Weighing in on the latest Publishing Situation...

[anghara]

By now anyone in the game would have heard about Night Shade and the cavalry riding to its rescue, Sky Horse/Start Publishing. Authors have commented on the proposed new contracts that would go into effect under the new broom, and the responses have ranged from lukewarm to outright outrage. And now there's this, an interview with the heads of the

Comments

[barbarienne]

And then there's the clause which gives the new owners the right to dispose of some of the acquired properties to third parties at their discretion, without the author's further approval or consent. So you could end up being published by who knows who, and you have absolutely no say in the matter at all.

-->This to me is the crux of the decision, for those who have to make it. How is this situation any different from the current get-sold-to-random-stranger-in-bankruptcy-settlement situation?

Would not the current contract terms have to be honored by whomever bought them at auction? If those contracts have a reasonable reversion clause, then I would hang tight rather than sign the Skyhorse contract. Why? Because a random buyer will do one of three things:

1. Actually try to publish the book in some form. The author would then get paid at the original contract rates.

2. Hang on to the rights but not publish the book. Eventually the reversion clause kicks in and the author is at least free.

3. Resell to yet a third party, who would still be bound under the original contract, making the situation no different.

The one question I have, is does the reversion time period clock reset every time the contract is sold to another party, or is it ticking even now and will continue ticking through the whole mishegoss?