The Literary Takedown

It took Path To Publishing CEO, Joylynn M. Ross, less than five minutes to search the Internet Archive website and find all her titles—written under five different names in multiple genres—that were being made available on their website, downloadable by readers all over the world!

Now, that might not sound so bad if it weren't for the fact that readers across the world could download Joylynn's work for free. Which means she received $0 in royalties.

Have you ever wondered why your book sales are low, compared to the plenty of folks who are telling you that they've purchased your book?

Perhaps you've been getting a nice number of book reviews, which raises the corners of your mouth into a huge smile. But then you say to yourself, "Hey, my book sales numbers are way lower than the number of reviews I'm getting." And as any author knows, it's usually the other way around. So now your smile gets turned upside-down.

Oh, but hold up! There is yet another sliver of hope. Perhaps some of these readers are checking your book out at the library. Not all the readers may be purchasing the book, but at least libraries are.

Then those of you who have attended the Path To Publishing annual "Act Like an Author, Think Like a Business" conference—or who haven't attended the conference but own the conference curriculum, check your handy tool and resource that allows you to see which libraries in the US actually carry your title. And lo and behold, that math ain't mathin' either!

Could it be that your work is being downloaded by readers across the map for free on the Internet Archive website?

Well, there's only one way to find out . . .

If you're new to the Open Library topic and case where publishers—traditional and indie publishers and authors alike—have been battling with Internet Archive to take down their works, then you know that September 4, 2024, victory was won in the favor of publishers and authors.

To learn more about this case and to learn how to get your titles taken down from the Internet Archive website, see The Authors Guild Blog Post.

P.S. We understand that the creative side in authors and writers don't care about the money as much as they do the message they are delivering. But the business side says: If you don't care about the money to that degree, then don't spend time, money, and effort in marketing, promoting, and trying to sell the book in the first place. Use those resources and provisions to print out copies and pass them out for free like our Pathfinder, Mother Jacqueline H. Shank, did with her children's book, You Are. Need help redirecting your efforts from making money to moving a mission—or perhaps both? Email info@pathtopublishing.com and let us know. We'll then have one of our Literary Companions reach out to you.