When you're preparing to sell an ebook on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, they give you the option of either inserting Digital Rights Management software into your book or keeping it DRM-free. I've chosen to keep American Death Songs DRM-free. It's better for the people who buy the book, as they'll be able to control the files more freely. But it's also better for pirating. And I'm okay with that.

First off, just to be clear: I think it would be really awesome if you chose to buy ADS. Every part of this book that cost money - from copyediting to the totally bad-ass cover design - was paid for by my own independant company. In other words, me. I also went out of pocket to fund a short film that is connected to the book and I think you're going to love, and that I will be distributing online for free. If making this book and film works out financially at all (breaking even would be great), then I'm planning on publishing some novellas and a novel later in the year, and maybe making more short films to go with them. I'd really like to maintain this level of quality (really, look at that goddamn cover). So if you can spare the money, I hope you'll buy the book.

But maybe you're a little short on cash right now, or maybe the book isn't available in the country you live in, or maybe you're not sure that my stuff is worth the money. I get it. Download the sucker and give it a read. If you like it, spread the word. And if you want to buy a copy later on, that would be great. (If you're of the opinion that information should always be free to everyone all the time, I disagree with you, but of course that doesn't matter and you're free to download the book as well).

Back when I was broke I downloaded music and even TV shows (don't tell my bosses). Doing so made me a huge music and TV nerd, and now I've spent enough money on music and DVDs to pay for what I downloaded fivefold. If someone downloads my book and it turns them into a fan of crime fiction, or of me, well I'd call that a win. Maybe they'll by the next one. Or at least tell someone else to check it out. 

I've never been a believer in karma. I mean, Dick Cheney, right? But nowadays artists (and wow do I shudder to use that work to talk about myself) have a chance to see karma in action. The more you give away the more you get. That's why I made the short film about which there will be more later, and it's why I'm not interested in using DRM.