Dec. 7, 2025: Out-of-Print

The words on the computer screen stared back at me with a tone of accusation. “Out of Print”.  I was not surprised. But the confirmation brought my disappointment full circle.

         As a traditionally published author, I have been blessed to work with two amazing publishers.  One, a small academic press, and the other a local, individually owned, small press.  The academic press published my two historical fiction middle grades novels, while the other had published my two contemporary middle grades novels.

         Not long ago I had discovered that the small, individually owned press had closed its doors.  It had gone out of business and was dissolved.  I had received no warning, so my initial reaction was confusion and fear.  What did that mean for my books? For my rights as the author? Luckily, my attorney-daughter looked over my contract and made sure that the copyright was reverted back to me, and that all was right in the legal world.

         However, those were not the only things concerning me. I was now forced to reassess my status as an author.

I have been proud to say that I am a traditionally published author of four middle grades novels. Is that still true? As a fellow writer friend pointed out, yes, four of my books have been traditionally published. That cannot be erased. But only two are currently “in-print”. 

         The books have not evaporated into thin air.  There are still the copies that sold, out there. Maybe being passed around, lent or borrowed. There are hopefully still young people enjoying the books. But what exactly does this mean? Another very optimistic friend pointed out that this now means that the copies of those two “out-of-print” books are now collector’s items!

         As I was grappling with this new twist of my writing-career, I did some digging and found out that I am in good company. There are many well-known authors who have books that have slid into the out-of-print column. Stephen King and Roald Dahl to name just two.  And I guess if we were to think critically and logically about it, most books will eventually fall into the “out-of-print” category. It would be impossible to continue to print every book that was ever published indefinitely.  Publishers must make those tough decisions every day.  When a book is no longer a strong seller, the question then becomes an economic one.  Is it still worth printing the book?

         William Goldman once said, “One way an author dies a little each day is when his books go out of print.”  While I do not disagree with the premise, it seems a little melodramatic and drastic to me.  

         I like to think that having books “out of print” is part of the complex and beautiful tapestry of being an author. Like rejections, they are not something we seek out. But like those rejections, we can learn from them and hopefully keep growing in our craft and art.