How PAULA HAWKINS is pick-pocketed by "clever" Illiterates. Say what?

Paula Hawkins, best-selling author.

Both her ebook AND her audiobooks are being sold for chump change on EBAY.

If it can be copied, it can be stolen. That's the way it is.

Here's an illiterate who is "smart" enough to know where to find free mp3 files on torrents and hidden internet forums...which he then sneaks onto EBAY so he can make some money.

Duh! "This is a downloadble" audio. "I sent it to your paypal email."

You think the ad is stupid? So are a lot of EBAY employees. It's 50-50 on whether a Hawkins fans can report this and get it removed.

Some EBAY employees would say, "Uh, it doesn't say it's a "digital download" so it's technically not in violation of our rules.

That means Paula, her lawyer, her publisher, or a designated friend or relative has to stop it as a VeRO (verified rights owner) violation.

Ever have someone come up to you and pull a con?

I have. Like: "Hey man, do you know what time it is?" "No, I'm not wearing a watch." "You wanna buy one???"

On EBAY there are some sellers like THIS:

Most any VeRO rep seeing the header on EBAY would pass it by. As in, "Oh, somebody is selling a used copy of the book and starting it at $1.99."

But read the copy for the ad:

Yes, this con-artist flashes his fake and hopes somebody will buy.

Again, it's 50-50 whether EBAY would stop the auction if it was reported. After all, this fine seller is stating he's offering an eBook, but is not saying he'll deliver it via e-mail or a "cloud" locker or some other download service.

EBAY makes sure to tell sellers how to beat the system. As in: "Your auction was stopped because you stated you were offering a digital delivery. In your ad, state you will send the file by postal mail." Or, don't state anything at all. Heh heh heh.

Again, it's up to Hawkins, her lawyer or her publisher to take a moment each week to stop this crap. Some publishers will frankly admit that they don't have the staff to bother with this. They rely on others to report auctions, as in: "Oh, let Rowling or Stephen King's people go after him. He'll get suspended if three or four people complain. So why should I be one of those?"

The answer is that the quicker these parasites are stopped the better. You don't see them pulling this with mp3 music files. For some reason, they get the idea that authors are easier victims than rock stars.