It seems a bit mealy minded to put up an angry post after such a long silence. The current lack of airplay has been down to Dark & Stormy festival, about which more in a bit. But I need to get this off my chest.

<RANT>

I have become increasingly outraged at the whole piracy issue. I have set up a Google alert for all my books and always follow up and report all instances of piracy. This is my response, in this case to an email today informing me that my book Cuckoo is being offered on a site for download on a site called ‘Download Genius’.

• This book is my property and my copyright.
• I have alerted my UK publishers, Headline of this infringement and I ask most forcefully that you take it down.
• Like many writers, the only way I make my living is through my writing.
• Offering copyright material for free download endangers not only the livelihood of the individual creator, but also the whole publishing/film/music industry.
• It is as much theft as shoplifting, and equally morally indefensible.
• Sites like this are as implicit as the people who put stolen stuff up here.
• You are not modern digital warriors, you are thieves.
• If you want free books or music or film, join a library, who (in the UK at least) reward writers with a small public lending right payment per loan and thus keep us able to write.

If you are an author or any sort of copyright content creator, I urge you to do the same. It’s important that we don’t take this lying down, people, or there will be no more content for the thieves to steal!

</RANT>