“After noting that most of Random House’s backlist titles grant the publisher electronic book rights […], [CEO Markus Dohle] writes that ‘there have been some misunderstandings concerning ebook rights in older backlist titles.’ He then proceeds to argue that older contracts granting rights to publish “in book form” or “in all editions” grant electronic rights to Random House.”
Not so fast says The Authors Guild, who have reacted to Dohle’s two-page letter, which was sent to many literary agents on Friday, with a piece titled “Random House’s Retroactive Rights Grab.” Take away message?
“If you have an old book contract in which you haven’t granted e-book rights, patience is likely to pay off. The e-book industry is still young — there’s no need to jump in. And we strongly suspect e-royalty rates are at a low-water mark.”
