We have learned that pirated eBooks copies of Stephen King‘s Joyland are circulating online.

Back in May 2012, King decided that his Hard Case Crime book would not have a digital edition. He explained that decision a statement:

I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts. That combo made Hard Case Crime the perfect venue for this book, which is one of my favorites. I also loved the paperbacks I grew up with as a kid, and for that reason, we’re going to hold off on e-publishing this one for the time being. Joyland will be coming out in paperback, and folks who want to read it will have to buy the actual book.

J.K. Rowling‘s beloved Harry Potter series was unavailable in digital editions as well. Pirated eBooks of that series circulated online as well.

For all the authors, publishers and readers who want to defend digital books against piracy, we’ve put together a simple five-step plan to discover and prevent eBook piracy.

We’ve reached out to Hard Case Crime, we will update with any response.