Quote:
Originally Posted by barryem
I can't name any orphaned books and that's exactly the problem. I just did a google search for lists and I didn't find any. I did find an estimate that in the UK there are 25 million orphaned works. That includes anything that can be copyrighted. Not just books. My guess, and it's only that, is that the number is far higher in the USA.
Another interesting fact I found in my googling was that publishers sometimes print only a small number of books and sell them as collectors editions. An example given was Madonna's book "Sex". Only a limited number was printed and they sold for high prices and since then it's become one of the most sought after books in the USA, according to the article. When they do this there's the implied promise that there will be no further printings.
I'm not sure that's an example of an orphaned book since it's something people seem to want and talk about so it's not likely to be forgotten soon. I hadn't heard of it but I'm an old guy. I also doubt that the loss of this book will end our civilization. 
Barry |
I think Madonna is a good example of marketing.