Hey all I know you were all expecting to read Jinxed but i got a pm from the author and since we don't want to get in trouble we're taking it and our list and all future harlequin request are suspended until further notice.
PLEASE do not pirate my book, whether the Manga version or the original. The little bit of money I make off the sales from this book are how I put a roof over my family's head, put food on our table, and care for my son. I will actively pursue all legal means to protect the copyright of my work. I strongly urge you NOT to post anything that violates that copyright.Best, Day Leclaire"
Does that mean that current HQ projects will be suspended too?
ReplyDeleteNo that one will be released.
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe it is from Day Leclaire herself, I know pirating is not good but if it is released in my country I'll definitely buy that book. Through the manga though I can know how the story is and buy the original book one... Well it is ok though about Jinxed, but how about the rest of HQ? Will you still working on it or only canceled the manga by Day LeClaire only?
DeleteI hope not, but that's what it sounds like, this is very disappointing, there goes the best part of my weekend, sigh.
ReplyDeleteCan't really blame the author, but at the same time I would never have heard about her, or her book if not for SMS. And definitely not buying it now either... (yes I know I sound like a sulking 4 year old, but it's the truth)
I must agree whit you ... A was really looking forward too reading it but too bad and I don't really want too buy it so sad o well will survive whit what a get from SMS
DeleteEdit: well it's good to hear that the currnet one is stil coming, what about the rest of up-coming projects?
ReplyDeleteO_O Seems like the autor is really into the internet, i mean, she must have looked at google or something about her book and ended up here at smscans.
ReplyDeletethe part with " the sales from this book are how I put a roof over my family's head, put food on our table, and care for my son" was pretty deep, i felt bad!
How would an English scanlation site affect the sales of manga and manwha in Japan and Korea? American sales are rather low in comparison and the amount in royalties that the creators would get would be minuscule for these kinds of comics. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteWell, you have to take into account that a lot of these people are able to read English. Sooo, that could have a definite dent in sales if you can just find it for free online. Even if you think it is a miniscule amount of money, the author is still trying to make a living at what they do. Authors that aren't that popular don't exactly make a ton of money. So it's understandable that someone would want to protect their livelihood.
DeleteI am actually a bit upset about this. The book is not available on Kindle nor is it available new on amazon. now it is translated into English but is not available for sales to the masses. I actually read the translated versions on your site, and then go buy the originals off of kindle. If anything with you not tranlsating this it hurts her sales because there is not exposure of her work to the public. If you had not started translating harlequin, I would not have started reading the orginals. and the stories that you have translated and I really like I have purchased and loaded onto my kindle.
ReplyDeleteI want to add to something I said: "I would not have started reading the originals. and the stories that you have translated and I really like I have purchased and loaded onto my kindle(the original and the manga versions)."
DeleteI agree, sadly though a lot of authors don't get that they're getting free publicity and exposure. Though I must say I do think SMScans should include a 'support the author, buy the book' page to their releases, especially for the ones which are up on emanga and amazon. Because if nobody buys we won't be getting any new legal translations either.
DeleteI agree with u. i sometimes read the manga then go buy the book.
DeleteIf you are not putting up her writing on here then I don't see how it affects her copyrights?! It would only be artists' rights. If they are your translations from Korean/Japanese then how can she say you are stealing her work/rights? And like the other person said, none of us would have heard of Harlequin or read it, if it wasn't for this sight. She has just hurt herself.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean you are closing down this sight and there will be no more projects?
"Does this mean you are closing down this sight [site] and there will be no more projects?"
DeleteDon't even think about that possibility! But still.. it IS a possibility.
Therefore.. I really like to know that too. - What will you do, SMS?
I understand the author but a bit sad that will not be able to read it anymore.
ReplyDeleteWell, if these harlequin manga were printed in my language, I would bought them all. Too bad that not many are published.
How can you say that it was her, the original Day Leclaire that send you a PM? Anyone could be her, and send you a PM,
ReplyDeletejust saying ;P
It be so sad not to read any more harleguin. I never knew of it until SMS started working on it. I sure hope SMS don't not close down. Maybe they can find a different set of good stories that we have yet to hear/know about.
ReplyDeleteMe too! When i read some of the titles on mangafox i was hooked and finding this site was a goldmine for me! I even looked up the english titles in Chapters/Indigo because the original novel has more details. If the mangas are sold in local bookstores, i would buy it and add it to my manga collections in a heartbeat!
ReplyDeleteThanks to this site i actually heard of Harlequin manga.. I just brought holding on to Alex for my collection
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of the comments in that I think the author is going a little overboard here.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in her defense, unlike a lot of the manga made available by this wonderful group, an English version of Jinxed was published and can easily be found from used book sites for <$10 (search Amazon as an example). On the other hand, it is out of print and near to impossible to find a "new" version from which the author would collect a royalty. The novel is definitely out of print -- I found one a while back b/c I had read the manga and thought it cute (manga was better :) ), but I only spent 50 cents on it. Don't see how that helps her live, but maybe she knows something we don't (though given the quality of the novel I doubt a new edition is going to be published anytime soon).
I also just wanted to say that I agree with the other comments that it is through these scanlations that I have sought out the original novels or short stories on which some of these are based (Emma and the Earl being a favorite). Most are out of print and have been for > 10 years. Course they are still copyrighted! :)
With that said, wouldn't some of these arguments be better raised to author directly? Search for her on the web -- she has a site -- and let her know that you would never even have heard of book 22 years out of print if it weren't for this and that her stance loses her fans rather than saves her royalties!
I agree with you and have found her website.
DeleteWARNING-You'll cause more harm than good if you don't approach her in the right and polite way ie sms might be potentially hurt if there is even one word in the wrong place.
DeleteI agree with MnDaiyna, but I would go further to say that it's not our business to contact her at all, only people with a right to contact her about this to discuss it would be Duchess, Ruby... AKA the members of SMS themselves, and us as fan of SMS and not the author would do better to stay out of this and leave it to them to see if they can/want to do anything about this.
Delete@bainet Actually I think everyone who reads this and feels like it should leave a polite and friendly message on the authors site explaining these points. Some authors really don't get why piracy exists (unavailability in certain regions & geographical blockings, books out of print & no digital edition, inability to afford all books so you need to know what you're getting (ordering a book from America from a different continent is a huge investment)). It's actually happened that authors 'change sides' after hearing this stuff. And I think that definitely in this case she should be pointed to the fact that her manga isn't available brand new for purchase easily, I haven't found a digital edition available anywhere. And second hand or stuff from resellers don't get her any money.
DeleteAlso, her tone is very agressive, she needs to realize that she's actually talking to her fans here, the people who can put a better roof over her head, put more food on her table and take care of her son better. Yes, she's in her right, but the way she's going about this isn't going to sell more of her books.
@Janet Haha, reading your post made my day, except for the first part, it was almost like rereading the post i made earlier farther down the topic, feels nice to find someone who thinks so much alike :D
DeleteAs for contacting her, you have a point about it needing to be explained to the author about the reasons, but I was just worried that by encouraging everyone to contact her at the same time, it might annoy her further, and with that many people contacting her, it's easier for something not very appropriate to slip through and make things worse, I thought if someone in charge explained (could also add a petition here for people to sign, and add that to the email.) it will be safer in terms of not offending the author.
That's weird. I would like an author like her would issue a kind warning but that message sounds more like a scared tactic. How do you even know it's legit? HQ are hard to find in english who would want to buy something they don't understand? They are taking this copyright thing too far. I argue for fair use. lol
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with others, the author is a little overboard, I have the original copy of jinxed and most of her books, and if HQ is released in my country I'll buy it .... If that message really is from Day LeClaire, I think I will stop buying her books, I kinda lost the respect for her lol.
ReplyDeleteI can understand if she is angry about sharing her novel/ebooks but I don't really understand about the manga, how it is affect her? It is in Japanese/Korean lol
Same here, Harlequin manga are not available here in our place, I don´t even see them in big bookstores here. If I liked the manga, I always look for the book itself and then buy it although it is very difficult to find some.
ReplyDeleteI hope that other authors will be not be like this. :[
i always wait the harlequin manga will be translated in my country.....just for know that i mostly BUY the harlequin manga that will be translate to mine....but there are only a few of them..that's why sms is like my dream come true.....
ReplyDeletei like your attitude for stopping to translate this book as the author's request, that speak of respect...i don't need to sulk, it is her rights..well it's her work after all...but i don't feel guilty to read your work too...it is one of my favourite things to do..check your web every week to see more harlequin's manga come out....yup, i won't even be able to read it if not becoz of sms...so...hope just this author didn't make sms hesitate to keep the work...:)
i agree, sms needs to keep up the good work. I check every week for new projects, and only read the project from this site (though i learned of the site from the credits on mangafox and mangahere)
DeleteDoes this means that only Jinxed and other Day Leclaire's works are suspended? Or does it mean that all other works of Harlequin will be suspended, since from what I read from the message above, it seems like only Day Leclaire's works will be suspended...(That's what I'm hoping, since I want to read the rest of the Harlequin works by other mangaka!!!)
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, it's difficult to find Harlequin works especially if it's my country. Not to mention that I don't have a credit card to purchase it online, otherwise I would do so! I hope sms can still release other Harlequin works! :<
Actually the author has just as much rights as the artist does in HQ mangas because HQ mangas are adaptations of Harlequin Romance novels. The author is the one who wrote the stories so they actually have more rights then the artists do(in my opinion.) If you are saying that just because it's translated in another language, you are very much wrong about your belief in copyrighted work. What you are saying is the same as saying that creators/author's rights to movies and books translated into another language will be taken away. The authors wrote the story so why shouldn't they have a say in whether or not their work is being stolen or not?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, let's be a little realistic and face the facts. The day that online manga readers dread is the day that publishers/authors ask for their works to be removed and licensed. Even though it's a bit harsh, the following is the truth. What we do as freeloaders is just as bad as pirating movies, music, etc. The law is on their side. We're just abusing the freedom and anarchy (some say freedom, others say anarchy. It's kind of like how love is borderline of hate) of the internet until people with authority who have the law on their side (what copy righting is for) settles these matters.
I know that I'm being hypocritical about this since I too am an online reader and I take advantage of the internet (thank god i don't like in a country like china). But publishers and authors who ask for their works to be removed are pretty justified. If we negotiate with them, explaining to them that it is through these sites that people discover the original work, them I'm sure it will work out fine. Saying that they are overreacting isn't going to change anything besides anger/irritate them.
I don't think we should lose respect for authors who speak up and ask their work not to be pirated considering how the author did send a civilized email. If we do, then we're just a bunch of freeloading idiots who don't consider the valuable effort of those who write and draw. If sms kept on scanlating even after that email, then for sure this site would be closed in a snap. It's those who follow the requests of the publishers and artists that can continue to stay alive. They are the ones who have my respect too. I'm happy that sms followed through with the request.
If you read all this, then congrats and I hope that if you have never thought about these things then you have to step back and see the big picture. This is part of the reality of the situation and it's these things that you have to embrace because we live in reality. No one likes the fact that the pieces they worked so hard on are being pirated. It's the same as not getting paid or rewarded for one's efforts/work.
If there are negotiations, best of luck SMS!! Hope you'll be able to continue in scanlating HQ mangas.
good job! i, sooo, agree with what you said.
DeleteWarning - small wall of text :P
DeleteYou do make some good points, and I did say in my first post that we can't really blame the author for doing this. But at the same time alot of other people made a very valid point in saying that this managa and the original book, are really old, are out of print and are pretty much impossible to find, where I come from we don't even have manga in the biggest bookstores, it's just something that is not imported, you might be lucky if you find any comics even.
So, yes the author has her rights, but what I didn't like was the wording of the message, she is basicly blaming us for something that her publishing company is responsible for, which is making these books available, which it doesn't do. There is absolutly no way for me to read this story except from SMS as I don't read Japanesse or Korean, and even by doing that I'm not really taking anything away form the author as the book is not being sold new anymore, which is the only way for the author to get royalties on it.
In all honesty what money does she get from a book 10 years out of print and a manga released 6 years ago that was hard to find then and near impossible to find now. All the release of this manga would do is give her some exposure that could create buyers for her recent works that she could get money from.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree. I believe that you guys are giving exposure to this mangaka. Her works have not been translated in my language and why would I buy a manga which printed language I do not even understand? I sincerely hope that the mangaka will read our comments and will reply accordingly.
Deletei THINK THE AUTHOR FORGOT THAT EVEN ON THE HARLEQUIN.COM WEBSITE YOU CAN READ HARLEQUINS ONLINE FREE..... im sorry if it wasnt for this sight i wouldnt have even known her name...and honestly WTF is she thinking yah i am going to spend money for a F%$_+ manga that i cant even read!! i went online and looked to see if i could buy it, so maybe if you were more concerned about feeding your kids i would probably look into getting that shit in english. I the author as a very stingy person considering that SMS is willing to translate so ppl can read it in english she should be grateful as well as flattered!
ReplyDeleteI guess, most of you are right in mentioning that the author went overboard but.. she has the upper hand. Therefore I really approve SMS' decision of not posting any of her mangas/stories. Otherwise it could be really bad for SMS. And I don't want to miss SMS since it's my only chance to read (and understand) HQs. If I could I'd read the original but my japanese still sucks and it will take a few more years to reach a level that allows me to understand mangas... ;_;
ReplyDeleteAnyway. More important now is what consequences will SMS draw from that mail. Stop releasing ANY HQs or only Day Leclaire's (I really could live with the last decision..)?
Could there please be any official statement? I'd really like to know if I can continue with waiting happily for every weekend's end or not.
Thanks SMS :3
i am still kinda skeptical about this... i mean, what if it's a prank? is there solid proof that it is day leclaire herself? or not just some hater...
ReplyDeleteand if it is, then she should know that pirated novels benefit her situation. just like how pirated music and movies benefit artists..
may i also add that WHAT ARE THE CHANCES of day leclaire finding out about this RIGHT BEFORE this is released?
DeleteYou've got some points there..
DeleteBut still... do we really want to take that risk and -worst case- have to watch how sms shuts down?
Assumed, she's the real deal, she's Day Leclaire, she gets to know that SMS went against her.. she's maybe going to report sms (I am sure there ARE ways so she's able to demand her rights...) and/or tell her fellow writers to go against sms as well. Yay! (<- irony..) Amendes and/or - as already mentioned - a shutdown of sms' site aren't that impossible.
Just let her works untouched and everything's fine. At least I hope so..
Actually this project has been up for a while as a future project, so the chances of her finding out eventually were substantial.
DeleteI also think SMscans is right to respect the authors wish and not risk further trouble. As mnemo said the risks are just not worth it.
Anyway, it's her loss, I never buy anything before knowing what's in it, I don't have the money to do so.
after reading all the comments, all i can say is that it's best to leave her alone with her remarks, whether it's really her or not. i've been in several forums, LJs, or whatever websites u can name that have been exposed, warned, even being threaten, and some was forced to shut down, by many of the parties involved. 1 web n 1 lj was forced to shut down by a publisher that claimed they have every rights to shut the web down cause they are working on licensed materials (when it's not true). 1 forum is being threaten due to some stupid idiot hacked into the group's lj account and making crazy remarks there, also threatening to expose the group unless the group made their release into public release. some other groups have decided to close themselves from public's eyes (including putting info on bakaupdates) so no 'spy' members can lurk on their site.
ReplyDeletealthough i hate to see sms shuts down due to the author (if it comes to worst possibility), it is also a possibility as the author may not know about her own books' situations and whatever fans might say to her, she might take it differently. in my country, HQ mangas were published but only a few series. not as much as i have got here. plus my country doesn publish the HQ release anymore, probably due to the series being not so popular to readers. after all, my country seems to be filled with naruto and bleach lovers and many comes from age of 12-16.
i hope for the best for sms, but i do think that sms' decision on not putting the works by the author no more is the best for now, until they can tell us what will they do. lets just cross our fingers sms wont shut down. :)
ganbatte, sms' staff! :)