New eBook company has rights to Catch-22

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by braver

Author to reader market should be direct. All those middlemen and -women are excited about grabbing their peddling agent's position and cashing the surcharge. This is what publishers used to live on during the paper era, and this is where the readers nust cut them loose in the ebook era. Why should we all be happy for some schmuck who managed to build up a network of connections to grab rights and entice ebook readers to pay them? Buy direct! Buy from owner -- the author! Hopefully the ebook revolution will send those agents home, finally, and increase authors' pay and lower the prices.

What would you suggest in the case of someone who is DEAD?

On another note, philosophically I disagree with you. It should be the author's choice on how he decides to sell his work - whether direct or through the assistance of an agent.

By the way, no one is forcing anyone to buy anything.


Don

[braver]

Dead, buy from the copyright holders -- usually the estate. Not from agents.

By grabbing the rights, the parasitic middlemen force the readers to buy them. Generally, copyright for the dead authors' book should expire... rather quickly.
Yet don't use this special case to divert attention from the premise -- that middlemen in publishing enjoyed a good long ride, and it should be over soon.

[amjbrown]

Originally Posted by braver

Author to reader market should be direct. All those middlemen and -women are excited about grabbing their peddling agent's position and cashing the surcharge. This is what publishers used to live on during the paper era, and this is where the readers nust cut them loose in the ebook era. Why should we all be happy for some schmuck who managed to build up a network of connections to grab rights and entice ebook readers to pay them? Buy direct! Buy from owner -- the author! Hopefully the ebook revolution will send those agents home, finally, and increase authors' pay and lower the prices.

Some of the middlemen certainly won't add much value in the future. I think there is a real role for people who can identify and promote great writing though. My time is limited, and when I settle down with a new book, I want to know it's going to be worth reading. I am prepared to pay for that.

Just my two cents worth

amjb

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by amjbrown

Some of the middlemen certainly won't add much value in the future. I think there is a real role for people who can identify and promote great writing though. My time is limited, and when I settle down with a new book, I want to know it's going to be worth reading. I am prepared to pay for that.

Exactly. The majority of people who think that they can write-- can't. Most self-published fiction I've seen is absolutely horrible, and didn't come through a major publisher for a reason.

Let someone else deal with the slushpile.

[nboshart]

I heard Friedman at an online conference yesterday. Apparently she's going with a no/low advance, high royalty plan for authors. Also they plan on releasing a self-publishing platform, and POD services for all of their books. No word on DRM.
They're also going to be releasing books by new authors.

[charleski]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

Exactly. The majority of people who think that they can write-- can't. Most self-published fiction I've seen is absolutely horrible, and didn't come through a major publisher for a reason.

Let someone else deal with the slushpile.

Heh, that's certainly true. Editors definitely do add value, whether it's by weeding out the rubbish or by providing an essential external viewpoint and opinion. Many authors have benefitted immensely from having a good editor.