UPDATE: on the pirate publisher that was selling my book...

by Newly Enlightened 12 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Newly Enlightened

  Back in May, I had a friend email me after the release of our JWStruggle video and tell me that the book I wrote and had published was all over the internet and some of you requested that I keep you up to date, so here goes.

  I hired an attorney to write the publisher a letter. They stopped selling hard copies and the digital copies of my book but have still not sent a full accounting of how many of my books they sold and reimbursed me and are now ignoring my phone calls and attorneys letters. So the lawyer suggested that since it is difficult to sue internationally, I call the local office of the FBI. Yes, VERY scary. So it took me 2 weeks to get up the courage so I finally called them. Very nice agent. Took all the information and said they would assign an agent to my case and look into it. That warning at the beginning of a DVD? is real and they take it very seriously as copyright infringement. He then gave me the phone # for the Federal Trade Commission & the Federal Customs dept. So I filed complaints with all 3 agencies and they will look into it and told me to hang on to all the evidence I gathered because it is a FEDERAL offense to pirate a book and sell it, then when it is over the U.S borders into Canada, it then becomes a Federal CUSTOMS and Trade Commission fraud.

  YIPPEE! I hope they go after them damn pirates!
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  JeffT

  Good for you. As a writer myself I take this stuff very seriously. I've seen a little bit on an attitude of "who cares if a big rich corporation loses a few bucks" attitude, especially about music and video. But we aren't big rich corps and writing a book takes a lot of time and effort, usually with not a lot of compensation. So far my writing career has yielded all of about $1000.

  Hopefully having the US government of their tail will make these guys come clean.
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  James Brown

  I hope you get justice.

  The only thing is Federal criminals

  are sent to blue collar prisons and inmates in blue collar prisons have

  a higher standard of living than many working Americans.

  If you are a true author/artist they probably live better than you.

  It's like an air-conditioned country club where they can read and relax for how ever long they

  are in there. Maybe they can even net-work on their next money making scheme.

  I also pursue artistic endeavors. I write a lot and write and record music.

  When the time comes to release my music, I know once it is out there it will be gone.

  But I have to let it go if I want people to hear it.

  Any money that I want to make from it will come from selling it and related paraphnellia at

  live shows.

  That is one reason I spend more time on my music than on my writing, it seems less difficult to

  get the ball rolling.

  Many authors that I have seen tour just like rock stars, but less glamorusly and extravegantly.

  They go to Barnes and Nobels and do book signings and if you havent got a big book deal every

  city probaly has an independent book store and coffee houses.

  Big time authors and bands often buy up their own books and records and then send them back latter

  for restocking to make blips on the datta charts.

  That is how Dienetics became a number 1 selling book all the scientologist would buy them up

  then send them back to be re-stocked and resold. But, you cant process it as a restock.

  You have to get your product back and restocked but not returned.
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  Aunt Fancy

  I hope you can get some justice from this. With the Internet it makes this easier to do.
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  scary21

  Thanks for the update. Could they have just settled and paid you some money ? Seems alot easier than being in trouble with the feds.
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  Iown Mylife

  HI Newly,

  One wave of awful junk to deal with after another, but you sound like you are standing up to it all. Keep strong!
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  donuthole

  As a writer I don't care who "shares" my books, either physically or electronically. I would draw the line with someone selling it though.
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  Terry

  Heck, I'm just on the brink of publishing my own book and this scares me.

  What is the title of your book and where did you see the illegal copy offered?

  If you had it all to do over again, are there any steps you'd take differently or suggest for others?

  thanks
• 

  Newly Enlightened

  Thank you everyone. It's been a very stressful year. My family shunning me just makes it worse. But what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger. It is called "The Devil's Triangle' ISBN# 9781591460015 Terry. there is not much that I would have differently. But just a few suggestions. File for your Copyright right now. www.copyright.gov/ They will have you sent them or email a copy of your material. It costs around $35 I believe. Apply for your own ISBN # instead of letting the publisher do it for you. Now, I would probably self-publish, because the minute you send a publisher your digital file its on their computer. Like me, they sold out to another publisher and it accidently got sent with the rest of the files. I found out that my book was all over the internet back in May when our 'elders meeting' video was released and someone emailed me and said that my book was all over the internet. Just like with identity theft, there is only so much you can do to stop the damage. Scary21: In case I missed your first post and didn't welcome you, WELCOME to the forum. Yeah, you would think that it would be easier and cheaper to pay me what they owe me instead of facing a $250,000 fine per felony count [1 for hard copies and another for digital copies]
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  tresdecu

  Looks interesting. Hope you get your $$!!! If I buy it from Amazon below do you get your percentage mailed to you? Curious how it works...

  http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Triangle-Kim-Brooks/dp/1591460018/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376445142&sr=1-1&keywords=9781591460015