Australian authors have become victims of book piracy. Books of well-known Australian authors like Sally Hepworth, Candice Fox, Grantlee Kieza, Liane Moriarty, John Marsden, and Colleen McCullough have been extensively pirated lately. Nearly 18,000 books by these authors have fallen prey to infringement, along with many others on the list. Overall, about 191,000 books have been exploited, providing unauthorised access to their work to the readers.
Book piracy, especially e-book piracy, has become a common practice in the literary world. The illicit practice has been common in several countries, with the US, Japan and Vietnam being the leaders, as per 2021 statistics. It has been affecting both the authors as well as the publishers, contributing to their loss. Moreover, this practice has also saddened several authors worldwide as it indicates how their work isn’t being appreciated.
Not just that, piracy also stops the growth of the literary world as a whole. As more pirated work gets appreciated, the industry is likely to suffer a downfall, especially in terms of talent. In the long term, piracy has the potential to withhold the growth of both established and aspiring authors. It’s likely to serve as a discouragement and setback for the book world. That’s why it’s crucial to deal with this on a serious note.
The Australian authors who got victimised to piracy recently are quite popular for their work. Each of these authors has an extensive fanbase who are fond of their incredible stories. With that being said, their talent deserves to be cherished fairly. They deserve to get the rewards and profit for their hard work, which, unfortunately, is becoming a dilemma due to piracy.
As piracy has become more common lately, authorities should take this seriously and combat the book piracy problem with the best measures. It’s important that the rights of these authors get protected by strict copyright/piracy laws and regulations. Only then can authors sigh relief and safeguard their talent and deserving income.
Additionally, authors and publishers should come up with effective strategies to prevent readers from turning to pirated websites for books. For example, they can publish books in all formats (print, digital, audiobook, etc.) so readers can access the book at their convenience. Also, they can come up with free issues or reasonable book costs so readers can get an idea of their book style before investing their money.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.