--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Back in the pre-internet age there were…" description: "\"Back in the pre-internet age there were pirate publishers, especially in the third world, who would print physical copies of books, sell them, and neve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f8/charles-stross-896_age_back-in-the-pre-internet-age-there-were_1957876.jpg" --- # Back in the pre-internet age there were pirate publishers… ![“Back in the pre-internet age there were pirate publishers, especially in the third world, who would print physical copies of books, sell them, and never inform the author/their agent/their publisher just trousering the money. I think we can agree that this was piracy?” quote by Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f8/charles-stross-896_age_back-in-the-pre-internet-age-there-were_1957876.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f8/charles-stross-896_age_back-in-the-pre-internet-age-there-were_1957876.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f8/charles-stross-896_age_back-in-the-pre-internet-age-there-were_1957876.jpg) > “Back in the pre-internet age there were pirate publishers, especially in the third world, who would print physical copies of books, sell them, and never inform the author/their agent/their publisher just trousering the money. I think we can agree that this was piracy?” [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Piracy is described as unauthorized copying and selling of physical books without compensating creators. **In simple terms:** Unauthorized book sales without paying authors is piracy. Key Takeaway Support fair compensation for creators. Themes ethics property digital rights Mood critical analytical Type expository informative When to use this quote - publishing industry - online marketplaces - author contracts - consumer behavior Key Concepts intellectual property economic exploitation author rights Questions to Reflect On - How can creators protect their work in low‑tech markets? - What responsibilities do sellers have toward authors? A Different Perspective Legal definitions vary across jurisdictions, complicating enforcement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Agents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agents/) [Agree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree/) [Agree Piracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree-piracy-3215000/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies/) [Copies Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies-books-1413135/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Piracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piracy/) [Pirate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pirate/) [Pirate Publishers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pirate-publishers-3214999/) [Print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/print/) [Publisher Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publisher-just-1233675/) [Publishers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishers/) [Sells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sells/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Third world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-world/) [Thirds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirds/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I'd sold the book first. Actually to a paperback publisher. I had nothing. I just had the idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/i-d-sold-the-book-first-actually-to-a-paperback-publisher-i-had/) [William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/) > [I always figured it was best if I write my songs, take them to my publisher and just lay back. There used to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-blackwell/i-always-figured-it-was-best-if-i-write-my-songs-take-them-to-my/) [Otis Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otis-blackwell/) > [I work very closely with my publisher and just give them tons and tons of music, and then they link that with different songwriters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sitek/i-work-very-closely-with-my-publisher-and-just-give-them-tons-and/) [Dave Sitek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sitek/) > [“Despite the sale of millions of copies of "How to.." books and programmes each year, very few people take actions and put what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-smart/despite-the-sale-of-millions-of-copies-of-how-to-books-and-programmes/) [Jamie Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-smart/) > [Authors all have at least one thing in common, which is that when we finally get finished copies of our books, we get giddy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/authors-all-have-at-least-one-thing-in-common-which-is-that-when-we/) [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) > [I don't keep any copies of my books in the house - they go to my mum's flat. I don't like them around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-don-t-keep-any-copies-of-my-books-in-the-house-they-go-to-my-mum-s/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [What I've discovered more recently is copies of books that I didn't represent, but that my boss represented when I assisted her on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/what-i-ve-discovered-more-recently-is-copies-of-books-that-i-didn-t/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [People want to buy mp3s but can't? Piracy ensues. Then Apple strong-arms the music studios into the iTunes store and music piracy drops somewhat.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/people-want-to-buy-mp3s-but-can-t-piracy-ensues-then-apple-strong/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [The problem with ebook filesharing is simply one of scale. But I think the "piracy" problem is massively over-rated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/the-problem-with-ebook-filesharing-is-simply-one-of-scale-but-i-think/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [The dirty little secret of publishing is that, all along, each book sold has had an average of 5 readers. That's an 80% "piracy"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/the-dirty-little-secret-of-publishing-is-that-all-along-each-book/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [More often than not, piracy is a symptom of an under-provisioned market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/more-often-than-not-piracy-is-a-symptom-of-an-under-provisioned-market/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [Back before the internet we had a name for people who bought a single copy of our books and lent them to all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/back-before-the-internet-we-had-a-name-for-people-who-bought-a-single/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [Right, and you point out something important which is that people who don’t want to pay, people who are pirates, don’t get bothered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/right-and-you-point-out-something-important-which-is-that-people-who/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“For me -- for pretty much every writer -- the big problem isn't piracy, it's obscurity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/for-me-for-pretty-much-every-writer-the-big-problem-isn-t-piracy-it-s/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [One thing that we have learned is that piracy is not a pricing issue. It’s a service issue,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/one-thing-that-we-have-learned-is-that-piracy-is-not-a-pricing-issue/) [Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/) ## More by Charles Stross > [We are Bay Aryans from Berkeley: prepare to be reengineered in an attractive range of color schemes for your safety and comfort!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/we-are-bay-aryans-from-berkeley-prepare-to-be-reengineered-in-an/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“Shut up. Stand up. Put this on. 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Which is to say, I use them when I think it's appropriate to;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-have-no-policy-for-or-against-only-a-personal-style-which-is-to-say/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“To boldly go where no uploaded metahuman colony has gone before”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/to-boldly-go-where-no-uploaded-metahuman-colony-has-gone-before/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [I was raised thinking that moral and ethical standards are universals that apply equally to everyone. 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