Digital Distribution rights to a Printed Book

[expisp]

was wondering if anyone knew of a resource, agency or solution that would get me closer to licensing content from a published (printed) book? any help would be appreciated, I have been searching google for days and coming up dry...

Ian

[sjw]

Hi Ian,

I'm assuming that you want to use information from someone else's book. If so, then read on. If I've mis-read this and you have written your own content that you want to license to other people, then I can't help you.

I work in the book industry and there is no central agency that I'm aware of that handles this kind of thing. Normally, an individual publisher holds the rights to a particular book in a particular region of the world. At the moment, digital rights are a bit of an issue in the book industry but you'll find that the original publisher of a book will often hold digital rights by default.

This means that the only way to license the content is to talk to the particular publisher concerned. (Try the marketing or publishing departments).

If there are a number of publications that you are considering, and they are from run-of-the-mill publishers, it may be worth your while to consider Book Expo America (http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/) which is in LA at the end of May / early June. You will find them all there under the one roof.

This one is just a stab in the dark, but you may also be able to get advice from the Association of American Publishers (http://www.publishers.org/). I'm assuming it is a US publisher that you are considering, but you'll find equivalent organisations in most countries.

Hope this helps,
Simon

[expisp]

This great info, thank you.