I was going to start this blog off with a confession about different files and programs I may or may not have pirated in my life, but then I thought better of it. You never know who actually reads this thing. Instead, I’m going to provide a couple links that argue the possible effects of pirating digital media and the future of authors and artists who create such media.

The first link is to Scott Adam’s blog. You might know him as the Dilbert cartoonist. He basically argues that within his lifetime authors won’t exist:

I predict that the profession known as “author” will be retired to history in my lifetime, like blacksmith and cowboy. In the future, everyone will be a writer, and some will be better and more prolific than others. But no one will pay to read what anyone else creates. People might someday write entire books – and good ones – for the benefit of their own publicity, such as to promote themselves as consultants, lecturers, or the like. But no one born today is the next multi-best-selling author. That job won’t exist.

As an author, my knee-jerk reaction is to assume that the media content of the future will suck because there will be no true professionals producing it. But I think suckiness is solved by better search capabilities. Somewhere out in the big old world are artists who are more talented than we can imagine, and willing to create content for free, for a variety of reasons. And so, as our ability to search for media content improves, the economic value of that content will approach zero.

I’m not sure I buy this. I mean, even my sophomore level composition students know not to trust any old website or person without credentials. (As a matter of fact, I was surprised and proud of my students last quarter who often brought up the ethos of an author completely unprompted.) We won’t want to read–even for free–just anyone’s ideas, rants, and musings. I also think that we’ll get better at finding ways to charge for various types of media, including newspaper and magazine articles that are often accessed for free on the Internet right now. Several newspapers and magazines are setting up restricted access for subscribers only in order to combat the problem of giving away their product for free. Maybe the same will happen for books. Publishers could give people a glimpse for free, as Amazon and other online retailers already do, and then ask them to purchase the book to see more, even on digital platforms like the iPad and Kindle.

The other link is a letter posted on the Magellan Media website, a consulting firm for publishers. The letter is to Scott Turow, the president of the Author’s Guild, and it basically argues with his negative views of piracy, stating that studies have shown that the same consumers who pirate media are also the biggest buyers of it. In other words, there seems to be a connection between piracy and legitimate sales. Kind of like getting a sample at Costco that makes you want to buy the product.

I do believe that there are markets in which digital book piracy is a net loss – college textbooks may provide the most direct example.  But I also believe that there may be markets, and authors, for whom piracy helps improve awareness, trial and paid sales.

So…pirates, keep your swords in their sheaths for now. There doesn’t seem to be need for a fight. In fact, the system may be working to your advantage in the long run. And as for authors being a dead profession like cowboys or blacksmiths, I say phooey! False analogy, Mr. Adams. We’ll never run out of land for authors to ride their metaphorical trails, and our souls always need mending.