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There wasn't much to it --- I contacted the Univ. of Missouri Press, they set a price in terms of initial fee and on-going royalty payments, I returned a signed

There wasn't much to it --- I contacted the Univ. of Missouri Press, they set a price in terms of initial fee and on-going royalty payments, I returned a signed copy of the contract and they sent a DVD w/ the files. The only wrinkle was I failed to communicate clearly that I wanted to do a hardcover reprint and they assumed I was doing a softcover (apparently rights are different?) but they decided that the modest quantity I wanted (100) was okay for hardcover (within the variance of unprinted copies from first run?) and allowed it. I contacted a (sort of) local printer with a digital press to send the files, proofed them, then once approved and printed, I drove in my truck and picked them up (should have parked closer, a couple of boxes took a tumble), stored them in my entry closet and sold them over the course of a couple of years, sending a statement and check each year until the last copy I was selling was sold and I closed the books. The notable afterthought was that I should have bought used copies at the price that they were then set at by my re-issue and re-sold them after, but I couldn't bring myself to be quite that mercenary.

philips 4d ago
Thank you for writing up your story. Could you break down the costs at each step? Did you break even on royalties and printing costs? I am always fascinated by the whole tension of copyright, publishing costs, and the lost knowledge due to the gap between the two.
- WillAdams 3d ago
  From uncertain organic memory royalty was a set percentage (7%? came out to a $1,000 check plus a fee $500?). Print $3,500 as two checks. Books sold for $70 ea. and if sold on Amazon had $12.83 for their fees. Sold a few in person, handed out too many for marketing, and did okay on shipping 'cause I re-used packaging. In the end, came out ahead, and would be willing to revisit this sort of thing in the future.

philips 4d ago

Thank you for writing up your story. Could you break down the costs at each step? Did you break even on royalties and printing costs? I am always fascinated by the whole tension of copyright, publishing costs, and the lost knowledge due to the gap between the two.

WillAdams 3d ago
From uncertain organic memory royalty was a set percentage (7%? came out to a $1,000 check plus a fee $500?). Print $3,500 as two checks. Books sold for $70 ea. and if sold on Amazon had $12.83 for their fees. Sold a few in person, handed out too many for marketing, and did okay on shipping 'cause I re-used packaging. In the end, came out ahead, and would be willing to revisit this sort of thing in the future.