Cory Doctorow is a science fiction writer, active blogger and an author known for his attitude towards digital ownership. He finds the laws limiting the spread of works and complicating the usage of products already owned by someone (i.e installing a product to another machine). He has published his works - the first one Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom in 2003- under different Creative Commons licenses which restrict the user from commercial derivates.
In his interview with Greg Grossmeier he reasoned his choise as follows:
“Not only does making my books available for free increase the number of sales that I get, but I also came to understand it artistically as a Science Fiction writer that if I was making work that wasn't intended to be copied, then I was really making contemporary work.”
His business model of publishing his works consists of free sharing of his books and stories, gaining fame with it and earning from everything else around his works. He earns from hardcover books, films, theatrical adaption, writing columns, giving speeches and many more. In Fawny blog following to a comment Doctorow has given to The Digitalist his high total estimate of income covering years 2008 and 2009 could be $622,750 as the low estimate is above $400,000. So they estimate his average income for a year between $200,000 and $300,000.
I find the strategy very nice while the cultural product itself can be purchised for no cost. On the one hand, audience gets to experience his creation and share it freely to others. On the other hand, the producers and commercial media channels can publish his ideas and work for money and the author with principals gets his share. The author also gets to keep his non-commercial and non-economical imago.
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