We are in an era where books, music, magazines, movies and television are easily obtained with the press of a button. Whether it be online via your phone, computer or other device like an iPad or Kindle or pressing a button on your television remote. I myself enjoy the ease of streaming music and videos, downloading my favorite books via audible to my Zune to get through my day at work, grabbing my Roku device and flipping over to Amazon to watch free movies with my Prime membership. It’s easy, convenient and much more cost effective than a trip to the movies, tickets to a concert or visiting a comedy club. The key to all this is, these are all things that I pay membership fees for. As an Author it’s very frustrating for me to wake up Sunday morning and pull up facebook to find a link to a page on youtube where some asshat is uploading audiobooks for people to listen to for free. Or flip through the book groups and see a site I know damn good and well I never uploaded to or gave my permission to share my book with the masses for free. It’s theft folks, plain and simple, no sugar coating it, if this is you, if you are doing this, you’re a goddamn thief.

Digital Piracy… It doesn’t matter whether you copied copyrighted material from a friend, illegally downloaded from the internet, or purchased from a person who was selling illegally made copies; it is all theft. People who copy digital content they do not have permission to use are digital pirates.

Let me break this down for you. With books specifically, eBooks that is, it can be difficult for an Indie Author like myself to make enough money to make a living. I, like many others, have a day job and have to work my writing in between work, family and other obligations. Before a book even goes on sale I’m already hundreds of dollars in the hole. I have to pay a cover artist for imaging and if I want exclusivity, the model images cost a bit more. Then there’s the editor, book tour and promotion hosts etc… So I need this book to sell a LOT of copies immediately just to even up. Can you see why it pisses me the f*ck off when one or more of my books is pirated? Again, if you’re downloading books from a site for free, please please please verify that this is a reputable site and the Author is actively participating on that site. If not, don’t download. Email the Author and let them know what you’ve found, send them the link. If you still download that book, you’re a goddamn thief.

This latest invasion of my royalties came in the form of Audiobook piracy on youtube. Seriously people, if you think that Dreamspinner Press, Riptide Publishing and dozens of Indie Authors willingly and happily allowed their audios to be uploaded to youtube for all the world to listen to for free… yeah, probably not. Now were navigating into the rough waters of Audible, iTunes, Narrators and Storytellers. These digital pirates (goddamn thieves) are taking money out of the pockets of so many people, it just infuriates me. Is it really to difficult to subscribe to Kindle Unlimited? Pay for a monthly membership to Audible? Amazon also has a section, top 100 free books. Authors do giveaways, send out copies for reviewers and readers and offer sales on their books everyday. Hell, if you honestly want to read one of my books and cannot afford to purchase it, email me, I’ll send you a copy! I have books in the KU program, books that are free to download on Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, KOBO and Payhip. As for the audiobooks authors and narrators just about always have codes that will allow a listener to obtain a free copy through Audible. Just ask, what could it hurt? And you don’t have to have a membership to redeem codes.

I implore you to help put a stop to these pirates and thieves, or at the very least, make it more difficult for them to get away with it. Email the Authors, report them (www.iprcenter.gov). If you find a link on facebook, report it. If you find an audiobook on youtube, report it.

Let’s recap… this pirate is good

This pirate is bad!

Now it’s time for my shameless plug 🙂 speaking of Audiobooks…

Beauregard Boudreaux is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. Born and raised there, he never thought he would ever stray far from home. The untimely death of his first love left Beau lost, adrift, looking for a place as far away from the pain as possible. Initially, he came to New York to visit a friend, the city growing on him, so he decided to stay. His law degree comes in handy at the LGBT Center he runs, but his bar is his baby.

William Richards grew up in Chicago, his family oddly normal and very accepting of his sexuality. Modeling paid the bills, gigs across the country as a model, male entertainer and a personal trainer giving him the opportunity to see the world. He hasn’t experienced loss or pain as Beau has, the common denominator between them is the loneliness. As All Cocks big, brooding bottom Connor, William has found friendship, family, and an outlet for his craving to be more submissive than men of his size and stature usually are.

The two men are perfect for each other, their tastes and lives align and the writing seems to be on the wall. But Beau has a secret he shares with a choice few, a secret that not only threatens to keep them apart, it’s deadly. Determined to keep a wall between himself and William, Beau fights the attraction, pushes William away every time he steps closer. Can one man’s determination and strength be enough to tear down a wall that holds back decades of pain and darkness? And if he can, will either of them survive the flood?

Disclaimer: This book is the fictional story of a man living with HIV. I have put a lot of time and effort into presenting this story as true to fact as possible, without going into gory or gruesome detail. If this subject is a trigger for you, you may want to skip this book. But my hope is that you give Beau a chance to capture your heart as he has mine, and William’s.

Written by TM Smith, narrated by Joel Leslie.

PURCHASE your copy (or email me, I do have a few codes for Audible US and Audible UK – tammystwocents@gmail.com)…

Audible: https://goo.gl/3zzJJU

Amazon Audio: http://amzn.to/2wS4XEB

iTunes: https://goo.gl/xaKWAa

I also have a giveaway running right now that you can enter http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bde26371309/?

See you guys next month! And remember, don’t be a goddamn thief!!