tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14963990.post4537336001843108830..comments2024-03-27T01:50:05.802-07:00Comments on The Imaginary Journal of Poetic Economics: Publisher Best Practices - or Not...Heather Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13726928948544472886noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14963990.post-32264759248229476422007-03-21T07:12:00.000-07:002007-03-21T07:12:00.000-07:00Why should Haworth require a transfer of copyright...Why should Haworth require a transfer of copyright at all? Most publishing, with the exception of things like work for hire or franchise tie-in novels, is based on the premise that the author keeps the copyright, but licenses the publisher to publish the work. The contract can stipulate that the grant of this license is for a fixed term, or for an indeterminate time as long as certain conditions are met -- usually, as long as the book is still in print and generally available.<BR/><BR/>The trouble with a transfer of copyright is that publishing houses change hands, change editors, change policies; and if they hold the copyrights on books in their inventory, they can do anything with them until such time as the copyrights expire.<BR/><BR/>I can't think this is the best possible answer to keeping books in print.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/" REL="nofollow">TNH</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com