The girls are back in print!!

I've published 17 novels, but for years only three of those books have been available anywhere outside of used book stores or libraries. Well, guess what?! I'm serving champagne today! For the first time in many years, all ten of my Jenny Cain books and all three of my Marie Lightfoot books are back in print! They are ALL now available on-line from most independent stores, the big box stores, and retailers such as Amazon.

This happened in a funny kind of way.
A few months ago, I asked my agent to see if we could get back the publishing rights to all of my books that were out of print. Instead of returning those rights to us, however, the publisher chose to turn them into "print on demand," thereby keeping to the letter of my contracts. This allows them to hold onto me, in a way that's the cheapest possible for them. But you know what? That is just fine with me, because I get what I want, too--all of those books IN PRINT and AVAILABLE to my readers. That's all I've ever wanted. Well, and royalties. :)

To say I'm delighted and grateful is an understatement.

I also have to say, however, that I have writer friends who don't approve of this kind of thing. They refuse to allow their backlists to be published as print on demand (for reasons I outline below). I don't feel that way. For years I've had to tell my readers who wanted to buy my other books that the only place to find them was in the used-book aisles or in libraries. While I was happy they could still be found at all, I thought it might be nice (snark) if I could also earn royalties from them. Now we're all happy. Readers can now get NEW books. I get paid. They're happy. I'm happy.

The downside, and the reason some writers don't like POD, is that most brick-and-mortar bookstores won't stock print-on-demand books, because publishers won't let those books be returned if they don't sell, as other books can be returned. Also, publishers give a much smaller wholesale discount on POD books. (That doesn't affect the retail price or my royalties.) But bookstores will order them for anybody who requests them. As for buying them on-line, that will be just like ordering any other book from an on-line bookstore.

These new editions are trade paperback, using the original hardcover or paperback covers. I haven't held one in my own little hands yet, but copies are being sent to me. I'll let you know what I think of the quality. I suspect I'm going to feel satisfied with it. It's still a major publisher, after all--Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster)--and their original art for my covers was first-rate.

On her blog the other day, our pal Conda reminded writers to celebrate the triumphs. Sometimes, as my friends know, I'm not as good at that as I might be. But not this time. This time, I'm openly, happily making the announcement and popping the cork on the champagne!

Thanks for celebrating with me. :D And tell your friends the Girls Are Back in Print!

Note: There are a lot of old copies of my books, which makes for a crowd of titles--most of them no longer useful--on line. The new ones are very easy to find, however, if you will enter the title of the book you want, along with my last name, e.g., No Body, Pickard. The new edition will pop right up, first in line.