Clean app -- Handy tool or censorship?

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Calla Lily

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According to a commenter on their fb page: write to info at pagefoundry dot com and ask that they not sell your books to clean reader. The commenter got a reply in a few hours that the books had been withdrawn.

I'm doing that right after work.
 

cmhbob

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There's another thread here, where I shared my emails with the developer. The app does not edit the file. It covers the words, and you can turn it off for a particular book. It's basically like fast-forwarding through a scene in a movie.

I'm still on the fence about leaving my book up though. They have it since I published through Draft2Digital.
 

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There's another thread here, where I shared my emails with the developer. The app does not edit the file. It covers the words, and you can turn it off for a particular book. It's basically like fast-forwarding through a scene in a movie.

I'm still on the fence about leaving my book up though. They have it since I published through Draft2Digital.

The bigger trouble is, the store is listing books that are not available through legitimate channels. That would mean they are very possibly collecting money on pirated files.
 

jjdebenedictis

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If they are selling pirated copies of books (and I don't see how they can't be, given Mr. Flibble's non-available books being up), then I'm with the torches and pitchforks crowd; that is not okay.

If it's legitimate, however, then I'm with Scalzi: do what you like with your own books.

I've met people (online) who really, really, really do not like swear words in their books. While I'm not of similar mindset (fuck no! ;) ), if all they want is to scrub the swear words from their own purchased books, I don't have a problem with that. Who does it hurt? And it's a much better solution than them crabbing online about how they'd prefer authors to stop using the words they don't like.
 
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No, it's a lot disconcerting. I don't get too bent out of shape about regular file-sharing. I mean, I don't like it and I don't do it, but in the end, I don't think it amounts to much in the way of lost sales and perhaps maybe even spreads positive word of mouth on occasion. In the end, if people like that only take what they can get for free, it wasn't like they were going to buy it anyway. They don't support writers, they merely consume. Some people are like that.

But--- but, but, but, if this site is selling pirated content, actually collecting money on illegal downloads, that's an entirely different kettle of fish. Now they are directly taking away sales from me and my publisher. And that's just not going to fly.

As far as the stupid ass masking? Fuck 'em. If this is what that type of reader wants, I hope it gives them weird damned dreams:

Was: “This chicken breast is delicious.”
Becomes: “This chicken chest is delicious.”
Was: “The needle stuck in his arm with a prick.”
Becomes: “The needle stuck in his arm with a groin.”
 

slhuang

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I'm seeing several more reports on Twitter from other authors saying their unavailable books are available through the app.

Does anyone know -- has anyone tested buying one of the unavailable-but-available books and seeing if it pops up as an error or if the book is actually received? (I'm not holding out hope this is legitimate, but, you know, math person, have to close all loopholes before fully letting loose the Internet anger. Because if they are pirating and re-selling? SO NOT OKAY.)

Someone on Twitter linked to Inktera as the CleanReader App store,* but Inktera just tweeted they are withdrawing their system from CR's use. So I don't know what's going on.

* My books are listed there, but I did know they were listed in Inktera through D2D. If Inktera is withdrawing support, I don't know how to check if my books are still available through the CR app.
 

Mr Flibble

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Someone on Twitter linked to Inktera as the CleanReader App store,* but Inktera just tweeted they are withdrawing their system from CR's use. So I don't know what's going on.

* My books are listed there, but I did know they were listed in Inktera through D2D. If Inktera is withdrawing support, I don't know how to check if my books are still available through the CR app.

Inktera is where I saw my books (and when I look at the app store, Clean Reader has the subheader Inktera) and I've asked them to remove my books too. Not sure how linked they are but pretty close by the looks of it. And neither should be selling these particular books.



/slight derail

I commented on the Independent's article about this. Now yes I used a naughty word -- one they quote Joanne Harris as using in the article. My comment got deleted...

/end derail
 

Mr Flibble

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Have heard back from Clean Reader @ Inktera saying they've pulled all Inktera books from the Clean Reader and is that OK?

I said it would be OK when my titles are not illegally available on Inktera as well (they're still there). They have offered to do an audit trail so we shall see.

Update: They got the book info from Ingrams and Overdrive it seems? They've pulled my books and offered me contact info for Ingrams and Overdrive to see what's going on. I can;t check Ingram but both books are on Overdrive.

Hmmmm
 
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BenPanced

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Smashwords has also requested their inventory be removed.

ETA: from Clean Reader's Facebook page:

Over the last several days we have been asking for and receiving significant feedback from authors. We have read as much of the feedback as we could. A common theme in all of it is that many authors do not want their books being sold in connection with Clean Reader. We have therefore taken immediate action to remove all books from our catalogue. Any books our users have already purchased will still be available in their in-app library within Clean Reader. In connection with this decision there will be several changes made to the app and an update will be released in the near future. These changes will also be in response to the feedback we have received from many authors and users. Thanks for your patience as we work quickly to develop the next release.
Sincerely Yours,
Clean Reader
 
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Emermouse

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I'm hoping that this clean reader thing turns out to be unintentionally hilarious. Sort of like this Christian website which had a bot or something that turned every usage of the word "Gay" into "Homosexual" lest we forget that a percentage of the population enjoys dirty filthy sex with the same gender. Ended up backfiring spectacularly when a runner named Tyson Gay made it to the Olympics.

Seriously if the mere sight of a f-bomb or the word "penis" makes you faint, maybe you should just stick to reading stuff that was published in the nineteenth century.

I have to admit though, that I always found the way people are so much more horrified by profanity in entertainment than by violence kind of silly. I can think of many reasons why I wouldn't let a little kid watch Saving Private Ryan and only a few of those have to do with the fact the soldiers use bad language as their buddies are being blown up around them.
 

jjdebenedictis

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I feel a bit sorry for them. They've been (apparently?) professional about what they were trying to do, but the content providers (rather than their intended customers) are not happy about what they were trying to do.
 

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Considering my mom can go through my kindle library whenever she wants, this app would be pretty useful. (And, okay, there are some words I never want to see again if I can help it.)

But if they're selling pirated books? Um. Sorry, no.
 

Mr Flibble

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But if they're selling pirated books? Um. Sorry, no.


From the looks of it (and by their emails) they had no idea they were -- they say they got the info/books from legit distributors (well Ingrams is, I've not heard of Overdrive?).

I'll let you know when I hear back from them
 

cornflake

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There's another thread here, where I shared my emails with the developer. The app does not edit the file. It covers the words, and you can turn it off for a particular book. It's basically like fast-forwarding through a scene in a movie.

I'm still on the fence about leaving my book up though. They have it since I published through Draft2Digital.

Shockingly, or really not shockingly, the jackhole who would develop this nonsense looks out to be a big ol' liar.

I feel a bit sorry for them. They've been (apparently?) professional about what they were trying to do, but the content providers (rather than their intended customers) are not happy about what they were trying to do.

I think if they were actually attempting to be "professional" about providing a way to edit books through an app, they wouldn't have been *selling* the books to begin with. They were supposed to be selling the app that filtered the text of any book, not sell books.
 

slhuang

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From the looks of it (and by their emails) they had no idea they were -- they say they got the info/books from legit distributors (well Ingrams is, I've not heard of Overdrive?).

Overdrive is legit -- they do a lot of library distribution, including to mine. (AFAIK, anyway, not an expert but I've seen them around.)
 
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