Search inside by Google

I was exploring the Google search engine today looking up the title of my book.
I was shocked to find a book seller using search inside. http://www.flipkart.com/secret-dummy-joshua-bean-dj/1849230293-b0x3faf4rf
I do not recall sending any files to Google with this content.
Now I'm not complaining as I was going to do this on amazon anyway.
It just seems a little bit like control has been snatched out of my hands So how did Google get a copy??
If they had gone to my publisher they would have got a copy with the correct cover art.
I know it has saved me doing this but I would have liked the correct cover at least.

There was a bit class action lawsuit with Google over that stuff - you may want to look into it. The time may be past. Your book had to have a registered copyright to qualify.

I was wondering about that.
So the horse has bolted now, oh well best close the stable door then!!
Thank you Dk, maybe this will work in my favour who knows?

I had a tremendous argument with Lulu.com last year when Forever Friends appeared on Amazon.com without my permission. Lulu said that they didn't need my permission and several angry emails were exchanged before Amazon removed the feature. If mistakes are made, only Lulu can correct them. They send pdf files and that's the end of it and are not interested in making corrections. If the author signs up with Amazon, at least control over the work is maintained. I would have a word with your publisher, David.

Right now, while people are endlessly arguing about the settlement from that suit, our copyrighted books are still displayed on Google. They just stole them.

Malcolm

The book store seems to be in India and the cover work looks sort of dodgey as if it's been photo copied.
I wonder if this is one of those Indian fake knock off's?

Am I famous enough to warrent such attention???????

It looks to me as though youwriteon sent the pdf file to Google. I would ask them.

Your book is here:

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HDcS6VfO9IkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Secret+Dummy+Of+Joshua+Bean

I will ask.
But that cover work cant be a publisher file why Photo copy???
Why would a publisher use a sloppy job like that when when a jpg copy exists on file???
I had joined Google book search in December though, but I had not sent any files to my recollection.
That is a first edition cover.
I did not like the cover and went at great length to get the publisher to change it. MMM the plot thickens.

This is yours on Google:

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HDcS6VfO9IkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Secret+Dummy+Of+Joshua+Bean

This is the cover Lulu sent for The Power of Persuasion:

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_NjqThhvKv4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Power+of+Persuasion

Your one looks awefully blured!
I await my publishers response.
Thank you Shelagh.
You just proved I signed up to the best Forum.

I have no idea how anything ends up on the Google book search. My nonfic is there; I just assumed they grabbed it from Amazon, lol. Last week I got a letter offering me $80 for the settlement. I took it. The offer, that is. No telling when I'll get the cash.

$80 wow they really pushed the boat out.

Surely though you're worth much more still you could at least get drunk one night but that's about it.

There's an opt-out option for those who want to hold out for more, but you pay your own legal expenses. Myself, I never minded the Google reader feature. Why would I? It's not like the whole book is there, just a few pages. A "look-inside" feature on the internet, if you will. I wasn't expecting anything from the settlement (I didn't even follow it) and if I get the money, it's just gravy.

Shelagh wrote:

I had a tremendous argument with Lulu.com last year when Forever Friends appeared on Amazon.com without my permission. Lulu said that they didn't need my permission and several angry emails were exchanged before Amazon removed the feature. If mistakes are made, only Lulu can correct them. They send pdf files and that's the end of it and are not interested in making corrections. If the author signs up with Amazon, at least control over the work is maintained. I would have a word with your publisher, David.

Forever Friends may no longer have the search inside feature - per se - on Amazon.com... but it still comes up if one searches on keywords inside this book. For example, the keywords search "Sombrero Ahad" on Amazon.Com produces:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=sombrero+ahad

This sort of result would not be produced if you search on keywords inside a book that was never submitted for the "Amazon search inside" program.

Yes, Abdul, you are right. Lulu do not care about authors rights. They send files to Amazon for printing but these files are used for the "Look Inside" feature. If I signed up for this feature, I would have control over it and would be able to make decisions about how much content was shown etc. When Lulu send the file, I lose that right and, as you can see from the book cover which I have asked to be changed, they don't actually deal with mistakes because they take too much time. Files are sent to Google and Amazon in blocks, not individually, and, once sent, they are forgotten about.

Shelagh, Lulu has an "enable Google book search" feature. Perhaps you unwittingly hit it.

Shelagh wrote:

If I signed up for this feature, I would have control over it and would be able to make decisions about how much content was shown etc. When Lulu send the file, I lose that right and.

My impression from this link on Amazon is that no one but them decides what gets shown.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=13685751

<< Can I request that specific pages of a book be restricted from displaying on the Web site?

We cannot accommodate special requests to suppress individual pages from display on the website. >>

Dick Stodghill wrote:

Shelagh, Lulu has an "enable Google book search" feature. Perhaps you unwittingly hit it.

No, Dick, I did not enable the Google Book Search -- which is why Forever Friends is not on the Google book search programme.

LC, if I signed up with Amazon for the "Look Inside" feature, I would know exactly what I was allowing before I signed -- that's the point. Lulu sent my file along with hundreds (possibly thousands) of pdf files to Amazon and gave permission for "Look Inside" without asking the authors.

Ok, but what's the problem with the Look Inside feature, anyhow? Why wouldn't you want it? Or to be on Google Book search?

No problem at all. When I contacted Amazon, they said I had to sign up for the feature but the feature was already there and I could not make any changes. I could not stop the feature being used any way they wanted to use it because I was not signed in to the programme.

This is Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine on Google:

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=EDgXuYhrB8gC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Mr.+Planemaker%27s+Flying+Machine

I signed up for the book search programme and sent the front cover, I also have control over the percentage of contents displayed.

That cover on Mr. Planemaker is beautiful.

I'm surprised you didn't do any interior illustrations for it -IIRC, you do some art/drawing, correcdt?

Anyhow, I never got what the whole Google lawsuit was about. I couldn't care less if they toss a few pages of my book up there. Seems like free advertising if nothing else. My guess is that some people just felt it was unseemly for a rich company like Google to "take their stuff."

Thanks LC! Yes, the artwork is mine.

The reason Lulu send all the files to Google is because there is a pay feature for the number of clicks on the selling links. That money goes to the person signed up for the programme, so Lulu are making money off of their clients.

I don't mind that. They provide a fine service. The three books I did on high school sports are of local interest only, yet the books have a professional appearance. That was not true prior to Lulu.

Shelagh, you did the cover? I guess that's why it looks so fabulous. Are you a commercial artist/ illustrator?

No, I'm an ex-art teacher. My mother thinks being artistic is an affliction. Fortunately, it isn't catching! This is the back cover: