Today I'm thinking about theft & what it means to download pirated books. I'm thinking about this in relation to places like Ethiopia, where it's nearly impossible to find the latest books, like mine, and when books are available, they are expensive. +

I write this knowing my privilege. I write this knowing the privilege of those who can use the internet & their internet connection to steal books online. I write this thinking of those young boys in Addis who work all day going car to car with books to sell, used or copied. +

Copyright laws in Ethiopia have not developed at the same pace as in other places. I learned this while trying to track down copyrights for photos taken in E. Africa during the Italian colonial era. People had no right to the images made of them that were then sold by Italians. +

Those images, too, were taken from people. They were 'stolen' from them and sold or given away by Italians for sport and for profit. Those photos did not have copyright protection either, most photos made in Ethiopia during that time did not bc Ethiopia had no laws for this.+

The same people who would wait to save money to buy something they want are fine with stealing a book online. Those same people would not think of going into a shop and stealing an object just because it was sitting there and they wanted it. +

Some don't think stealing an object from a shop is the same as stealing a book online. Pirating a book is OK because one wants it. It is a victimless act, a click online & it's done. And this makes me wonder how easy it is for so much theft/corruption across Africa to happen.+

It feels pointless to say writers spend years, and yes, decades, working on a book. Nearly every writer I know works extra jobs in order to fund their own writing. The advances we most of us get - especially if we're writers of color - don't come close to making up for the work.+

Those who pirate books don't/won't necessarily read them. It's like a toy that gets passed around & it's nice to say you have one. Who does it hurt anyway? The writer? The publisher? Editor? The employees of the editing house? The artists who worked on the book? The bookstores? +

All of the above. Something more: it damages the potential of a thriving publishing in Ethiopia, etc. I had bookstores in Ethiopia tell me not to bring my book there because of piracy. My goal is to have a launch there one day but sales matter & so does a healthy industry.+

Pirating destroys this. It steals from the future and from future readers, and I count future readers those students who can be inspired by work they could not have had access to without a publishing and distribution industry. +

Pre-pandemic, I was in talks w/people in Ethiopia about ways to support & encourage a publishing & literary industry. There is respect for intellectual property & creativity. These are people who are going to make a difference in Ethiopia & across Africa & I honor them today. END