A letter to pirates of the e-book thieving kind.

Dear pirate,

I don't hate you. I'm not even mad. I just want you to understand how stealing my book and putting it out there for the world to take for free kinda hurts. You see, I don't really *need* the money. That's not what this is about. I write because I love to write. I write because it is my escape, because characters tell me their stories to share with the world.

But did you know that it cost me money to publish my book? Yep! It did. The cover? That was a couple hundred dollars. Did you know that's my family's budget for food for two months? The formatting? Another hundred (plus some). Well there wen't any clothes or shoes we needed. Oh and the editing? Well the editing was a couple car payments. Let that sink in, for a minute.

So say our roles were reversed. And I was helping others walk away with your car, groceries for  two months, and your entire clothing budget. Well you would be walking around, starving to death and butt naked. But don't worry about me! Somehow despite your thievery I'll manage. I mean, clearly as a debut author I am just rolling in the dough!

Take into consideration that the book you're stealing, and helping others steal took me nine months to complete. Nine months of hard work that you're giving away for free. Is $2.99 so much that it's worth hurting me for? What could you possibly buy with that $2.99 that's so important? Coffee on your way to work? Maybe lunch at McDonalds?

Guess what! If you'd asked me I would've gladly given you a copy of the book. So I hope you enjoy your McDonalds or Coffee. (If you buy off the dollar menu you could get both! Just helping with your tight budget and all.)

Sincerely,
The Sarcastic Indie Author