Software Licensing Handbook now available as an eBook

I know, I know… welcome to the 20th Century, Jeff.  I was waiting for my publishing “house”, Lulu, to allow for an eBook edition, and we’ve finally got it.

So, if you have been waiting for the eBook version of the Software Licensing Handbook (I’m matching Amazon’s price for the paper version, so get it cheaply now), you can get it here.

The Licensing Handbook Blog is the companion site to the Software Licensing Handbook. Covering licensing topics on a regular basis, Jeffrey Gordon attempts to offer advice, add humor and sometimes even a bit of wit to a practice that most people find abhorrent – namely, reading a contract from start to finish.  Follow me on Twitter if you want up-to-the-minute information on contracting, licensing, negotiation and the law.

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Software Licensing Handbook in Sales Contest

Ok, so your reaction to the title would probably be mine, too: “who cares if the SLH is in a sales contest?”.

Well, perhaps you will… if you were thinking about buying a copy, Lulu is offering a 10% discount off the list price for this May sales contest event.

To take advantage of the sale through the month of May, simply order here and at checkout, enter code “MAYCONTEST10”.

Thank you all for your support (whether you’ve bought the book, are buying one, or just read my little missives here)!

Eight weeks til BN!

After eight weeks of twists and turns with my publisher and with the Bowker Books in Print system, the Software Licensing Handbook, Second Edition is now available through Barnes and Nobles (and other fine booksellers).  It’s a long sorid tale – not really worth telling.  I’m just happy it’s available again.  They’re even offering it at a discount.

ps. I’ll give a free set of the first three levels of Software Licensing Education Series videos to one person who can name the song title spoofed by the title to this post.  Post your attempt in the comments.  I’ll select a random name from all correct answers by next week at this time.

Open Letter to Owners of the Software Licensing Handbook (either edition)

Dear Reader:

One of my favorite aspects of Stephen King is that he tries desperately to communicate with his readers. He sends “open letters” to them through the front or back pages of each novel… leaves notes on his website… whatever he can do to let them know that he’s a real person, with real feelings and real gratitude for their support.

One of the disadvantages of selling a book through Lulu, Amazon and other retailers is that I (like any other author) simply don’t have a window to the buyer. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you like or dislike. I only see numbers.

So far, the numbers have been better than I expected. Like King, I’m eternally grateful for the support you’ve shown and it’s really the reason I went ahead with a second edition of the book – I felt there were some missing pieces and I wanted you to have everything I could possibly share through the written word. I’m also honored by your faith and trust in my opinion and experience (as that’s what the book really is, after all).

In the coming weeks, I’m going to be retiring the first edition of the book. Amazon has finally made the second edition available on their site – so that means that other retailers will be getting the data soon, too. Back in September, I offered a special deal to owners of the first edition to transition to the second. I’m going to continue to extend that offer through the end of this year. I hope you’ll take advantage of it – the negotiation tips alone should be worth their weight in firesale gold. 😉

Oh, and if you have the time, please take a minute to submit a review of the SLH on Amazon.

Thank you again for all of your time and support. I look forward to continuing this journey together.

~Jeff

New Edition of the Software Licensing Handbook Released!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  September 12, 2008

New Book Helps Anyone Negotiate Software Licenses

RALEIGH, NC – The second edition of the popular Software Licensing Handbook, offers negotiators of all skill-levels an opportunity for the upper hand when in the often complex world of software licensing.

Written by expert negotiator Jeffrey I. Gordon who specializes in IT and telecommunications procurement, this publication is full of comprehensive instruction and advice presented in straightforward language that can be applied by the novice or seasoned negotiator. From language nuances to tips and tricks that will give you an edge, the Software Licensing Handbook is designed to help both buyers and sellers navigate the complex waters of negotiating software licenses.

This latest edition includes more than 100 additional pages of licensing and negotiation advice and comes with a free first-look at Symetrisk™, a first-of-its-kind deal evaluation tool. “After working in this industry for years, it has been hard to ignore that the intricacies of software licensing and the related negotiation process rarely receive more than a mention in business books or how-to manuals,” stated Gordon.  “I wrote this book to fill the void and provide a one-stop-shop for everything related to the software licensing process.”

Quick Note of Thanks!

Hi.

As this is an off-day for the blog, I thought I would take a few moments to thank all of you who are reading my little notes, tips, tricks and missives. I hope that you’re getting something valuable out of the time you give me – and with each post, I remember those who have come before me and have offered suggestion, comment, praise and criticism, as it is only with the help of those around us do we achieve more than we would on our own.

To that end, I also wanted to take a brief moment to (as personally as I could) thank those of you who have thought highly enough of what I had to say to buy my book. I can’t believe it’s done as well as it has – Lulu tells me that it’s the 492nd most popular item out of 250,000+ works available. Simply incredible. And it’s thanks to you.

So – I’ll look forward to seeing you on Tuesday. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Copyright reform

Jonathan Lethem would like to see a world where each artist can decide, at the time of their creation’s release, the rights their customers/fans/etc will have with respects to using, copying, recycling, etc that creation. As part of this, he’s going to release certain film rights and other derivative work rights to his next creation, You Don’t Love Me Yet.

He claims “The point is, it ought to be up to the artists.” And as the article on Wired states: “Listening to Lethem, one imagines a world where every artist crafts an idiosyncratic copyright notice, with its own strange rules, to adorn the front page or liner notes or gallery notice fronting her creations.”

What I find troubling about this push for copyright reform is that the “reform” that Jonathan (and others) are asking for already exists. The truth is that even since the beginning of copyright protection, the artist has ALWAYS had the ability to dispense of their given rights in any way in which they feel comfortable.

So, if you write a poem, craft a sculpture, paint a painting or make a movie, you can give away your rights in any form or fashion you choose. You want to allow people unlimited copying ability? You can. You want to restrict copying so that they have to BUY your work, but then they can create something new based on your work? You can. You want 100% restriction? You can do that, too. There’s nothing in the current copyright laws that would prevent anything that Jonathan is talking about wanting to do now.

In all, copyright doesn’t need reforming. Consumers (and artists) need education. Artists need to understand that if they use certain distribution organizations (publishers, printers, distributors, etc), they’re going to give up some of their rights to those organizations in exchange for the services those organizations provide. There are alternatives, of course. For publishing, there’s your own personal PC + Lulu (my favorite); for movies, again there’s your PC + YouTube.

But don’t claim that the current laws need to be changed. Know your rights. Use them.

Now Available on Amazon/Borders!

After a long introduction, the Software Licensing Handbookis now globally available at Amazon, Borders and any book store near you by title or ISBN: 978-1430305842. However, I can’t promise you’ll get the lulu.com price via the links from this page. Thank you again to everyone who has supported me in this process!

Already overwhelming response!

Thank you to everyone who is responding and sending in comments, suggestions and praise for this handbook! I really appreciate the feedback and I value your input.

I’m contemplating offering this guide via Amazon and Barnes & Nobles (the traditional route, I suppose), but to do so would mean an increase in the sales price, which I’m not fond of. Please then, help me support lulu.com in their quest to offer affordable publishing for all authors!

Thank you!

Available Now!

Well, it’s finally here! The Software Licensing Handbook is now available for immediate purchase at Lulu.com!