Disappearing ebook editions?

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by DNSB

When I checked on Sarah A. Hoyt's website, at this time, I see Draw One in the Dark listed as being reissued by Goldport Press. When I look on Amazon, I find Draw One in the Dark showing as being available in Kindle Unlimited so Amazon is the only permitted vendor. I have some vague memories of a discussion about issues between her and Baen but not sure when or where I saw that.

Ah, if there were issues it makes a bit more sense. I do wonder if Baen just forgot about the old files in the first link.

[ownedbycats]

I saw a book disappear from Kobo. When I went to check its Amazon entry, I noticed it was suddenly eligible for Kindle Unlimited.

From the other thread about Amazon exclusives:

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Amazon has a program where books have to be exclusive in order to get the highest royalty rate (KDP Select?) Since Amazon has by far the largest customer base that means going exclusive makes sense for many people. The additional money they make from being exclusive more than offsets the money they lose from alienating some readers. Doesn't work for everyone or for every book but it works for enough apparently.

I wonder if that's what happened.

[theducks]

Letters of Copyright can Expire (permission to print).
They may have a specific term.
They may have a clause about keeping the title 'in print' (available for purchase).
There may be other requirements to keep active (Ad campaigns, tours...)

[gmw]

I suspect explanations like yours @ownedbycats and @theducks are quite likely for the occasional book/series/author that I see disappear off my Kobo wishlist, but the wide ranging problem that caused me to start this thread I think must have been a program glitch (maybe some script they were running got carried away and did too much). That most of the books came back just a couple of days later would seem to make this the most likely explanation.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by theducks

Letters of Copyright can Expire (permission to print).
They may have a specific term.
They may have a clause about keeping the title 'in print' (available for purchase).
There may be other requirements to keep active (Ad campaigns, tours...)

The author dies and the estate is now in charge.
The author gets the rights back and so the publisher's copy has to stop being sold.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The author dies and the estate is now in charge.
The author gets the rights back and so the publisher's copy has to stop being sold.

@Jon
I am not a lawyer, but I think they can still sell the books that HAVE BEEN Printed (and royalty have been paid). It is still a contract, so unless there are 'if I die' clauses that cancel it. The Publisher is still bound to the terms.

[Quoth]

Royalty is paid on sales, not print runs. The publishers right to sell is an assignment of copyright. That assignment may revert after 5 years, or 15 or author's death or even last till expiry of actual copyright (life + Y years). Traditionally a contract would have been for the life of the copyright, thus estate would have received royalties on sales, but often now the contract is for a number of years and rights revert to author, who then can find another publisher or self-publish.

The Advance is typically on royalties, thus a book might make a profit for a Publisher but the author might not get any royalties as the total royalties never reached the pre-paid advance.

Most books never make the Advance!

[Quoth]

Any remaining printed copies would be pulped if the publisher's rights expire. That would be rare because:
1) Publishers are cautious on print run size. They'll do multiple print runs.
2) Books might get pulped inside a year if not selling in months and remaindered copies are not bought. Storage costs money.
3) Some retailers might have a window to return unsold books, but otherwise they are deemed sold and author gets a royalty. These can be sold as old stock even when the rights revert. Some retailers only have to tear off and return the cover as proof of no-sale. Similarly newspapers the retailer will return the banner with the date if they only pay for sales.

Obviously with ebooks there is no such thing as retailer old stock. If rights are lost/reverted the ebook has to be removed from sale immediately.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Some retailers only have to tear off and return the cover as proof of no-sale.

That explains the warning sometimes seen on the copyright page that "if you bought this book without a cover, it is STOLEN."

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

That explains the warning sometimes seen on the copyright page that "if you bought this book without a cover, it is STOLEN."

Or without the original cover!

Exactly!