Beat Cha Like Ya Stole Somethin'!

Hi everyone.


You've heard me speak out on this before, but I need to just remind people. Authors, most of us I believe, work very hard on our books. We have other obligations, families, jobs etc. and if we are indie, we have to spend money out of our own pocket many times to make sure our finished 'product' is ready to go. Please do not ask for illegal shares and/or downloads of our work. It hurts us - not just because of the money, because of our blood, sweat and tears. It is a slap in the face. If you really like our work, and you want us to keep writing, PLEASE PURCHASE your OWN copy. We know when our work is being pirated, more times than not. We also know that some of the people on our 'friends list' and followers on twitter, are the ones requesting our books on illegal share sites and bootleg download sites. It may seem innocent, and you may think, "Oh, what is one or two shares...no biggie." But that isn't the point and it is NEVER one or two shares. Imagine twenty people have downloaded the book illegally, then they give it to forty other people, and so it goes, like falling dominoes.

So many readers, and rightfully so, complain about poor editing. Well, we have to hire people to assist with that. Many of us are writers - we are not English professors. Good editing costs money. It comes with a cost that WE AS AUTHORS, have to pay for. We do that for YOU. I can live with my grammatical errors just fine, lol, but YOU deserve better. Many readers complain about 'jacked up' covers, or covers that don't match the characters in the story, or the same ol' models on all the covers - well, we have to pay for that if you want to see something new and original. Not to mention, there is no price you can put on our time.

Do you all realize that for us, that are truly dedicated to this, the time away from our families that takes place? Do you know how many times I am told by friends and family - that it appears I've disappeared off the face of the Earth because I am closed up in my office, on my laptop, researching, writing and trying to get my ideas poured out in a clear manner? I LOVE doing this, and without the reader - the ideas would only be on my computer, and never go farther - but we need you to understand, that there is a price that goes with this, people.

I try to get better with each book I write - because you deserve it, and that is what someone who loves what they do, should strive for. I know money is tight. You don't think it is tight for authors as well? No one gets rich off of writing, for MANY years in the game and even then, it is a select few. I'm not trying to get rich - I am trying to cover my expenses and have a little left over for a vacation now and again. Period, point blank. So I beg of you...don't ask for illegal copies of our work, don't download illegal copies and just give us the same respect for our craft, that you'd want, if you were in our shoes. Thank you so much. ♥

Tiana Laveen