Sorry, but I have got to vent. Big time vent.

I just found out that 10,000 copies of my book were printed in Russian and sold some time back. All I've been able to find out so far is that the company is located in Moscow.

I also learned today that Russia is a lot like China in ignoring copyright protections.

Isn't that lovely!

Who knows, there might be German and French and Greek and Chinese and Arabic editions as well!

I slept on a friend's sofa for two years to be able to write The Doctor Who Cures Cancer! It just goes to show you, if you work hard, there will be a reward, only you might not be the recipient of that reward.

Some *#$#%$@#$% rap 'artist' (and I use to term "artist" dripping with all the bling bling I can muster) can grab his anatomy, pointing out where he'll some day have a prostate problem, and have millions of $$ dropped on his head.

I write a book to announce to the public a real cure for cancer, and my reward on this earth is buttkiss. Meanwhile, my income is stolen from me as if someone walked into the bank and cleared out my account.

And no one gets arrested??

Isn't that special!

There. I feel much better now (no, not really...would you?)

If I had a cure for cancer I'd be happy that it's getting into as many hands as possible

Sad to say, Russia has become a lawless society.

I know it's a small comfort, but at least you're getting the opportunity to sell the product here in the US. A few years ago, a friend of mine put up a webpage with links to other webpages offering various cancer cures. He got a letter from some federal agency telling him to take the webpage down.

Alex

Gee, that's swell. Do you understand that paying me what is due me has no effect on how many hands my book gets into?

In fact, if I got paid maybe I could help promote the book. So the fact is that MORE hands would touch the book.

Produce is good and can heal cancer. Does that mean farmers should give away their work? Should they feel happy if someone were to steal a truckload of their hot peppers?

Someone stole my truckload, and sorry, but I'm not happy about it.

There has been a trend of belly aching on here and I have not seen to many shoulders ready and waiting for comfort.

A cure for Cancer and rap artist in the same paragraph is kinda funny. Don't you think?

"I slept on a friend's sofa for two years to be able to write The Doctor Who Cures Cancer! It just goes to show you, if you work hard, there will be a reward, only you might not be the recipient of that reward."

I understand you want your dues, but that almost sickens me.

Sorry, if my being robbed of $30K by a thief seems like belly aching to you. I said it was a rant.

I just found out TODAY I've been cheated out of $15,000 to $30,000 dollars, so I hope you'll cut me a little slack. If you have trouble relating, picture having $15,000 to $30,000 snatched out of your bank account by a thief.

The reference to the rap singer and my book are in two different paragraphs, not one, so it's not clear to me why you focused on that. I lost a bunch of money, and you want to critique my rant for word placement. OK.

Kelley- I understand your anger. I do.

Forum rants usually invoke hostile behavior from people not quite in the position the ranter is in.

So sometimes it comes across as whining. Take a peek around the forum to see the sympathy level.

As for the WAY off rap artist reference-

"Some *#$#%$@#$% rap 'artist' (and I use to term "artist" dripping with all the bling bling I can muster) can grab his anatomy, pointing out where he'll some day have a prostate problem, and have millions of $$ dropped on his head."

How is that reletive to your situation again?...

Compare it to the next paragraph.

I happen to think that rap artists don't contribute much to society other than its ills. Yet cash is showered down on them. I feel like my book has the potential to contribute to the ages. I also think that ought to be worth something...a great deal more than all the rap put together.

My book provides true value to the reader with the potential to provide value to society in a highly significant way. The irony is that instead of getting rewarded, I'm getting robbed.

If you don't get it, just consider it a rant and let it go at that. Just don't kick a guy who has just lost $30,000 to thieves.

Hey Kelley,

Sorry to hear that, but unfortunately this seems like a fact of life for most people in the business of creating things. Just ask Bill Gates or one of the motion picture execs how much they lose each year to piracy.

I can certainly understand feeling the way you do, but why not look at this from a different perspective? Some company thought enough of your book that they printed and sold 10,000 copies!! 10,000 copies!! There obviously seems to be a need for what your book discusses there, what could you do if you went in with a legit publisher and sold this through all the right channels?

I believe it was W. Clement Stone who said " "For every adversity there lies therein, the seed of equal or greater opportunity". The choice of how you handle this is up to you, but why not try to make something good out of this instead of just being pissed off about it all?

Steve

Thanks, Steve, for your words of encouragement.

The book was originally published in 1997. I picked the wrong publisher out of three publishers who were wanting the rights at the time. I would like to republish the book myself this time with the advantages of the internet.

Meanwhile, The Doctor Who Cures Cancer is offered as an eBook. Some would-be buyers prefer a physical book, however, since it's 400 pages.

If I had the money from the 10,000 pirated copies, producing the physical copy would be no problem. I've looked at print-on-demand but that makes no economic sense whatsoever.

Finding a new publisher for a book that has already been published...well most don't want the headaches.

If the book got into the right hands, it would make a most extraordinary movie. Besides curing cancer and AIDS patients, Dr. Revici was nearly killed in both World War I and World War II. He was put into an iron lung when he was in his early forties, yet lived to be 101.

You comment about me just being pissed off isn't quite fair. It was just this weekend that I learned that up to $30,000 had been stolen from me. That's as much as I make from my day job in a year. If someone stole your annual income for the next year, you might be miffed for 24 hours...maybe more. Please allow me the same grace period to snap out of it.