watcher.sour.is/conv/cs6lodq
I have just received the royalties for the last book: 98 euros for the four-month period, about 24 euros a month on average. Not even enough for the gym membership.
If you have to keep some knowledge: don't write for money, the paper (or ebook) industry is in a very bad way, the margins for the author are very small and piracy is devastating.
I have just received the royalties for the last book: 98 euros for the four-month period, about 24 euros a month on average. Not even enough for the gym membership.
If you have to keep some knowledge: don't write for money, the paper (or ebook) industry is in a very bad way, the margins for the author are very small and piracy is devastating.
@andros That's a shame. But here's the thing about piracy. If I could download a PDF or MP3/OGG of a Book I'd happily pay for this. If I could download an MP3/OGG of some Music I would pay for this. If I could download an MP4 of a Movie I would pay for this.
The reason piracy exists at all is economics and greed. If you make something affordable and convenient, there's no need to steal.
@prologic Fully agreed. I'm far more likely to buy such mediums when DRM-free. I never go near Amazon eBooks etc because of their lock-in, and I have a Kobo eReader which needs to have the books side loaded unless directly from the Kobo store. I prefer DRM-free files every time.
well, that leads to a long conversation.
Piracy is a difficult topic which is very personal, so I won't say much about it.
On writing books, I've tried along with other digital products such as courses and videogames, and I got to confess that it has been hard for me.
If it helps, I think it all reaches our expectations on the activity and the result. If royalties is the expectation, it's going to be slow. By 5% of royalties, for a rough example, a huge amount of sales will be required to get a decent "wage", so I've understood of doing it by the side of a normal employment although it has been discouraging and a bit sad.
I have reflected about it in Spanish here: https://sembrandojuegos.substack.com/p/sobre-expectativas-al-crear-juegos
@prologic I only buy stuff like that, for example games on GOG.COM. Or simply CDs or DVDs. (Rarely I “buy” a movie on some popular streaming service, fully aware that this is just “renting it”.)
But yeah, I sadly have to agree with @bender. 😢
@prologic I only buy stuff like that, for example games on GOG.COM. Or simply CDs or DVDs. (Rarely I “buy” a movie on some popular streaming service, fully aware that this is just “renting it”.)
But yeah, I sadly have to agree with @bender. 😢
@prologic @eapl.me I want to highlight another social problem: People don't read. Paper industry is a bad moment because people don't pay for books; it does not matter if it is a physical or digital platform. I have this information because I have a good friend who left the industry after publishing a magazine, books and working in an editorial. DRM is a try to give some more money.
@prologic @eapl.me I want to highlight another social problem: People don't read. Paper industry is a bad moment because people don't pay for books; it does not matter if it is a physical or digital platform. I have this information because I have a good friend who left the industry after publishing a magazine, books and working in an editorial. DRM is a try to give some more money.
@andros DRM is a solution to the wrong problem.
well, there is a whole book about piracy, DRM and selling stuff on the internet.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Doesn%27t_Want_to_Be_Free
So I won't add much to the topic, what I can say is that this is about being pragmatic. There is some people who's gonna spend their money on books but it requires publicity (polemic topic) and subsidizing creativity with our own money (another controversial one).
Otherwise it's a difficult discipline /profession /industry