Stealing in Plain Sight

CC #136: Everand/Scribd and Perlego are stealing my copyrighted books...and the work of other authors.

Yours royalty-free from Perlego and Everand/Scribd…and maybe others?

I was looking for an obscure detail about one of the (two) nonfiction books I’ve self-published, called An Architect’s Guide to Construction. Not a scintillating title for most, certainly not for a conventional publisher. But I’ve sold more than 3,000 copies over the past 5 years in a combination of paperback (80% of sales) and Kindle/epub. In Canada this apparently qualifies as a best seller—I’ll take it, just as I did the moment in time shortly after publication when it was Amazon’s best seller in its category.

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across not one but two websites I’d never seen, Everand, sponsored (?) by Scribd, and Perlego, which touts itself as an educational company. Further imagine my surprise when I discovered both were offering royalty-free (to me) access to my book, while collecting a monthly subscription fee for the privilege of breaching copyright.

I thought, This can’t be right! There must be a mistake! Google searching confirmed my worst fears:

A bit more research offered some hope, in that there is a way to demand that unauthorized copies of your material be taken down, called a DMCA takedown notice—this one courtesy of Georgetown University:

Unfortunately, the process described by Georgetown is somewhat cumbersom, but I was sufficiently incensed to try it out. So I filled in the following form transcribed free of copyright from their website—I have left off my contact information in a probably futile effort at protection of my privacy:

If I can find the real compeny behind Perlego, I’ll send them the same letter.

I will mail this letter in the next day or so, and keep you apprised of what happens. Meantime, for any of you who have published material, I urge you to check its status amongst those who hide in plain sight on the net, selling access to your work without your permission or recompense.

I can’t beat the words of the unhappy author who reported this on Reddit—hope they will not mind my copying!

“Hello fellow Redditors,

I recently published my book, [name deleted by me] on Amazon. To my dismay, I discovered that Everand has listed my book without my consent and is offering it for free to its subscribers. As a writer, this situation is disheartening. While I don’t seek monetary gain, I do wish to reach a broader audience with my work.

It’s frustrating to see someone profit from my book while I struggle to make legitimate sales. Has anyone else faced a similar situation? If so, I’d appreciate any advice or suggestions on how to handle this unauthorized listing.

Thank you for your support and insights!”

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Brian Palmquist is a Vancouver-based architect, building envelope and building code consultant and LEED Accredited Professional (the first green building system). He is semi-retired, still teaching, writing and consulting a bit, but not beholden to any client or city hall. These conversations mix real discussion with research and observations based on a 50-year career including the planning, design and construction of almost every type and scale of project. He is the author of the Amazon best seller and AIBC Construction Administration course text, “An Architect’s Guide to Construction.” A glutton for punishment, he recently started a book about how we can Embrace, Enhance and Evolve the places we love.