Text of COL49

[Mark Kohut]

Sometimes, maybe. I just believe in the right of an author to get royalties.

I sent the possibility of downloading GR to an editor friend who knows Melanie 
Jackson and asked him to get it to her and 

act as she saw fit. I think we can see that Pynchon does not like 'digital' 
copies, perhaps out of his vision, since no rights
to sell them that way have been contracted. 

Yes, I too have done many illegal things.....even bought used books and gotten 
many free, no royalties to author. (I am lucky that way). I even have an 
'illegal' download of a Pynchon novel sent to me. I'll live with the 
contradiction. 


But the real danger is the rapid growth of illegal downloads among those who 
think "information on the web should be free"....
Certain "cult" writers can be hit the worst as 'get it free' spreads like a 
virus. 


However, I used to be the one to make the case inside a publisher---still  make 
it in my consultant/small pub role when asked----that giving away
digital copies actually might sell more printed copies....look up Cory Doctorow, 
writer and Boing-Boinger in Forbes (and elsewhere
over this.) Others, too. 

But I'm not the writer, nor his publisher, who might think differently.

Publishers are going the way of.......perhaps, makers of vinyl records?.....will 
survive as some kind of niche players..............but
until they get copy-protected digital copies for which authors get royalties, I 
will try to get illegal copies of favorite writers killed...

What might most be lost among new writers is privacy...if he has to tour or 
speak or teach--most do anyway---to make a living in order
to write........


 


----- Original Message ----
From: "Carvill, John" <john.carvill at sap.com>
To: Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com>; Robert Mahnke <rpmahnke at gmail.com>
Cc: pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Wed, September 1, 2010 7:15:04 AM
Subject: RE: Text of COL49

<< yes, it is and I sent it yesterday to a Harper exec for his piracy patrols to 
kill............
Publishers have them now. necessary. >>

Wow. Aren't you righteous?

Ever tape a vinyl album onto a cassette? Or rip a CD? Or use a VCR to record a 
program off the TV?

I don't think circulating an e-text of a Pynchon novel is going to lose him much 
money.