You know nothing about books, libraries, rights and sales. Libraries BUY books, which means that the writers and illustrators (of which I am one) get royalties. Library books are in library hardcover bindings which means they are the most expensive (unlike mass paperbacks) and we get the MOST royalties. On top of it, here in Canada, we get Public Lending Rights… I get about $3000 PER YEAR for my books being in libraries for you to read. Let’s compare that for $60 for EVER.

Google does not limit itself to out of print books, but to ALL books and printed materials distributed in the US, whether the creators are in the US or not. It doesn’t just limit to a small percentage of the book, but reserves the right in the future to sell to libraries the rights to the whole book, and to print on demand of books. And I HAVE out of print books, which I can put online MYSELF and get 100% of the fee, and 100% of control, or resell the book (for thousands) to another publisher… many out of print books have been reprinted.

I have contracts signed for all books I illustrate, and those contracts state that my PUBLISHER has the online and other digital rights, and this Google thing basically wipes every one of those nearly 100 contracts out, and replaces their own blanket contract covering every book created in the US in the past. How is this ok? I LIVE off my work. BTW, as an illustrator, my work (even if my publishing contract says I did %50 of the book, and get 50% of the royalties) is considered by google settlement to be an “insert”, and thus I will get MAX $15 per book… basically the price of a week or two internet, for everyone in the world to go to google and use my work that took me 3-6 months. Nice.

And btw, this $15? It isn’t even for USING my work, it is for STEALING it. What kind of disincentive is that?

As the copyright holder of a novel I was contacted by the law firm handling this.

http://www.goog...settlement.com/

Since my in print novel was partially reprinted on Google Books, as far as I can tell, I get a $5 or a $15 option. Hardly worth filling the paperwork out for. For me, a new author, this isn’t much.

For more established authors there might be some money in this. But you have to opt-out of the lawsuit, i.e. giving Google permission.

I am not sure if authors benefit from this one. I know the lawyers handling this will eat steak dinners from their cut as they always do. Google? They’ll be just fine I suspect.

With only one title effected and at best a Jackson note coming my way if I opt out I am not sure to sign or not sign.

The copyright holder retains the copyright regardless of whether the book is in print or not. In fact, they alone have discretion over whether the book is in print. They can self-publish, if they so choose, or let the book disappear from the market, if they so choose. That’s the point of copyright. Idiot.