I am not in a book publisher, nor do I play one on the Internet. I am simply a firm believer in the viability of e-book technology, and a large consumer of digital content. My work has put me in conversations with some knowledgeable people in the e-book publishing world, and that has me believing there is a big legal battle over e-book publishing that has the potential to shake up this growing industry.
A recent event is going to push this battle into overdrive, and it’s likely to impact the way e-book publishing rights are distributed. Stephen Covey, one of the most successful business authors, has assigned the publishing rights to two of his most successful books, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” and “Principle-Centered Leadership” to Amazon exclusively. This may be the first exclusive deal of this nature that an author has inked for e-book editions.
What makes this deal controversial is that Mr. Covey made this deal separate from his contract with his print publisher, Simon and Schuster. The author has indicated that his original publishing contract does not specifically address electronic editions, thus he can do what he wishes with the rights. He has assigned them to Amazon as the royalty earned will be 50 percent, instead of the 25 percent his Simon and Schuster contract provides. Amazon also intends to promote Covey’s works aggressively, which should mean more sales for the author.
I am all for an author getting the most return out of his efforts, and I wish Mr. Covey well. I don’t believe that Simon and Schuster is going to sit back and let these rights be assigned to Amazon without a fight, however. The legal response, if there is one, will likely contend that a published work is just that, whether in print or otherwise. It is going to become a tremendously important legal battle, especially given the growth of the e-book publishing business. It is certainly going to be a huge wild card in the future of electronic publishing.
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