Out of print

When the book is no longer selling either at a rate fast enough to pay for the inventory or stock costs, or to justify another print run, the publisher will cease to print additional copies, and may remainder or pulp the remaining unsold copies.

Most publishing contracts contain reversion clauses allowing authors to regain the copyright to their books.

[4] Publishers have begun to explicitly state which book formats qualify as in print, and typically include print-on-demand and electronic copies.

At least one publishing company has adjusted their contracts to account for this change in publishing options by removing the lower limit for book sales, meaning that no matter how few copies of a book sells, if it is available through a print-on-demand vendor or electronically, it is still considered in-print.

The advent of the Internet has made this process much easier, as many websites sell used books offered by bookstores and individuals.

In these cases, there is an implicit or explicit promise to collectors that the book will not be reprinted, at least in the same form as originally published.

Advertisement for the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , now out of print and out of copyright.
The notorious Rage novel , written by Stephen King as pen name Richard Bachman, was pulled out-of-print due to its subject matter being associated with real school shootings . [ 2 ] The book cover of the first edition.