A Love Letter to the Readers Who Stole My Books
I'd rather be read than sold.
By CD Familias
To the pirate who uploaded Rough Living: Tips and Tales of a Vagobond to LibGen,
To the student who photocopied Liminal Travel and passed it around her dorm,
To the anarchist librarian who shelved Petshitter under "Fiction/Protest,"
Thank you.
When I found my words floating on some .ru domain, stripped of their price tag, I felt something unexpected: relief. Not because I don’t need money (I do—Satoshi Manor’s attic suddenly has bee’s moving in and if I don’t fix the roof, it will start leaking). But because you proved what I’ve always suspected:
The best stories can’t be contained.
They slip through borders in PDF backpacks. They’re traded in midnight Discord channels. They’re recited from memory in hostels where no one can afford a subscription to Kindle Prime.
Why I’d Rather Be Stolen Than Bought
Capitalism demands scarcity. But ideas grow when shared—like the grape vines growing in my yard that feeds birds, neighbors, and drunk tourists alike.
Piracy is the sincerest form of flattery. (Also the most anarchist. Marx would’ve torrented Das Kapital.)
My father taught me to hoard dignity. You taught me to give it away.
Allow me to present:
The Indignified Reprint License
Effective immediately:
✅ Print it. Distribute it at bus stops.
✅ Remix it. Turn any portion you like into a zine.
✅ Steal it and give it away. (But only if you read it first.)
Only rule: If you profit, kick 10% to a mutual aid fund. Screenshot or it didn’t happen.
A Challenge for Thieves & Saints
A few days ago, I began releasing The Ghosts of Intimacy—a serialized novella about sex and intimacy. The form is incredibly experimental but the result is powerful.
Paid subscribers get it early + can name a character in a future release (current frontrunner: Karen the Nihilist).
Everyone else? I’ll leak it myself on Day 30.
(Hint: The crows know a librarian in Sevilla who’s already waiting.)
P.S. If you’re the LibGen uploader, DM me your PO box. I’ll mail you a handwritten thank-you note and a bottle cap from Hokkaido’s best whiskey.
P.P.S. Corporate publishers: I know you’re reading this. Your DRM is adorable.