Quote:
Originally Posted by pdurrant
I don't think we're talking about present day practices, but about what it was sensible/economic/practical for publishers to do back in the 1980s/1990s.
|
Bingo. We are talking backlist books. I would assume that most current publishers keep a copy of the books they control for a given period of time. I would even argue that it's prudent for them to keep a copy for as long as they control the publishing rights. I wouldn't agree that it's prudent to keep an electronic copy of books they no longer control.
On the other hand, since authors retain the copyright of their work, it is prudent for them to maintain a copy of the work. There are some authors who don't for various reasons and are content to leave everything in the publisher's hands. I wouldn't consider that prudent, but it's certainly their choice.