From: Anthony Watkinson <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2015 10:26:12 +0100

Of course like Sandy I am writing from an academic standpoint though a
different part of the academic world. However I have never been able
to understand why, in the vast majority of cases where an author wants
to go elsewhere, a publisher will want to hang on to any rights. The
relationship has broken. There are occasions where marriage therapy
might help. For example if you show vigour and real interest as a
publisher in a situation where there has been a hiatus in the
relationship due to corporate or individual failure sometimes the
author will prefer to work with you. In the special example we are
looking at here I cannot imagine the publisher will even wish to
attempt to revive the book.

Anthony


-----Original Message-----
From: Sandy Thatcher <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 20:09:54 -0500

Doesn't this beg the question of why any publisher these days would
ever want to cease keeping a book available via POD indefinitely?
Since POD has made keeping a book available virtually cost-free, the
"out of print" clause in publishing contracts has ceased to have much
meaning.  Under special circumstances, where an author has an
opportunity to revive a book for a new audience and finds a publisher
willing to do extra marketing, redesign the jacket, etc., retrieving
rights may make sense, but this rarely happens for academic books.

Sandy Thatcher


From: Ann Okerson <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sat, Apr 11, 2015 at 7:07 PM

http://www.authorsalliance.org/2015/04/09/keeping-your-books-available/

"Today, Authors Alliance releases Understanding Rights Reversion:

When, Why, & How to Regain Copyright and Make Your Book More
Available, a guide that arms authors with the information and
strategies they need to revive their books. This guide is the product
of extensive outreach to the publishing industry. In the process, we
interviewed authors, publishers, and literary agents, ranging from a
CEO of a major publishing house to contracts and rights managers of
trade and academic presses, editorial assistants, novelists, and
academic authors.

"We were happily surprised by the consistency of publishers'
responses: across the board, publishers told us that they want to work
together with their authors and that they are often willing to give
authors their rights back if its in the books' best interests.
Publishers share the desire to "do the right thing" by books that
would otherwise languish out of print. Time and again, we received a
warm reception from the publishers, authors, and agents that we spoke
with during our outreach, all of whom saw the value in a guide that
would help authors keep their works available to readers."

********