Den 23:e augusti skickade Robert Jordan ut följande brev angående
pirat kopiering av prologen Glimmers.
"Some disturbing news came my way today. I understand
that people are making posts at Dragonmount asking where they
can get free copies of GLIMMERS, and others are e-mailing copies
of GLIMMERS to them. Wotmania, the other site that partnered with
Simon & Schuster in this, has yanked people's memberships
for doing this.
The simple fact is, anybody who gives away a copy of GLIMMERS
or accepts one is engaging in theft. Stealing. No different from
shoplifting, and only a degree removed from holding up a liquor
store.
I've heard the arguments about how information should be free,
especially in electronic media, but they all boil down to excuses
as to why some people believe they can take what somebody else
has created, but not pay for it. And if you think that the fact
that an E-book is "only a copy of the original" or that
"the author loses nothing because he still has his original,"
would anyone think they had a right to take a book to the copy-shop
and then hand out the copies they made? I'd think they might see
that every copy they give away is a copy that the author won't
be able to sell. In other words, they have just stolen that royalty
right out of the author's pocket.
Real-world and immediate, I suggest that anyone who believes
they aren't stealing when they hand around copies of GLIMMERS
should walk into any mall shop and try walking out with their
favorite posters. Without paying for it, of course. If anyone
tries to stop them, they should just explain that they are only
taking a copy. But they should be sure to have money in hand to
pay their bail.
Various publishers have approached me wanting to publish the
entire WHEEL OF TIME as a series of E-books, but I always say
no. One reason is that technology isn't mature enough. Another
is the number of people who download E-books and proceed to give
away copies. Maybe that makes them feel generous. It makes me
feel that I will never allow E-book publication of WHEEL, and
maybe not of anything else, either.
Robert Jordan"