Contracts

Go Read This | Random House Digital Imprints | It’s a duck!

~ Eoin Purcell ~ Leave a comment

No punches pulled by Mick Rooney here:

But what really pisses me off about all this is the amount of hours expended by pundits, experts and online commentators, with their heads stuck under the hood of self-publishing, happy to throw virtual shapes, pontificate and moralise on the cracks and leaks and woes of every self-publishing service provider. When in reality, over the last couple of years, some of the most egregious and contemptible entries into the world of self-publishing have actually come direct from—or under the guise and umbrella of—traditional publishers.

It is no wonder so many new authors want to completely bypass the traditional route of publishing when faced with the horrible deal on the table from Random House? As far as The Independent Publishing Magazine is concerned, Random House is now fully in the self-publishing arena in all but name.

via The Independent Publishing Magazine: Random House Digital Imprints | It’s a duck!.

New Post Over At EoinPurcell.com | Who Is Your Digital Publisher

~ Eoin Purcell ~ Leave a comment

I’ve a new post over at EoinPurcell.com on Digital Publishing:

Most small companies can’t afford to put someone on this full-time, that much is probably a given (although if you can, then you should), but someone really should be devoting at least a third, if not half, of their time to the issue.

AND they need to be considering more than just contracts, conversion, distribution and price. That part of the job is now routine, essential and commonplace. It doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done or that your digital publisher shouldn’t be doing it, but it does mean that your digital publisher needs to be looking at more

Head over to read the rest!
Eoin

Go Read This | Copyright, Ebooks and the Unpredictable Future | Digital Book World

~ Eoin Purcell ~ 1 Comment

There is so much more to this article, but this point in particular stood out!

In this model, authors stop carving out rights.  They hand almost everything over to the publishers and give them maximum flexibility to experiment with format, pricing, sampling, enhancements, and territory – BUT, for a very limited time.  At the end of those 3-5 years, everyone reassesses.

If the publisher has done an outstanding job and turned the book into a bestseller,  they might now have to cough up more royalties.  If the publisher has failed to sell the book or exploit some of the rights they were ceded, the author may continue with the house on a more limited basis or may withdraw the book altogether and take it elsewhere.  The author gets far more flexibility and control over the book’s fate than was ever possible with a life-of-copyright contract, but has to accept a full partnership role: the publisher will no longer pay a significant advance or assume the lion’s share of the financial risk.

via Copyright, Ebooks and the Unpredictable Future | Digital Book World.

Excuse me while I RAMBLE

~ Eoin Purcell ~ 1 Comment

Eoin Purcell

I don’t normally post about my job here
But sometimes it is worthwhile. I have just received signed contracts in the post, signed yesterday* and they made me extremely happy.

GRANDAD is writing a book for Mercier Press

I have been a reader of Head Rambles for a while now and love it. I have been thinking for some time that if we didn’t snap him up someone else would, so I e-mailed him and asked him to write a book with us. He has agreed. If you read his post about it (here) you begin to understand why I am so pleased.

If all goes to plan we will publish the book (tentatively titled: Rambles With Grandad) in Spring 2009.

Pleased as pie,
Eoin

*Which puts paid tot hose nasty rumours that An Post is now taking 4 days to deliver letters from one end of the island to the other.