"Mike Resnick - Hunting Lake" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

1992: WorldComm Press, which specializes in small editions of
trade paperbacks, is feeling expansive and approaches me about
writing a mystery novel and editing a line of mass market science
fiction. I agree, and suggest that I'd also like to bring the
reprint series over from St. Martin's Press, which isn't making
any money on them anyway and would probably be happy to let them
go, so that we can at least make an attempt to get Lake's books
back into print. The publisher, Ralph Roberts, has never heard of
Alexander Lake. I loan him copies of KILLERS IN AFRICA and
HUNTER'S CHOICE; he calls back two nights later -- he loves them,
and he'll start up the African reprint line as soon as I'm ready.
January, 1993: In an attempt to find out who owns the rights
to Lake's books, I write to Doubleday's accounting department and
ask who they are sending his royalty checks to. Their records only
go back to the 1970s, and no royalties have been paid out since
then. It takes them a mere 3 months to tell me that.
April, 1993: Ray Feist suggests that I write to the Doubleday
legal department to find out what literary agent represented Lake
during the contract negotiations. (If he did it himself, I'm out
of luck, and the search -- and project -- ends here.) Doubleday
takes four months to respond that Lake was represented by the
McIntosh and Otis Agency.
August, 1993: I write McIntosh and Otis and ask who owns the
rights to Lake's books. They write back to tell me that they've
never heard of Lake. I write back and suggest they check their
files back to the 1940s. They write back to say that they did, and
they've still never heard of him. This correspondence takes nine
weeks.
October, 1993: Once more I write to the Doubleday legal
department and tell them that McIntosh and Otis has no record of
representing Alexander Lake, and could they please check the
contracts again? They do, and finally direct me to Elizabeth McKee
of McIntosh, McKee and Dodds. I write to her and ask who owns the
rights to Lake's books. No answer. I write again. No answer. I
phone. She's out of town on an extended vacation.
January, 1994: Ms. McKee writes to tell me that yes, she did
indeed represent Alexander Lake in the early 1950s, but she has
had no word from him or his literary estate in more than a third
of a century. She no longer has any records telling her who his
literary heirs are. She has no idea where to look.
February, 1994: I call my own literary agent, Eleanor Wood,
explain the problem, and ask for suggestions. She gives me the
number of the Copyright Department of the Library of Congress.
Maybe, she suggests, the books are public domain. If KILLERS IN
AFRICA's copyright wasn't renewed in 1981, it's mine for the
taking; if it _was_ renewed, at least I'll be able to find out who
renewed it.
March, 1994: I call the Copyright Department. They ask what
years the two books were originally published, then tell me to
send them $40.00 for each title to track down the copyright