Good evening. Thanks for allowing people to speak at the public forum tonight.
I am a book publisher. I am a writer. I've worked in the book business for over 30 years.
You won't find a writer or a publisher who does not believe in fair dealing. The way the regime used to work with fair dealing, you'd take a bit of it for educational purposes which was perfectly good and fine. The way the system works now, as a result of the changes that were wrought in 2012, it's a free-for-all. For those who are taking advantage of the free-for-all—you've probably heard all the stats where publishers are losing, incomes are going down, and universities say they're spending more—really, what it comes down to is a question of values.
What publishers and writers are being told is, “Wow, this work is really good. I'm going to go and teach it, but I'm not going to pay you for it.” We're being told that our work has no value.
If you want to tell me that my work has no value, tell me to my face. The way the system works right now, it's unacceptable. It really is. We're being told our work has no value, that we shouldn't be paid for our hard work, our professionalism, and the research we put into it. That's not fair dealing.
Thank you.