What do you mean by "forced to do it"?
I'm citing from here which also contain links to the actual Peter Watts reasoning: http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/004689.html
I know I was thrown for a loop, since the book is (currently) very much in print, and you can find it in paperback on Amazon and BN.
The 2006 date is significant since it predates the Amazon Kindle (2007), which is where I bought my copy.
Aside: I have to agree with those same reviewers that Watts bemoans. Blindsight is fucking dense (but rewarding). I can't say I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I read it, and there are very few people in my friend circle I can imagine recommending it to.
one thing i am pretty sure though is that it didn't hurt.