CROCKER-L Archives

Archiver > CROCKER > 1998-05 > 0895922886


From: "Andrea Leonard" <>
Subject: [CROCKER-L] copyright/privacy/publishing
Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 07:28:06 -0400


Thank you, Michael, for clarifying a picture that has been fogging my mind
in recent days. Everything you've said about the above subject makes good
sense to me. I'm not delighted to learn it, but that's my problem... There
are plenty of rules and regulations I'm not really happy about, but I'm
better off knowing what they are than forging blindly ahead in abysmal
ignorance!...

I appreciate, also, the information about what a "good genealogy program"
can do. And that is probably the way CarollJean produced her book, indexed
and all. It's a fine piece of work! If FTM can do that, yes, I would be
wasting my time to enter all the data I've collected and offer the
manuscript to my publisher. (It's probably also possible to produce copy
that conforms to the page dimensions the publisher requires. ???)

On the other hand, it also remains a fact that not everyone with an
interest in genealogy has a computer, a good genealogy program, the time,
concern, and self-discipline necessary to enter the data, or the
where-with-all to have copies of a book bound so the pages stay together.
They'd rather buy a book where it's all tied together.

I'm old enough to remember when people predicted that now we have TV nobody
will ever buy or read books anymore, and the publishing business is dead.
Instead... it flourishes. There are probably even some people who would pay
$25 or $30 for a book of, say, 300 pages, all bound and ready to shelve,
that contains a complete (or nearly complete) family history... not just
one person's own line.

For instance, anyone with a computer who knows how to set up a GedCom and
who acquires the books about the northern branch of Crockers, beginning
with William of Barnstable in 1639, can enter all that data in a GedCom,
and, since Vol. I is 99% names and dates, there would be no infringement on
the publisher's copyright. Many Crocker descendants, both those whose
ancestor was Anthony of the Isle of Wight, Virginia and those of us who
come down from William of Barnstable, Massachusetts, seem to be interested
in owning those books.

But I do believe you're right, Michael, in concluding that it's not really
worth it for someone to do it the old fashioned way. At least not for me to
do it.

Perhaps I'll try a novel, instead. That way, I won't need to obtain
"permissions" -- the only problem is, I absolutely decline to write
pornography -- and that seems to be the only thing that sells today.

Discouraged,

Andrea

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