Just When You Thought Big Business Was On The Side Of The Little Guy...

I sometimes wonder why blogs post links to articles like this, warning unpublished authors what to be wary of should Simon & Schuster come calling. Let's be realistic, the only thing unpublished writers really need to be concerned with on that dream-a-little-dream day when S&S comes after their mildewing manuscript is that they don't accidentally stomp the dog/baby/roomba while they run to the door to sign their lives away.
Yes, what Simon & Schuster is attempting to do -- 1.retain control of books even after they have gone out of print, 2.consider a book in print, and under its exclusive control, so long as it's available in any form, including through its own in-house database -- even if no copies are available to be ordered by traditional bookstores, 3.be able stop printing a book and prevent the author from publishing it with any other house -- bears all the ugly hallmarks of corporate greed, but guess what? They're a corporate enterprise! If you want to avoid the evils of big business, avoid big business.You don't send Disney your ideas for an updated Mickey Mouse (five fingers and a post-pubescent voice!) and expect a fair shake, do you? Beggars can be choosers. The alternate phrasing of this cliche was birthed in a boardroom.