Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBlueSky
Whose name is it on the book?
Who is it who has been given the lifetime + 70 monopoly?
Who is it who shares all the royalties?
Who is it who 'creates' such a shoddy product that the editor is supposedly forced to spend a small fortune to make readable?
Who indeed!
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Wow, that's really harsh. Do you even know any authors? After an author sells a book to a publisher, beyond getting to review the galleys, has just about no say about the various editions of the work at all. No say over the pricing, or when the editions are released. I know authors who weren't even aware that their books had been released in ebook editions until readers told them. In addition, many authors are under contract to a publisher and can't switch publishers until the contract is fulfilled. I don't know if the publishers still write this into their contracts, but the story is that Jack Chalker had a clause in his contract that gave Ballatine first right of refusal on his books until they turned one down, and that he wrote several novels in the attempt to get Betty Ballantine to reject one.
Personally, I don't have an objection to the publishers charging more for an ebook when it first comes out, but I'm tired of them not ever releasing them in ebook form, or leaving them at hardcover prices long after they've released cheaper editions (trade or mass market paperback). I already wait until I can buy ebooks at or below MMPB prices. That won't change.