(Fre)e-books

Ahoy ye landlubbers.

It's not quite Pirates of the Caribbean but there are evil forces at play on the high seas of literature.

A declaration of interest: as well as being a lawyer, I am also an author. For every book of mine someone buys - whether in paper format or e-book - I receive a royalty from my publisher. Other than doing it for the love of writing (which we all do), most authors want (and deserve) to get paid for their craft. It takes around 18 months for me anyway from committing the first word to the screen until the book hits the shelves (real and electronic).

Contrary to popular belief, million pound book deals are few and far between. If I had a fiver for every person that asked me when I was going to retire from the law, I'd probably have £100. The reality, and this is backed up by research from the Society of Authors, is that the majority of authors make less from book sales than the average national wage.