Quote:
Originally Posted by DuckieTigger
Except that the rights mostly lay dormant and unused to their full potential. The only thing those backlists do is prevent hostile takovers - nobody can afford to buy a publisher with all the extra unused rights that come with it.
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Not anymore.
Didn't you see MacMillan's latest letter to all the important people in publishing?
(Artists, agents, and uh... oh, yes, authors)
I didn't bring in MGM on a whim: The BPHs are going to dump their entire backlists into subscription services and keep the frontlist sales-only. Much like the movie studios keep new and recent releases in theaters and pay-per venues and only later into the subscription services. What better way to keep the backlist from stealing sales from new releases than to pull them from sale? Besides, shelf space in B&M is declining.
This way the backlist provides a nice steady rent, enough to keep the doors open and the bestseller lottery provides the profits. Nice and sustainable even as market share withers away.
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/12/a-m...m-john-sargent
Those deep discount clauses are really going to pay off now.