WHSmith withdrawing access to Mobipocket and Reader ebooks

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I'm an author. I want the best deal I can get. Do I want to do that?

My interest is in getting the best deal I can, and if I can get more out of selling my book to multiple publishers instead of one, guess what I'll do?


Dennis

I would have thought the best deal would be to ensure everyone on the planet be able to purchase your material and not just 5% of earth's population.

Multiple publishers doesnt automatically provide access to those in other countries. It should but there is a cog in the wheel. And only the authors can fix this.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Fbone

I would have thought the best deal would be to ensure everyone on the planet be able to purchase your material and not just 5% of earth's population.

And how do I do that? There isn't presently any way to reach all of the possible book buying population on the planet from one source. Electronic books make that more possible than it was, but that's not the same thing as doable.

Multiple publishers doesnt automatically provide access to those in other countries. It should but there is a cog in the wheel. And only the authors can fix this.

How? Authors write books. Publishers sell them.

You can argue that the advances in technology make it possible for authors to take control of their material and self-publish. And indeed, they can. But they still face the challenge of letting those who might want to read their books know that they exist.

There are a few authors who have successfully transitioned to self-publishing, but all had already established themselves through traditional channels. It's not a route I'd recommend to anyone to anyone starting out as an author who had any hopes of making a living at it.

You can make a case that they often do it badly, but selling books is what publishers do.
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Dennis

[Baumi]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Because Baen has contracts that permit it.

Exactly. And my guess is those contracts will become the norm over the long run

My interest is in getting the best deal I can, and if I can get more out of selling my book to multiple publishers instead of one, guess what I'll do?

The question is: Will you be able to negotiate terms like the current ones a few years from now? My guess is: no, since both readers and publishers will profit from a world without geo-restrictions. Authors won't necessarily, of course, but they are probably going to have to adapt if they want to get published. (You'd have my sympathies there, btw: I write mainly for German TV, and both writer's rates as well as contract terms have gotten much worse over the recent years.)

And it leaves out the thorny issue of how my book gets into other languages in the first place.

Is that really a probem? My guess would be: Via a translator paid by the respective publisher. (Who'll probably deduct it from the author's royalties... )

Digital content is digital content. Territory issues won't go away just because you can deliver over the Internet.

Not for existing content, of course. But the current model is so ill-suited for digital publication that I'm convinced it won't hold up much longer for new releases when (or if?) eBooks become an important market factor. The industry is going to fight change for a few years, since it always seems to do that, but at some point big name publishers will simply start demanding worldwide rights to make their life easier. And if they offer attractive terms, authors are going to go for it, eventually.

Just my personal guess, of course. Feel free to ridicule me a few years from now, if the current territorial model should actually manage to successfully survive a market dominated by eBooks.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Baumi

Exactly. And my guess is those contracts will become the norm over the long run

Well, we can hope. I'm not placing bets either way at the moment.

The question is: Will you be able to negotiate terms like the current ones a few years from now? My guess is: no, since both readers and publishers will profit from a world without geo-restrictions. Authors won't necessarily, of course, but they are probably going to have to adapt if they want to get published.

Can you negotiate that kind of deal now?

Most can't. It requires your manuscript to get enough interest that multiple publishers want it and will bid against each other. Only a fraction of a percent of manuscripts reach that happy state.

But if yours can, you'll be reluctant to forgo the option.

It might seem better to have one publisher with worldwide rights giving access to a broader market and greater potential sales, with the possibilities of more royalties. But in practice, it doesn't work that way. An author licenses rights to publish a book to a publisher for an advance against royalties, and additional royalties paid after the books has "earned out" (covered its costs and the advance, and generated additional revenue from which royalties might be taken.) Most books don't earn out, and the advance is the only payment the author sees. Agents generally try to negotiate an advance high enough that the book doesn't earn out, since they get a cut of the take.

In that situation, multiple publishers offering independent advances for rights in their area may total more than a single publisher for all areas, and since the advance is all the author will ever see, the possible broader market by having one publisher is less significant.

Granted, for most authors, the single publisher model probably will be the most effective. I can simply think of cases where it won't.

(You'd have my sympathies there, btw: I write mainly for German TV, and both writer's rates as well as contract terms have gotten much worse over the recent years.)

Same here, I think. Certainly, we're seeing more pressure in publishing on advances, and some of the media tie-in works done on a work-for-hire basis have gone "single flat fee, no royalties". Everyone is trying to cut costs, and one cost they look to cut is the cost of content creation.

I know some folks who write for US TV. Assuming they can get the gig in the first place, the money is good, but there's fearful competition for the jobs. The bigger pressure in US TV is on production costs, as the growth of cable TV has splintered the market into a number of smaller niches, with less viewers for each. Lower ratings means less that can be charged for advertising, and pressure on costs. We see a fair number of shows supposedly set in places like New York City actually filmed in Toronto because it's significantly cheaper to do it there.

Is that really a problem? My guess would be: Via a translator paid by the respective publisher. (Who'll probably deduct it from the author's royalties... )

No, the translation cost will be a line item in the book budget. But the cost will affect how the book is priced and how much they'll offer the writer for the right to do a translation.

Not for existing content, of course. But the current model is so ill-suited for digital publication that I'm convinced it won't hold up much longer for new releases when (or if?) eBooks become an important market factor. The industry is going to fight change for a few years, since it always seems to do that, but at some point big name publishers will simply start demanding worldwide rights to make their life easier. And if they offer attractive terms, authors are going to go for it, eventually.

I largely agree, where the books are electronic. It will be much thornier for paper editions, and that will extend to ebooks. Consider the case where the original publisher isn't one of the big boys. The certainly have the ability to produce and offer both print and electronic editions. Where they will lag will be the ability to market world-wide. They may wind up having to partner with one of the big houses, if they happen to have a title that proves to have world wide appeal.

Just my personal guess, of course. Feel free to ridicule me a few years from now, if the current territorial model should actually manage to successfully survive a market dominated by eBooks.

It will survive for paper editions, and they aren't going away any time soon. eBooks are anyone's guess. It's certainly possible to restrict electronic distribution based on where the customer is. Whether is will be seen as desirable will depend upon who you talk to and whether they see themselves benefiting by doing so.
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Dennis

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

And how do I do that? There isn't presently any way to reach all of the possible book buying population on the planet from one source. Electronic books make that more possible than it was, but that's not the same thing as doable.


How? Authors write books. Publishers sell them.

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Dennis

Sorry, I dont know how. The publishing world behind-the-scenes is unfamiliar to me.

Is it impossible, difficult or financially detrimental to sign a worldwide digital rights contract?

What does an author do when an overseas publisher doesnt publish their work in digital format even though they legally can?

What options does someone have when faced with geo restrictions besides hiding their location? Contact the author, if still alive, and ask why?

I imagine few things saddens an author more than telling a fan they can't purchase their book because they live in (Australia, Switzerland, Ireland).

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Sorry, I don't know how. The publishing world behind-the-scenes is unfamiliar to me.

And to most folks. I am somewhat familiar with it, and spend a fair bit of time here trying to explain it.

Is it impossible, difficult or financially detrimental to sign a worldwide digital rights contract?

I'd call it difficult.

What does an author do when an overseas publisher doesn't publish their work in digital format even though they legally can?

Depends on the deal the overseas publisher has. eBook rights are a separate set of rights. Current contracts tend to include electronic rights as well as paper rights.

So if I sell a book to a US publisher, my US publisher will have US paper and ebook rights. Foreign ebook rights will be thornier. An overseas publisher who picks up my book for publication in their territory might want the electronic rights for their territory as well. If my US publisher has worldwide rights, the foreign publisher might balk at picking up the book at all if they can only get paper rights.

But generally speaking, if ebook rights are part of the contract, it's a fair assumption the publisher plans to publish an electronic edition at some point, as the rights to do that will be part of what they negotiated for. If you're going to publish any edition, it makes little sense not to do an electronic one, if the book is suitable for electronic publishing at all.

What options does someone have when faced with geo restrictions besides hiding their location? Contact the author, if still alive, and ask why?

Even if you can contact the author, it won't help you. The author has no control over it. The restrictions are not made by or imposed upon the author. They are imposed upon publishers, because publishers buy exclusive rights to offer the books in particular areas.

You might argue that an author shouldn't sign a deal with a publisher that can't offer the book everywhere. The author should be so lucky as to be able to be that selective. If the author is an international bestseller who can pick and choose among competing six figure offers for the next book, that might be possible. For anyone else, they probably consider themselves lucky to be published, and take what they can get.

I imagine few things saddens an author more than telling a fan they can't purchase their book because they live in (Australia, Switzerland, Ireland).

No doubt, but it's not something the author has control over.
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Dennis

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

And to most folks. I am somewhat familiar with it, and spend a fair bit of time here trying to explain it.



Dennis

Thank you for your thoughts. It's much appreciated.