Simon & Schuster Agrees that You Can Leave Them without Getting a Restraining Order

Two weeks ago I blogged about how Simon & Schuster was treating authors like abusive husbands: giving authors poor treatment but leaving them too broken to actually leave. Now it appears that S&S is going to kiss and makeup. The publishers are all grumbling at S&S for giving in so soon while bottles of champagne are being sprayed around the offices of the Author’s Guild like the locker room of a division champion. (Obviously this is my interpretation of what is happening and given that I am blogging at 12:10 am, you’ll have to forgive my departure from lucidity).

Calling the rights grab attempt as an “early miscommunication”, Simon & Schuster will now negotiate a “revenue-based” threshold to determine the book’s “in print” status. Somehow I still think that the midlist authors are going to get screwed here, but I guess if the author doesn’t have a lawyer or agent, it’s on them.

Via Publisher’s Weekly and Sandra Schwab for bringing it to my attention.

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