Free (as "Freedom" and as in "No-Cost") Versions of eBook "Creative Heart" Available

[Pedro M. Rosario Barbosa]

Recently I've been reading much of QuestionCopyright.org's website, listening to Richard Stallman's MIT speech "Copyright and Globalization in the Age of Computer Networks" (here is the written version), and reflecting on Cory Doctorow's "eBooks: Neither e nor Books" and Nina Paley's blog about the subject. After all of that, I decided to make available for free (as Stallman would say: "Free" as in "free speech" and "free" as "free beer") all of the eBook versions available (PDF, DjVu, and ODF).

 

In general, I'm combining two different ideas. First, when my book becomes freely available to the public, and it is able to "spread it around", there will be a better chance that it will be read. The problem with using the "All rights reserved" version of copyright is that it condemns you to obscurity (as Cory Doctorow points out), especially in the digital world. So, I made sure of three things:

 

1. The formats must be read in any operative system platform (be it proprietary or free). This is the reason why I do not create my eBooks in any proprietary format. The license lets people do the proper modifications of the original file, including proprietary formats, but I do not encourage this behavior. You should not be locked in to a single eReader device.
   
   
2. The files must be DRM-free, so that people can use, modify, and copy the file so that derived works can be created, hence encouraging culture (as it has always done), and also to guarantee the scalability of copying of my work.
   
   
3. The work must be under a license consistent with the Free Cultural Works definition and the Open Knowledge definition, at the same time this license must encourage copyleft. This will not take away what I understand are reader's fundamental rights regarding eBooks.

 

This is combined with an idea suggested by Richard Stallman regarding music files. His MIT speech about the subject, he talks about a measure which can be implemented very easily in the case of eBooks. He said that in order to avoid penalizing fans for copying music, the music industry must change its ways of making money. He suggested that you can encourage companies or artists to make music files which, when circulated, include a small disposition which will appear in the listener's own computer screen (or device) which suggests a dollar donation. It won't get in the way of enjoying the music, it won't forbid anyone to do anything. It just sits there, but it serves as a reminder that if a fan likes the music track and wishes to support the artist, it can be good to contribute with a donation.

 

So, in essence, what I did was to make these eBooks available for free, which will encourage people to copy the file. At the same time, this file has a disposition which is up in a corner, not too visible to bother the reader, but visible enough to remind him or her that they can support my work through a donation. The disposition itself is a hyperlink to the "Donations" page in Creative Heart's website. At the same time, if anyone is interested in not having that disposition, that version of the eBook is available for sale. Needless to say that the paperback version of the book is available if they want it. I want the eBook versions of my book "sell themselves" (so-to-speak).

 

You can download Creative Heart directly in this webpage.

 

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[Pedro M. Rosario Barbosa]

Thank you Robby. :-)

[Robby Baby (Dark Poet of Amour)]

I admire that you go after this subject as much as you do, as it seems to be such a complicated subject...gives me a headache LOL This subject has always made me squeamish, but I hope to get a better hold on it, and I have to, really, as I am starting to get more involved in things.

 

Good to see you participating here, by the way, Pedro!