John Locke, the e-book millionaire, has signed a deal with Simon&Schuster, one of the New York major publishers – but only for his print books. Locke keeps the rights and handling of his e-book versions at Amazon, racking in 70%, rather than the meager e-book royalties that publishers pay.
Author Tom Tivnan writes in his blog:
“Simon&Schuster is splitting print and digital rights here. This has probably made a lot of agents and authors sit bolt upright, with visions of a far bigger slice of the digital pie dancing in their heads. I would hesitate to say it is a precedent-setting moment, but when a major US player splits rights, at a time when digital royalty rates seem to be creeping upwards, it certainly gives authors and agents a bit more ammunition.”
Bestseller Author Robert Muchamore commented recently: “Mainstream fiction publishers are in the same position as Polaroid photography was, when digital cameras came to the market.”
Read also J.A. Konraths blog post on this topic http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2011/08/end-is-nigh.html
I am wondering if these “gentleman publishers” agree with John Locke somewhat tacky cover images…
