The Bookseller of 6th November 1998 reported that Macmillan, following Wiley UK, has launched a print-on-demand programme to include up to 1,000 out-of-print titles in 1999: "The service will enable Macmillan to supply single copies without holding books in stock or reprinting huge amounts... It is Macmillan's mission to keep works of academic value in print on a permanent basis." This announcement prompted the following letters.
27th November 1998 from Mark Le Fanu, The Society of Authors, 84 Drayton Gardens, London SW10 9SB
Sir, - You report that Macmillan Press has launched an on-demand print service for its academic titles, so that single copies can be supplied without any books being held in stock. The aim is to keep books in print permanently. The press release described Macmillan as "taking a major step forward in its service to the academic community". Up to a point, Lord Copper.
Many academics will be pleased at the thought of their work being available on demand, even if there are no copies in the bookshops or warehouse. More cautious souls will realise that there is - at least in theory - a risk of being stuck with Macmillan.
In most publishing deals the author can seek a reversion of rights when the book goes out of print. Macmillan's academic titles, it is said, will never be out of print, even if only one or two copies are sold each year. So Macmillan Press authors may be precluded from moving elsewhere, even if sales have dried up and another publisher wants to publish the book rather than just print and supply copies on request.
There is probably a simple answer. For example, authors might have the right to terminate their contract if fewer than, say, 100 copies are sold in a year, or after a certain time. Sales thresholds feature in most of our Minimum Terms Agreements with trade publishers. But unless a solution is found, an exercise aimed at benefiting academics will be tainted by the perception that authors will be yielding all their rights to Macmillan forever.
11th December 1998 from Richard Charkin, Chief Executive, Macmillan, 25 Eccleston Place, London SW1W 9NF
Sir, - Macmillan imagined it had achieved a breeakthrtough when we announced our ability to print on demand single copies of a very wide range of our academic books.
Not so. Mark Le Fanu of the Society of Authors gives us the startling news that we are depriving authors of their rights. A more cock-eyed argument is hard to imagine. We have harnessed technology to sell more copies of our authors' books over a longer period which will benefit the authors themselves, librarians, teachers, researchers, booksellers and readers. Any argument that suggests that this is a bad thing must surely be idiosyncratic.
1st January 1999 from Maureen Duffy, Vice-President, European Writers' Congress, 18 Fabian Road, London SW6 7TZ
Sir, - Richard Charkin seems so sensitive to any hint of criticism of Macmillan that he misses the point.
The ability and willingness of Macmillan to print on demand will be welcomed by many academics, as Mark Le Fanu said. All we are asking is that authors have an opportunity to get their rights back - if they wish to do so - some time after first publication when only a few copies are being sold "on demand".
No doubt many writers will be happy for copies to be supplied only on request and for Macmillan to control all other rights, but some may want to be free, at some stage, to have a new edition "published" elsewhere. I am surprised that Mr Charkin does not seem to accept that traditional rights reversion clauses need modifying in the new circumstances, whether by adopting a limited licensing period in the original contract or by a new definition of "in print".
Advances in technology provide new ways of making books available. Great. Writers are not suggesting that printing on demand is a "bad thing", only that a few safety features are in order. We need to sit down together and work through some of the implications, taking into account, for instance, the Swedish scheme for on-demand printing, which is a collaboration between authors and booksellers. After all, it isn't just academic authors and texts that will be affected.
Click to return to An Ultra Short Run (print-on-demand).
Click to access OUP's & CUP's licensed American On-Demand website Lightningprint.com.
Click to access AKME's collated list of OUP and CUP printed-on-demand authors and titles, together with a list of other participating publishers and various notes.
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