Is anyone else fed up with people asking where to read book for free online?

Question

I'm getting really fed up with all the questions about where to read this or that book for free online. Whatever happened to going to the library and checking the book out? Authors work really hard to write books and it isn't right to try get a free copy online any more that it's write to download music, movies, etc. without paying for it.

So my question is this, is anyone else fed up with it? And is there anyway to start reporting these questions to Y!A because I swear there's at least one a day. It's bad enough when you come on here and see kids asking for you to do their homework for them.

Answer 1

Amen, sister.

It's really frustrating to know that so many people won't take a few minutes out of their busy schedules to stop by the library or a local Barnes and Noble. Anyone who has any respect for authors - and their work - should be offended by this.

I can understand looking for a piece of classic literature - there are sites devoted to the study of these works, and sites that offer people an opportunity to read them without purchasing them. That's what the site is for - that's fine by me.

However, going out and illegally getting chapters of novels or whole novels, for that matter, drives me nuts. Do these people even realize how hard authors, among others, work to produce these books?

I'm not positive, but I would assume that you can report these questions as illegal if they intend on downloading a novel without payment or permission, or in other words, if it is a form of copyright infringement. In any case, we should be able to report them for just being ignorant.

And oh man, I hate those questions. "I have a ??? about To Kill a Mockingbird!?" Oh, yeah, because you're randomly going to be interested in the "themes and symbols" of TKAM. We can't see through that at all...

Those books are meant to be read for a reason. We know you don't like to learn, but for your own sake - do your friggin' homework!

Answer 2

I am happy that people want to read, there are lot of people who hate to read and I am happy someone is reading, I don't care where they get it( I think that authors and producer make plenty of money they don't need more) . I don't agree to the kids asking you to do there homework but I think it is fine to get help.  

Answer 3

Babs: Authors do *not* make plenty of money. Only the most successful authors are able to even live off of their royalties and advances.

I completely agree that people need to quit asking. Authors work very hard, and as I previously stated, need every single penny in most cases.

I'm all about the free dissemination of information and literature, but I really think that's what libraries are for. And libraries *buy* their copies.

Answer 4

no, there just wondering.  

Answer 5

I often avoid those questions...

Yet sometimes I put in my bit about illegal sites (for free dowload of copyrighted work) and how a reader that uses them either will not get to read the entire book (the sites leave pages out to avoid prosecution) and/or will pick up 'bugs' that hang out around those sites.

I do that because I am a strong believer in the greatness of libraries.

I also do that because I can't find any guideline against this type of question, and don't believe there is any way to report them as against guidelines.

The asker would have to state that they 'don't care if it's illegal'...

Then the question can be reported as asking for an 'illegal'  thing.

Most people who ask these questions everyday just don't know any better. The Internet is all they know to look at for answers to everything.

They don't even know they can call their local library and ask if that library downloads books for card-holders (and probably a fee; I don't know since my library doesn't do it, and I haven't called others. I love to go to the library), or knows of a branch that will.

It is only a severe lack of knowledge that you see on or in any medium from time to time each day, and I'm including TV, radio, magazines and even lots of books. Not everyone is even 13 on this site, as you probably know. Some slip up and say they are 11, but most muddle on with questions showing their age and/or ignorance of certain facts.

Answer 6

YES!!

You can report them to Y!A for abuse, but be careful about answering them. I answered one, telling them they were asking someone to help them violate federal and international copyright laws, and they reported ME for abuse and got my answer deleted. And when I appealed, Yahoo took about ten minutes to tell me the deletion would stand as my answer "did not answer the question".

So yeah, I was quite angry, especially as I'm a writer and I've been pirated. These people are stealing from ME.

Oh, and Babs? How much do you make at your job? Would you like it if I decided you made plenty of money and therefore you should work for me, for free, several hours a week? Or if someone tried to not pay you for work you'd done, and I told you you had enough money and didn't deserve more? Would you like that, and think it was fair?

Yeah. I didn't think so.

Sorry if I'm being a little harsh here, but I think your comment was pretty harsh too. I have children to feed; I have bills to pay. Why should I work for free? Do you have any idea how much writers pay in taxes? How little the majority of us earn to begin with? Why shouldn't we be paid for the hard work we do, just like everyone else?