In a move that will surely rattle the already shaky publishing world Simon & Schuster has added a bit of text to their standard author contract that will “allow Simon & Schuster to consider a book in print, and under its exclusive control, so long as it’s available in any form, including through its own in-house database — even if no copies are available to be ordered by traditional bookstores.”
A much longer author noose is the last thing the industry needs.
With the advent and broader acceptance of print on demand technology S&S would like to retain their authors rights forever. I suspect most of the other major publisher’s are waiting to follow suit. Keep in mind both Random House and HarperCollins have announced major digital initiatives in the last few months.
The irony here is that with the growth of p.o.d. there is actually less need for the existing publishing cartel. This just might turnout to be the straw that breaks the back of the traditional publishing model.
With all these changes we also need to come with some new terminology. Out of Print (OP) simply doesn’t work in this context.
What we are talking about here are books that are still living in the publishers database and not available in print form. They are – Alive but Out of Print – (ABOP)
The Author’s Guild has responded by issuing an alert to their members and telling them to steer clear of S&S.
The take from the blogosphere:
Booksquare – Simon & Schuster Change the Rules: Goodbye Reversion of Rights!
GalleyCat – Controversy Over Changes to S&S’s Boilerplate
PersonaNonData – New Rules on Out of Print