There is something a little sad about writing to publishers once your book is out of print and asking politely that all rights to the work "revert" to you the author. It feels like a failed romance, like something in the work didn't measure up or stand the test of time. It's a disappointment and a nagging sense of having failed to live up to my end of the bargain. Of course, none of that is really true -- well maybe partially true -- but a lot of things can shove a book into obscurity, starting with an awful cover (check -- had that a couple of times) and a lack of promotion dollars (typical for those of us mid-list writers who have since learned to use social networking to our advantage rather than rely on publishers). So, ok...a little sad standing in line at the post office, too much time to reflect on how I might have written more durable books as I wait to mail to publishers the reversion of rights letters (registered, return receipt requested) for five of my out of print novels.
But leaving the post office I got quite a bit happier. Second chances you see. The rights to the novels will be exclusively mine again -- like lost orphans returning home. And it becomes an opportunity to look at the manuscripts one more time. To edit a bit, clean up those cringe sentences that slipped into the book due to the rush that always preceded my final copy. A chance to work with an artist and get the cover I always wanted for the work. And a chance to make use of really cool emergent technology to make my work available to a whole new audience. So little happy dance here. In six months, when the rights are mine again, I will start reproducing all my currently out of print work as e-books -- very affordable and accessible to a much wider audience. Now, if I can just think of a way to make an Iphone app based on one of the books...
