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Originally Posted by dgillette.rm
I think we are on the same page. I was trying to ask why an author would want a contract clause that allowed an ebook to go "out of print". I understand the author giving in to "sign it with this clause or no deal" aspect of why such a clause ends up in contracts.
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Define what "out of print" means for an ebook.
I want my publisher actively trying to sell my book, regardless of whether it's in paper or electronic format. If the publisher loses interest in it and stops trying to actively sell it (or believes it has sold as well as it will), I want the rights back so I can try to sell it to another publisher, or sell it myself.
Current publishing contracts tend to include levels of sales for ebook and Print On Demand titles to determine when a title has gone out of print and the author may ask that the rights revert. Below a certain level, it is considered out of print, even if technically available.
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Based on what you appear to be saying, at that point the author might want to "self publish" or find a different outlet. Seems like more trouble than it is worth. Am I still missing something?
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Maybe, maybe not.
If I get the rights back, I or my agent can attempt to place the book with a new publisher. That may have a better chance than an unpublished book. It has a track record. It was already purchased and offered by another house. Someone else might think they can do a better job with it.
Different houses do well at selling different things. An old friend who was a senior editor at one house described rejecting books that she personally loved, because she knew it was a book her house didn't know how to sell. It would go back with recommendations for better places to submit it.
If I don't place it elsewhere, I can try making it available myself, as an ebook or through a Print On Demand service. It may or may not yield benefits, but what do I get if the book is lying fallow with a publisher who has lost interest? At least I'm
trying to sell it.
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Dennis