Covey takes ebook rights away from Simon & Schuster

Last week we learned Simon & Schuster will wait up to 4 months to release ebooks from their bestselling, top authors.  Today we find one of their bestselling, top authors, Stephen Covey, taking ebook rights away from them and going direct to Amazon.  Wow.  That didn’t take long.

Check out the full story at the New York Times here.

Why would an author jeopardize an author/publisher relationship?  Maybe he understands the relationship he has with his readers is more important.  And, just because they prefer to read from an electronic reader they shouldn’t be penalized.  Also, Covey brings so much to the table:  a huge audience, popular website/business, & dedicated followers.

So, authors: know your rights and don’t let your publisher punish your readers.  The wall between you and your audience has disappeared but some publishers are working hard to put it back in place.   How long until a major author takes the print edition and goes direct to Amazon with a print on demand service?

Here’s the first book Covey is releasing under the new deal, Great Work, Great Career.