How's this for scoring a significant content-advantage over Apple, Google, and all other contenders? Also note the very important element of agent Andrew Wylie bypassing "publishers" per se, creating his own imprint, and cutting a deal directly with the eBook retailer. This is the kind of thing that has many publishers shaking in their boots. According to the New York Times, Wylie's new venture is called Odyssey Editions.
In making the announcement Mr. Wylie opened a new front, and a possible negotiating tool, in a debate over e-book rights for what are called backlist titles. Many traditional publishers have said they own the electronic rights to those books, but some authors and their estates have disagreed, arguing that since the books were published before e-books existed, the digital rights were not explicitly sold to the publishers.
“The fact remains that backlist digital rights were not conveyed to publishers, and so there’s an opportunity to do something with those rights,” Mr. Wylie said in an interview.... Mr. Wylie declined to disclose the financial terms that Odyssey had reached with authors or their estates, but he said they were more favorable than the terms that other publishers were offering.Apple take note: The Kindle eBooks will be priced at $9.99.
Granted, the exclusive is only for two years. However, the next two years are going to be critical for all players in influencing the longterm retailer and ecosystem choices for hoards of new eBook readers; a monopoly on high-demand backlist items won't hurt at all.
