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electronic book royalties engage writers

Writers have opened debate with publishers over royalties as one manufacturer after another declares their new ebook reader will take over the market.

Writers currently receive royalties of 25 per cent for electronic versions of their books against some 8-10 per cent royalty on hard versions of the work.

The Society of Authors, in Britain, believes the norm should be 50 per cent and that established authors should receive 75 per cent. The Irish Writers’ Union concurs on behalf of Irish writers.

Writers say publishers cannot justify a larger share when they no do not pay the overheads of printing, binding shipping and storage of books.

Some best selling authors have already opened direct negotiations with the manufacturers of ebook readers.

Ian McEwan, the Booker prize winner, has reportedly become the first mainstream British author to sign an exclusive deal through Amazon to double his royalties on his back catalogue.

Ebooks are currently sold for $10, £6, €7 each on Amazon; and Apple is expected to enter the market with its own prices.

However, there is a time trap ticking away with ebooks. Amazon, in 2009, remotely deleted copies of George Orwell’s 1984 from hundreds of its ebook readers because of a copyright infringement.

A lock on the ebook reader device means an owner cannot pass the book on to someone else once read. Some charge that they are being asked to pay for a loan of a book.
Others believe the true value of a downloaded book should be in the order of £2 a copy; not three times as much.

And if authors agree to royalties on nett receipt s then the eventual difference between their hard and electronic royalties may not be so large as at first appear.

© www.askaboutwriting.net
30jan10 348
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