Digitized books, whether they be in kindle form or otherwise, are more than just a fad, and although Google Books is growing by the day, many authors have recently chosen to opt-out of Google’s ever-expanding digital library. The dissenting authors have grown since the issue with Google arose, now tallying some 6,500, including Thomas Pynchon, Zadie Smith, Phillip Pullman, Bret Easton Ellis, James Frey, and Michael Chabon. And although the immediate reasons for their choice may seem purely financial (digitized works may hurt sales), authors instead discuss the philosophical nature of copywrite:
“It seems they plan, unilaterally, to take ownership away from the writer, and the ownership doesn’t pass to the readers (fat chance!) but to a giant profit-making corporation. A vast entity allegedly intent on ‘doing nothing evil’ has simply decided this will be so…” – Gwythen Jones
Even in the face of digital media takeover the sentiment of ownership, of giving credit where credit is due, carries on.
