博益出版結業——面臨銷毀書本的出路 (另見都市日報1月28日讀者來信 http://www.metrohk.com.hk/news.php?startDate=28012008&newscat=21&newsid=66707)

南華早報集團旗下三間出版社博益、一本堂以及SCMP Books已決定於二月一日結業。當中以二十七年歷史的博益出版早為港人認識。

博益出版的多個系列曾於八十年代風行。名家著作如倪匡的《原振俠》、黃霑的《不文集》、畢華流的年青人讀物、村上春樹、赤村次郎的小說系列等都是陪伴我們成長的讀物。博益出版擁有大量著作版權，包括已出版、未出版甚至一些作品的續作版權。但根據明報報導，SCMP拒絕將版權售回給原作者，這意味不少準備中以及計劃中的作品將不會面世，成為SCMP坐擁的知識產物。對於拒絕售回版權一事，可以作兩個理解。

一、博益發表聲明，所有已印刷而未能售出的作品將遭銷毀。從這看來SCMP非常堅決將旗下三間營利微薄的出版社，並對存貨作決絕性的銷毀去除為這批出路無門的商品的經常性投資。

二、SCMP集團繼續持有作品的發行版權，拒絕回售，表現出其集團對這些「知識產權」的實質價值仍然重視。回售予原作者雖然可以在結業時收回一定數目的資金，但正如明報的報導，博益出版的利潤不甚理想。個人認為這是大量書藉出版於八、九十年代，對現今年青人(博益的主要市場)並不吸引，原作者願意付出多少回購成疑；未出版的書藉的價格更難保證。與其賤價出售版權，不如繼續持有保留出版的主動權。面對不斷改變的出版市場，由門市零售到Amazon，甚至通過短訊，網上發表等各種新媒體，繼續持有「知識產物」，尋找重新出版的機遇是合理的投資選擇。

雖然對於多位原作者，尤其是那些「未來版權」(如續作的獨家發行權)所影響的作者來說，這個商業決定絕對難以接受。對於讀者來說，一次性銷毀已印刷而未能發售的作品更是難以理解。但這是商業決定。在結束業務的同時，考慮如何處理這次有形無形的產業，節減成本但保留有潛力的資產是非常合理。

但作為對香港文學創作沉迷的的讀者，或者是應該考慮如何盡力保留已印刷但面臨銷毀的書本是值得考慮的問題。個人立場認為，如果能將這批將予銷毀的書本捐贈或作減價出售予不同院校的圖書館，盡力保留一些對年青人有肯定價值的作品，從文化承傳和環保立場上比將它付之一炬為好。

希望各位朋友，如果看到這文章，請將其轉寄給朋友。
如果你贊同應盡力保留已印刷書藉的話，請聯絡本人。因為本人極希望能集合起大家的力量，在時間緊迫的三月(博益收回及銷毀印刷品期限)之前，能與出版社尋求保護這批書本的方法。

愚者‧I‧以便以謝
零八年一月二十六日
電郵： samwonghk@gmail.com

Facebook 關注組： http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9939231189

Closing of SCMP Books - A way out for books facing mass destruction

SCMP Group announced that the three publishing companies would be closed on 1st Feb.  Famous publisher SCMP Books (博益出版) with 27 year history would be one of them.
Numbers of famous series of novels, fictions, leisure and other books from SCMP Books were once the leader of books in '80s and '90s.  SCMP decided to close these companies with numerous copyrights, published, ready-to-publish or even planned.  According to local news media Ming Pao (明報), books would be destroyed and copyrights would not be considered selling back to the writers.  This implies that a massive number of books may never reach their readers.  These copyrights become an important intellectual asset of SCMP Group.  There are two points that we may consider,

1. SCMP Books would destroy the books in stock.  This is a reasonable commercial decision with the closing of SCMP Books.  SCMP Group is to trim out these low-profit subsidaries and opt out the recurrent cost on any property left.

2. SCMP Group still holds the copyrights of numerous titles with a public announcement
that the copyrights would not be tranferred back to the writers.  This shows the value of these 'Intellectual Properties' is a big reservoir of SCMP Group.  Selling back the copyrights to writers may bring certain number of cash. However, as Ming Pao reported, SCMP Books generates little profit, how much can SCMP get from the writers is skeptic.  Most of the popular titles are published in '80s and '90s.  And these are not that popular now in the target market of youngsters as in the past.  Keeping the copyrights as reserved assets, waiting for a chance to republish these title
with all kinds of new medium like Internet, SMS and other emerging ones is basically a commercial action.

This decision is debutable for the benefits of writers, especially those of unpublished and planned titles.  To those writers and readers, the reservation of copyrights and destruction of books printed sound not reasonable.  But from the property managment aspect, to keep valuable properties and remove those generate recurrent cost without profit
 is logical.

However, as a book lovers in Hong Kong, consideration of the decision and way of destruction of books means more important.
  Personally, I think if these books can be donated or saled in a lower price to libraries of different schools and organizations would be better.  Thereby, we are not only reserving good literature titles for youngsters, it would also be beneficial to the culture and environment.

Dear friends who just read these paragraphs, I hope you can forward it to your friends for the good sake.  Furthermore
, if you agree with the idea of preservation of printed books in terms of cultural and environmental protection, please contact me.  I hope we can gather and find the way out with SCMP Books before the deadline of this mass destruction of books in March, which comes just in a month time.

The Stupid.I.Eben-ezer
26 January, 2008
email: samwonghk@gmail.com

Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9939231189

都市日報1月28日讀者來信
博益出版結業有感
《南華早報》集團旗下的博益、一本堂以及SCMP Books已決定於2月1日結業。當中以27年歷史的博益出版早為港人認識。

博益出版的多個系列曾於80年代風行一時。名家如倪匡、黃霑、畢華流、村上春樹、赤村次郎的小說系列等都是陪伴我們成長的讀物。博益出版擁有大量著作版權，包括已出版、未出版，甚至一些作品的續作。

據《明報》報道，SCMP拒絕將版權售回給原作者，意味不少其下作品將不會再面世，成為SCMP獨擁的知識產物。對於拒絕售回版權一事，可以作兩個理解。

一、博益聲明所有已印刷而未能售出的作品將遭銷毀。SCMP看來非常堅決將旗下三間營利微薄的出版社及存貨作決絕性的銷毀，去除為這批出路無門的商品的經常性投資。

二、SCMP集團繼續持有作品的發行版權，拒絕回售，表現出其集團對這些「知識產權」的實質價值仍然重視。回售予原作者雖然可以在結業時收回一定數目的資金，但正如《明報》的報道，博益出版的利潤不甚理想。作者願意或能支付的回購金額成疑，繼續持有反保障出版的主動權。

可是，這商業決定對原作者絕對是難以接受的。一次性銷毀已印刷而未能售出的作品，更是讓人難以理解。若從文化角度考慮，如何儘力保留已印刷，但面臨銷毀的書本，可說是更值得我們考慮的問題。如果能將這批書本捐贈或作減價出售予不同院校的圖書館，儘力保留一些對年青人有肯定價值的作品，從文化承傳和環保立場來看，都比將它付之一炬為好吧！

愚者