I went back and forth with Springer about publishing my book (Essentials of Metaheuristics). It was a completed, edited, typeset, and ready to go volume, and my rep really wanted it, but couldn't convince her higher-ups of the one requirement I had: that I retain copyright on electronic copies. The reason was that I intended to release new versions of the book once every two months or so, constantly modifying and updating the book, and didn't want to go through the hassle of Springer approval for new editions every month.
This was of course a non-starter. Springer believes that in the coming years it will make nearly all of its money on electronic volumes. Heck, they'd be glad to give me the rights to the bound volumes, but no way will they release the electronic volumes.
So I put out electronic versions for free and bound volumes for people who want to buy them at minimal cost through Lulu. It's been a moderate success in a very narrow field: maybe about 6000 downloads a year.
Oh, only a few here and there, but that was expected. The paper version exists largely because people asked me for it, and because in some academic circles you've not published a book unless it's an actual "book" (much less "a book by a publisher").
Interestingly, I get kickback from Amazon not just for book sales but for other purchases people made while visiting Amazon via my link. :-) So someone will click on my website link to my book, then get distracted by something else, and wind up surfing over and buying an iPad. And I get the kickback for that! Amazon has a strange business model.
I guess that explains the batteries, baby chair, toothbrushes, foaming anti-bacterial hand-wash, moisturizer, wireless router, keyboard, soap dish, air conditioner, spatula, shoe laces, and copy of Portal 2. And lots of other books of course.
This was of course a non-starter. Springer believes that in the coming years it will make nearly all of its money on electronic volumes. Heck, they'd be glad to give me the rights to the bound volumes, but no way will they release the electronic volumes.
So I put out electronic versions for free and bound volumes for people who want to buy them at minimal cost through Lulu. It's been a moderate success in a very narrow field: maybe about 6000 downloads a year.