This is great and I give thanks to God for you and your pursuits in this publishing method!
I have thought before it would be beneficial to keep theological works more open in terms of copyright while also paying authors/editors/publishers/etc for their labors. I've wondered if the crowdfunding type of model would work, where the associated costs of publishing a work were made known publicly upfront, and then once those costs have been met the books are sold at the cost of printing, the digital file is free, and the work is relicensed as CC or PD.
This would allow for laborers to receive their wages and the work not to disappear into oblivion because of copyright. Additionally, if the costs are known upfront, certain donors may simply foot the bill in order to get the price down for others sooner.
Thank you, John. It is a small thing for us to do in exchange for the truth of Christ's saving work delivered to us through His church.
We did use a version of crowdfunding for Dr. Koontz's five-volume Bible Commentary, and we are making an exciting announcement soon that will explain how we closed the remaining funding gap. This has allowed Dr. Koontz to be paid at a nearly full rate and Ad Crucem should be able to complete the project close to breakeven, with a few more years to full breakeven.
I meant to add that I have noticed other publishers regularly repricing bestseller books higher, even though the books have been in print for 20 years or more. These bestsellers have already made enormous profits but continue to be treated like ATM machines.
I understand completely why secular publishers would do this, because their goal is to make as much money as possible, not to disseminate books. The church has a different goal, namely, to disseminate the gospel through writing, and we only charge money because we ought not muzzle the ox as it treads out the grain. The danger for the church is that the ox ends up eating all of the grain.
This is great and I give thanks to God for you and your pursuits in this publishing method!
I have thought before it would be beneficial to keep theological works more open in terms of copyright while also paying authors/editors/publishers/etc for their labors. I've wondered if the crowdfunding type of model would work, where the associated costs of publishing a work were made known publicly upfront, and then once those costs have been met the books are sold at the cost of printing, the digital file is free, and the work is relicensed as CC or PD.
This would allow for laborers to receive their wages and the work not to disappear into oblivion because of copyright. Additionally, if the costs are known upfront, certain donors may simply foot the bill in order to get the price down for others sooner.
Again, thank you.
Thank you, John. It is a small thing for us to do in exchange for the truth of Christ's saving work delivered to us through His church.
We did use a version of crowdfunding for Dr. Koontz's five-volume Bible Commentary, and we are making an exciting announcement soon that will explain how we closed the remaining funding gap. This has allowed Dr. Koontz to be paid at a nearly full rate and Ad Crucem should be able to complete the project close to breakeven, with a few more years to full breakeven.
I meant to add that I have noticed other publishers regularly repricing bestseller books higher, even though the books have been in print for 20 years or more. These bestsellers have already made enormous profits but continue to be treated like ATM machines.
I understand completely why secular publishers would do this, because their goal is to make as much money as possible, not to disseminate books. The church has a different goal, namely, to disseminate the gospel through writing, and we only charge money because we ought not muzzle the ox as it treads out the grain. The danger for the church is that the ox ends up eating all of the grain.
Congrats! I love that you guys do that!!!