Pirating E-books

Hello,
I woke up in a good mood today, I got the final edits of Project US. It will be my next novel and it is me returning to my Young Adult genre. I was also preparing my schedule to work on End of the Line 2. For giggles I sometimes google myself, it is a form of procrastination I will admit. I do not expect to be the next J.K. Rowling, but I have heard horror stories of other authors saying they find their work on pirating websites so I just like to keep an eye to see if I have hit that level.

I enjoyed seeing some people using my quotes on tumblr with cute pictures. I see quotes from Family Ties and End of the Line. I even saw a pinterest board named after one of the letters from Beneath the Scars. There were a couple other sites, pictures, and even some articles that have used my quotes. Honestly, I never thought that something like that would happen.

I came across a few sights that claimed that you could download my books for free if you signed up. I tried, but I didn't create a username/password so I only got so far. Then I came up to a discussion board. In this board there was a person asking how to download Beneath the Scars for free. It was nice to see a few people on the board talk about how they liked the book. There was one person suggesting a site to do so. Yet, there was only one person on the discussion board who stood up and said that's called pirating, and it's illegal. The person went on further saying how harmful it is for the author.

It is true I don't write for the money. However, I tend to put my books for a cheaper price. I tend to do a good amount of giveaways and made my ebooks free for libraries. I have also donated paperbacks a couple of times to libraries. I even post about how I need reviewers and that I'm giveaway free copies. It is one thing to think, okay I'm sure there are a few people getting free copies online, but to see it in writing is a little hurtful. The person also suggested borrowing from a friend. My friends and I would do that all the time in high school. There were a few books that six of us were rotating with. I have bought used copies of books when I am low on money.

So please...don't be a pirate go to your local library! Even if you have to contact the author. I know if someone asked me I'd see if their library has a copy, and if not I'd find them a deal or help them out.