Comments on: Amazon, other US e-publishers canvas UK literary agents for e-book rights http://www.teleread.com/2010/03/06/amazon-other-us-e-publishers-canvas-uk-literary-agents-for-e-book-rights/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:33:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Felix Torres http://www.teleread.com/2010/03/06/amazon-other-us-e-publishers-canvas-uk-literary-agents-for-e-book-rights/comment-page-1/#comment-1159294 Felix Torres Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:56:27 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2010/03/06/amazon-other-us-e-publishers-canvas-uk-literary-agents-for-e-book-rights/#comment-1159294 No mention made of exactly what rights are being negotiated; UK-only, US-equivalent, Canada, global? Or of what version of the book; the author's manuscript, the edited "proofed" version from the treeware edition? Makes a big difference. Looks like disintermediation accelerating. If the BPHs insist on a business model likely to choke off ebook sales, well, why not remove them from the decision-making process by offering up their slice of the pie directly to the author? The fact that they're going after back-catalog titles likely to pre-date e-rights clauses should make it an effective wedge to distance established authors from the publishers. I expect lawsuits to follow. No mention made of exactly what rights are being negotiated; UK-only, US-equivalent, Canada, global? Or of what version of the book; the author’s manuscript, the edited “proofed” version from the treeware edition? Makes a big difference.

Looks like disintermediation accelerating.

If the BPHs insist on a business model likely to choke off ebook sales, well, why not remove them from the decision-making process by offering up their slice of the pie directly to the author? The fact that they’re going after back-catalog titles likely to pre-date e-rights clauses should make it an effective wedge to distance established authors from the publishers.

I expect lawsuits to follow.

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