The Case of the Missing Publisher

SensualPoet · 06-19-2010, 10:41 AM

I'm tempted to ask, Who Murdered Perry Mason? This iconic figure, still very much alive in the hearts and minds of readers and viewers in the English-speaking world, has almost disappeared from print.

Erle Stanley Gardner wrote over 70 full length Perry Mason novels from the early 1930s through to his death in 1970; and a few more stories turned up posthumously. Still in the 1930s, Perry Mason made it to Hollywood with at least five motion pictures. The character appeared in the self-titled long-running daily 15 min radio serial. In 1957, Raymond Burr created the TV version and played Mason for nine years turning out close to 300 hour long episodes. Another variation appeared on TV for a season in the 1970s. Then the series was reborn as a series of TV movies, with Burr back in the saddle, for more than a dozen installments until his death. The TV series has remained popular in re-runs on cable and is being reissued on DVD.

Throughout this 80 year history, Gardner's Perry Mason novels have been issued in hardcover by William Morrow and endlessly reissued in paperback. Until now, it seems. Fawcett and Ballentine appear to be the last to have issued the stories in paper -- and nothing since the 1990s. In fact, I could only find one novel still in print in paperback: The Case of the One-Eyed Witness at Amazon. And this out of a list of 99 editions of Perry Mason almost everyone of them rated at 4 or 5 stars.

Can you imagine Sherlock Holmes being out of print?

I wonder what the heck the issue is -- but the prime suspects have got to be the rights holders -- the publisher(s) -- who have no idea what the value of a back-list is. I can imagine re-issuing all the books over a four or five year period, with smart new covers, and perhaps even some fresh prefaces / tributes from other mystery / court room authors, and in e-book format would produce a tidy sum.

Or, we can wait ten years, and all of it -- all the 100s of Gardner works under ESG and his various pseudonyms -- fall into public domain and the publishers won't see a plugged nickle.

HarryT · 06-19-2010, 11:29 AM

You'll only have to wait 10 years, being in Canada, but most of us will have to wait 30 years.

I entirely agree with you that the Perry Mason books are excellent. I have a number of them in paperback.

cfrizz · 06-19-2010, 12:28 PM

I would love it if they would reissue Leslie Charteris, The Saint series in ebook format.

poohbear_nc · 06-19-2010, 12:32 PM

I had contacted the publisher (can't remember the name now) last year - which was publishing the paperback version of the Perry Mason novels - and was told they did intend to launch them in ebook versions. I'll try & find the email and follow up on it!

SameOldStory · 06-19-2010, 01:01 PM

Abandon books really raise my blood pressure.

I do understand that these "out of print" books have to be either scanned or hand entered into a computer. But that's not rocket science.

Next you need proof readers. Fans of Perry Mason, The Saint, and many others would be quite happy to do an initial read for free. Follow this by a professional proof reader and sell it as an ebook.

If the publisher doesn't think that it would be profitable then sell them to someone who's willing to try.

SensualPoet · 06-19-2010, 03:09 PM

@ poohbear - Fawcett, Ballantine and Wm Morrow are key suspects. Fawcett may be owned by Hachette or Bertlesman, Ballentine is owned by Bertelsmann, and Morrow by Harper Collins.

On July 17, 2010, Erle Stanley Gardner turns 121. Surely, surely, surely ... the rights of reading public are being infringed by all of his work being out of print: the current owners ought let them lapse in PD if they have no interest in them at this point.

HarryT · 06-19-2010, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

@ poohbear - Fawcett, Ballantine and Wm Morrow are key suspects. Fawcett may be owned by Hachette or Bertlesman, Ballentine is owned by Bertelsmann, and Morrow by Harper Collins.

According to their Wiki article, Fawcett are now owned by Hachette.

SensualPoet · 06-19-2010, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

According to their Wiki article, Fawcett are now owned by Hachette.

Thanks, Harry, I saw that too. It wasn't clear if what Wiki meant was Fawcett Publishing as opposed to Fawcett Books.

neilmarr · 06-20-2010, 02:41 AM

Mant publishers are now using Lightning Source PoD for their backlists. This involves preparing digitcal versons for print. To go the extra mile to also produce ebook formats is child's play.

Mind you, electronic rights were rarely included in author contracts before 2000, and there may be legal issues. Some publishers insist tha electronic rights are to be 'assumed' as an 'unwritten law'. Others don't.

In fact, my own wee house is currently working on an ebook-only version of a book on which the (big but honest) publisher of the hardback and paperback admits that he holds to digital rights to the work.

He has not, of course, turned over rights to cover, inside illustraton or even reiew lines. Few authors realise that when rights revert to them, those rights apply to original raw copy only. Editing, proofing, design, etc, all remain the property of the original publisher. Cheers. Neil

Blue Tyson · 06-20-2010, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

Abandon books really raise my blood pressure.

I do understand that these "out of print" books have to be either scanned or hand entered into a computer. But that's not rocket science.

Next you need proof readers. Fans of Perry Mason, The Saint, and many others would be quite happy to do an initial read for free. Follow this by a professional proof reader and sell it as an ebook.

If the publisher doesn't think that it would be profitable then sell them to someone who's willing to try.

A whole lot of which will have been done already, and be on the net for free, so you can even start there, if you want.

SensualPoet · 06-20-2010, 12:27 PM

Yes, it's true: about the first ten Perry Mason books are on the net "free". It's just sad the legitimate rights-holders can't be arsed to make them available. And not just Gardner's 70-odd Perry Mason novels: there are all those other works, such as AA Fair pseudonym titles, that ought to be returned to circulation.

A pity, any way you slice it.

mr ploppy · 06-21-2010, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Few authors realise that when rights revert to them, those rights apply to original raw copy only. Editing, proofing, design, etc, all remain the property of the original publisher. Cheers. Neil

Fair enough with the cover and other design elements, but editing and proofing as well? Eeep! That would be hard to separate out.

That reminds me of a band who were naive enough to sign to Warner Bros when they were young. When they were in their 40s they wanted to reissue their albums on CD. They had the rights to the music, but Warner Bros said they owned the physical tape that they were recorded onto so they couldn't have it. The CDs ended up being mastered from vinyl copies.

tompe · 06-21-2010, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

Throughout this 80 year history, Gardner's Perry Mason novels have been issued in hardcover by William Morrow and endlessly reissued in paperback. Until now, it seems. Fawcett and Ballentine appear to be the last to have issued the stories in paper -- and nothing since the 1990s. In fact, I could only find one novel still in print in paperback: The Case of the One-Eyed Witness at Amazon. And this out of a list of 99 editions of Perry Mason almost everyone of them rated at 4 or 5 stars.

A lot of them are available new from www.amazon.co.uk at least.

poohbear_nc · 06-21-2010, 09:01 AM

Found my email - it was to House of Stratus - whose website has the following message:

Quote:

Our eBooks (in Blio, Kobo, Pdf, mobie and ePub format) are now becoming available from Amazon, Baker & Taylor, Overdrive, WH Smith, Waterstones and many other quality retailers in the UK & USA.

Quote:

We will provide a full list and links in due course - meanwhile, please visit your favourite retailer.

Their pbook listing contains, among others, 19 Perry Mason titles:

http://www.houseofstratus.com/erle-s...rdner-60-c.asp

With his extended publishing career and numerous paperback editions, the ebook rights to Gardner's titles may be non-existent or spread among more than one publishing house.

SensualPoet · 06-22-2010, 10:59 PM

So, it seems the "House of Stratus" has rights over quite a number of the ESG Perry Mason books and published a whack in paperback in 2000 ... at $12 each. What a terrible waste. I have a good deal of them in paper as it is (bought various "lots" on e-bay); but I'd happily buy them as e-books if they were presented with a little flair. I can't say their website is terribly inspiring and they have a very odd selection of "authors", many of them public domain.

I think I'd rather take my chances with Random House or someone of that ilk "seeing the light".

06-19-2010, 10:41 AM	#1
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	The Case of the Missing Publisher I'm tempted to ask, Who Murdered Perry Mason? This iconic figure, still very much alive in the hearts and minds of readers and viewers in the English-speaking world, has almost disappeared from print. Erle Stanley Gardner wrote over 70 full length Perry Mason novels from the early 1930s through to his death in 1970; and a few more stories turned up posthumously. Still in the 1930s, Perry Mason made it to Hollywood with at least five motion pictures. The character appeared in the self-titled long-running daily 15 min radio serial. In 1957, Raymond Burr created the TV version and played Mason for nine years turning out close to 300 hour long episodes. Another variation appeared on TV for a season in the 1970s. Then the series was reborn as a series of TV movies, with Burr back in the saddle, for more than a dozen installments until his death. The TV series has remained popular in re-runs on cable and is being reissued on DVD. Throughout this 80 year history, Gardner's Perry Mason novels have been issued in hardcover by William Morrow and endlessly reissued in paperback. Until now, it seems. Fawcett and Ballentine appear to be the last to have issued the stories in paper -- and nothing since the 1990s. In fact, I could only find one novel still in print in paperback: The Case of the One-Eyed Witness at Amazon. And this out of a list of 99 editions of Perry Mason almost everyone of them rated at 4 or 5 stars. Can you imagine Sherlock Holmes being out of print? I wonder what the heck the issue is -- but the prime suspects have got to be the rights holders -- the publisher(s) -- who have no idea what the value of a back-list is. I can imagine re-issuing all the books over a four or five year period, with smart new covers, and perhaps even some fresh prefaces / tributes from other mystery / court room authors, and in e-book format would produce a tidy sum. Or, we can wait ten years, and all of it -- all the 100s of Gardner works under ESG and his various pseudonyms -- fall into public domain and the publishers won't see a plugged nickle. Last edited by SensualPoet; 06-19-2010 at 10:44 AM.

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06-19-2010, 11:29 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	You'll only have to wait 10 years, being in Canada, but most of us will have to wait 30 years. I entirely agree with you that the Perry Mason books are excellent. I have a number of them in paperback.

06-19-2010, 12:28 PM	#3
cfrizz Wizard Posts: 1,569 Karma: 36389706 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Quincy, MA Device: Samsung 54A, Kobo Libra H2O, Samsung S6 Lite	I would love it if they would reissue Leslie Charteris, The Saint series in ebook format.

06-19-2010, 12:32 PM	#4
poohbear_nc Bah! Humbug! Posts: 63,195 Karma: 135239851 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	I had contacted the publisher (can't remember the name now) last year - which was publishing the paperback version of the Perry Mason novels - and was told they did intend to launch them in ebook versions. I'll try & find the email and follow up on it!

06-19-2010, 01:01 PM	#5
SameOldStory My True Self Posts: 3,126 Karma: 66242098 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Trantor, Galactic Center Device: Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	Abandon books really raise my blood pressure. I do understand that these "out of print" books have to be either scanned or hand entered into a computer. But that's not rocket science. Next you need proof readers. Fans of Perry Mason, The Saint, and many others would be quite happy to do an initial read for free. Follow this by a professional proof reader and sell it as an ebook. If the publisher doesn't think that it would be profitable then sell them to someone who's willing to try.

06-19-2010, 03:09 PM	#6
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	@ poohbear - Fawcett, Ballantine and Wm Morrow are key suspects. Fawcett may be owned by Hachette or Bertlesman, Ballentine is owned by Bertelsmann, and Morrow by Harper Collins. On July 17, 2010, Erle Stanley Gardner turns 121. Surely, surely, surely ... the rights of reading public are being infringed by all of his work being out of print: the current owners ought let them lapse in PD if they have no interest in them at this point.

06-20-2010, 02:41 AM	#9
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Mant publishers are now using Lightning Source PoD for their backlists. This involves preparing digitcal versons for print. To go the extra mile to also produce ebook formats is child's play. Mind you, electronic rights were rarely included in author contracts before 2000, and there may be legal issues. Some publishers insist tha electronic rights are to be 'assumed' as an 'unwritten law'. Others don't. In fact, my own wee house is currently working on an ebook-only version of a book on which the (big but honest) publisher of the hardback and paperback admits that he holds to digital rights to the work. He has not, of course, turned over rights to cover, inside illustraton or even reiew lines. Few authors realise that when rights revert to them, those rights apply to original raw copy only. Editing, proofing, design, etc, all remain the property of the original publisher. Cheers. Neil

06-20-2010, 12:27 PM	#11
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	Yes, it's true: about the first ten Perry Mason books are on the net "free". It's just sad the legitimate rights-holders can't be arsed to make them available. And not just Gardner's 70-odd Perry Mason novels: there are all those other works, such as AA Fair pseudonym titles, that ought to be returned to circulation. A pity, any way you slice it.

06-22-2010, 10:59 PM	#15
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	So, it seems the "House of Stratus" has rights over quite a number of the ESG Perry Mason books and published a whack in paperback in 2000 ... at $12 each. What a terrible waste. I have a good deal of them in paper as it is (bought various "lots" on e-bay); but I'd happily buy them as e-books if they were presented with a little flair. I can't say their website is terribly inspiring and they have a very odd selection of "authors", many of them public domain. I think I'd rather take my chances with Random House or someone of that ilk "seeing the light".

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