Download Makers For Free

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There’s a dangerous group of anti-copyright activists out there who pose a clear and present danger to the future of authors and publishing. They have no respect for property or laws. What’s more, they’re powerful and organized, and have the ears of lawmakers and the press.

I’m speaking, of course, of the legal departments at ebook publishers.

These people don’t believe in copyright law. Copyright law says that when you buy a book, you own it. You can give it away, you can lend it, you can pass it on to your descendants or donate it to the local homeless shelter. Owning books has been around for longer than publishing books has. Copyright law has always recognized your right to own your books. When copyright laws are made — by elected officials, acting for the public good — they always safeguard this right.

But ebook publishers don’t respect copyright law, and they don’t believe in your right to own property. Instead, they say that when you “buy” an ebook, you’re really only licensing that book, and that copyright law is superseded by the thousands of farcical, abusive words in the license agreement you click through on the way to sealing the deal. (Of course, the button on their website says, “Buy this book” and they talk about “Ebook sales” at conferences — no one says, “License this book for your Kindle” or “Total licenses of ebooks are up from 0.00001% of all publishing to 0.0001% of all publishing, a 100-fold increase!”)

I say to hell with them. You bought it, you own it. I believe in copyright law’s guarantee of ownership in your books.

So you own this ebook. The license agreement (see below), is from Creative Commons and it gives you even more rights than you get to a regular book. Every word of it is a gift, not a confiscation. Enjoy.

What do I want from you in return? Read the book. Tell your friends. Review it on Amazon or at your local bookseller. Bring it to your bookclub. Assign it to your students (older students, please — that sex scene is a scorcher) (now I’ve got your attention, don’t I?). As Woody Guthrie wrote:

“This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright #154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin’ it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don’t give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that’s all we wanted to do.”

Oh yeah. Also: if you like it, buy it or donate a copy to a worthy, cash-strapped institution.

Why am I doing this? Because my problem isn’t piracy, it’s obscurity (thanks, @timoreilly for this awesome aphorism). Because free ebooks sell print books. Because I copied my ass off when I was 17 and grew up to spend practically every discretionary cent I have on books when I became an adult. Because I can’t stop you from sharing it (zeroes and ones aren’t ever going to get harder to copy); and because readers have shared the books they loved forever; so I might as well enlist you to the cause.

I have always dreamt of writing sf novels, since I was six years old. Now I do it. It is a goddamned dream come true, like growing up to be a cowboy or an astronaut, except that you don’t get oppressed by ranchers or stuck on the launchpad in an adult diaper for 28 hours at a stretch. The idea that I’d get dyspeptic over people — readers — celebrating what I write is goddamned bizarre

So, download this book.

Some rules of the road:

It’s kind of a tradition around here that my readers convert my ebooks to their favorite formats and send them to me here, and it’s one that I love! If you’ve converted these files to another format, send them to me and I’ll host them, but before you do, make sure you read the following:

  • Only one conversion per format, first come, first serve. That means that if someone’s already converted the file to a Femellhebber 3000 document, that’s the one you’re going to find here. I just don’t know enough about esoteric readers to adjudicate disputes about what the ideal format is for your favorite device.
  • Make sure include a link to the reader as well. When you send me an ebook file, make sure that you include a link to the website for the reader technology as well so that I can include it below.
  • No cover art. The text of this book is freely copyable, the cover, not so much. The rights to it are controlled by my publisher, so don’t include it with your file.
  • No DRM. The Creative Commons license prohibits sharing the file with “DRM” (sometimes called “copy-protection”) on it, and that’s fine by me. Don’t send me the book with DRM on it. If you’re converting to a format that has a DRM option, make sure it’s switched off.

Fan conversions:

83 Responses to “Download Makers For Free”

  1. Benjamin Fargen

    Hi Cory,

    I am going to buy a copy of this book just because it was offered to me for free…I probably would have bought it anyway because it sounds great…but I believe the artist should always get some kind of compensation…especially when they are generous enough to offer a “free” copy online…just like Radiohead did with their last album…I paid $8 online because I thought that was a fair price….because we all know…it sure as hell isn’t “free” to make art.

    All my best to you and your book.

    Benjamin Fargen
    Fargen Amps

  5. Aaron A.

    Hi Cory,
    Been a fan of your work for a while, I found your works because of the fact that you were distributing some of them for free. I saw a copy of Makers at Chapters today, got intrigued, found the first few pages interesting, but couldn’t really afford the hardcover price.

    Having said that, and finding out that you are giving it away for free on here, you can count on the fact that I will be heading back to buy a copy once the paperback version comes out.

    Keep up the good work!
    Aaron

  6. Paul Warren

    I was wondering why none of the ebook price search websites came up with an answer to where to buy Makers as an eBook!

    Thanks for your awesome work Cory!

  7. Dr.Shadi Mohammad

    There is not much more I can say about the Kindle 2 that someone has not already said. However, as an avid reader deployed to Iraq for the 2nd time in two years, I only wish I had bought this product last time around. My soldiers constantly make fun of me for reading several books at once. Usually, it is two or three (usually a historical fiction book and a military based non-fiction novel). My bag always has at least two books in it. And still does since I was in the middle of reading them when my Kindle arrived. Even though they think it is funny, they have all given me compliments on my Kindle since I started bringing it to work.

    I am looking forward to being able to download newspapers, and I agree with a previous review I read that I never really read newspapers due to their bulkiness. Although I am overseas, I can still download my books to my Amazon account. So while at work I look for books and when I get done my job for the night I can’t wait to get back to my room to download them to my Kindle. Some people may find this an inconvenience, but I think it is just a small price to pay for delayed convenience especially where I am located. Having the pages just melt away as you are reading is an understatement. I have found myself wanting to slow my reading pace so I will not finish the book too quickly.

    By far for me, the best feature (outside of being able to carry all the books I want with me) is the dictionary. I would always hop on the internet when I was reading to look up a word, which at the time I thought was great, since I did not have to take out a dictionary and look it up; it was right at my fingertips. Well the Kindle puts that idea to shame. Reading is a great way to build a vocabulary and the Kindle makes it more than easy.

  8. Brian

    Cory, You are amoung my all time favorite sci-fi writers (Gibson, Vinge, Bester, Stephenson, Dick… you know the group). I own most of your books (including “content”), and thank you for being a true thought-leader in the digital age.

    My company develops mobile “augmented reality” experiences, and I’d love to AR-enhance one of your past/present/future projects sometime (as an added incentive for people to buy the physical product). My company just did that for Penguin Books (Vampire Academy) with great success.

    All the best,
    Brian Selzer
    Ogmento.com

  9. penis enlarging

    I was just talking about this with my nephew this morning on how I am frustrated about the “online” book publishing. My oh my, this old dog has really fought his battle, times have changed. sigh.
    nice post by the way.

    more power,
    Peter Trape

  10. Nicolai

    Is there allready a german version of the book? Anyone interested in translating it? Would be coool ;)

  13. Ian

    I work pretty terrible hours at a busy restaurant – and I tend to spend the little time I have off for my lunch lounging around a nearby bookstore reading Makers. I love it, but I could only read it for about 3 or 4 hours a week!
    …And now I find you’ve released it under creative commons! I guess I’ll wrap up the last half sooner than I thought. Thanks for being such a great inspiration in your writing and business! I look forward to buying a copy to keep IRL with my next paycheck.

  14. Jf.-

    Hi Cory,

    about the ereader pdb format: it can be made directly downloadable from an iPod/iPhone by adding this link href=”ereader://craphound.com/makers/Cory_Doctorow_-_Makers.pdb”
    in this page. You can see it in action at my site.

    Thanks for your books, I like the tenderness inside.

    Jf

  16. Mike Spike

    It was a 3-day read for me. I couldn’t put it down. First time I’ve ever read a book online. From the old school. I’ll be first in line to go see the movie. Just habit, I guess, as they’re always disappointing once you’ve read the book.

    Thanks, Cory.

  17. Rainman

    Cory, after I received the hardcover book in my first parcel from home (I’m deployed on the Indian Ocean hunting Pirates. Arrrr!) I told my wife not to buy any more to send to me, to save her the time and effort. I have so far downloaded pretty much all I can of your books, and enjoyed the hell out of them. Your ideas are amazing, prescient, and all that… You have a rabid fan now, Cory. And when “OP Saiph, Roto 0” is finished, I’ll be sending you that T-shirt I mentioned picking up for you. . You rock, Cory.

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