Campaigns

What are Ungluing Campaigns?

Unglue.it has three programs that support ebook creators: Pledge Campaigns, Buy-to-Unglue Campaigns and Thanks-for-Ungluing Campaigns.

• In a Pledge Campaign, book lovers pledge their support for ungluing a book. If enough support is found to reach the goal (and only then), the supporter's credit cards are charged, and an unglued ebook is released.
• In a Buy-to-Unglue Campaign, every ebook copy sold moves the book's ungluing date closer to the present. And you can donate ebooks to your local library- that's something you can't do in the Kindle or Apple Stores!
• In a Thanks-for-Ungluing Campaign, the ebook is already released with a Creative Commons license. Supporters can express their thanks by paying what they wish for the license and the ebook.

We also support distribution and preservation of free ebooks through our growing catalog of free-licensed ebooks.

Buy-to-Unglue Campaigns

How is Buying an eBook at Unglue.it Different?

Buy-to-Unglue eBooks want to be free. But the people who create books have to make ends meet somehow. So they've chosen a funding level that will allow them to make the book free. When you buy an ebook at unglue.it, you're advancing the date at which the book will be free to everyone, but until then, the ebook is yours to enjoy. You can also buy the ebook for your library so that your neighbors can enjoy the ebook once you're done with it!

What can I do with a Buy-to-Unglue eBook?

There's no restrictive rights management on buy-to-unglue ebooks. That means you can put them on all your devices, and do the things you do with your print books. You're not allowed to publish or distribute them, but you'll be able to do that after the ungluing date. Once you've purchased a buy-to-unglue book, you can download it whenever you need it.

What is an Ungluing Date?

The ungluing date is the date a book gets released under a Creative Commons License. After the ungluing date, the ebook will be available for free at unglue.it, Internet Archive and any library, anywhere. You'll be able to make copies for all your friends, if that's what you want to do.

How does that work?

The rights holder for the book picks

1. an initial ungluing date some time in the future, and
2. a revenue goal

When an ebook license is purchased, the ungluing date is recalculated according to these formulae:

 
(days per dollar) = [(initial ungluing date) - (launch date)] / (campaign goal)

(current ungluing date) = (initial ungluing date) - (gross revenue)*(days per dollar)

Here's a calculator you can use to see how this works:

Starting with an Initial Ungluing Date of JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930312024202520262027202820292030203120322033203420352036203720382039204020412042204320442045204620472048204920502051205220532054205520562057205820592060206120622063206420652066206720682069207020712072207320742075207620772078207920802081208220832084208520862087208820892090209120922093209420952096209720982099

and a revenue goal of $,

when the Book has earned ...
$ a new Ungluing Date

How do I tell what a book's ungluing date is?

The ungluing date is displayed on the campaign page for every Buy-to-Unglue book, and is printed inside every copy sold through Unglue.it on the license/copyright page. For ebooks sold anywhere else, you'll need to wait for the author(s) to die, and many decades after that, for the copyright to expire, even if the author or heirs no longer receive royalties or can’t be found.