Want To Earn $50 Scanning Classic D&D Books?

The article title sounds like a spam email, but it's a real thing. DTRPG, which runs D&D Classics (now folded into the DM's Guild online store) is looking for help building its digital library of old D&D modules. To that end, the company is offering a $50 fee to anyone who scans a classic title they own. It needs to be high quality and meet some specifications, of course. There's a list of few hundred titles they're currently looking for.

Here's the list/spreadsheet of titles they are seeking; it will be updated with titles they've received scans for ("Pending") and those which have been accepted ("Submitted"). There are tabs for OD&D, 1E, 2E, Dragonlance Fifth Age, 3E, and 3.5. If you have one of these titles and want to send in a scan you need to fill out this form.

The $50 is added as credit to your DTRPG account, and you can cash it out via PayPal or you can spend it in store.

More info? Click here.

The main problem is that the prescribed scanning process involves you destroying your book (and that doesn't even guarantee they'll accept it). DTRPG asks you to cut off the spine and use a sheet-fed scanner. Given the classic status of older titles, the book itself may be worth more than $50 to you. That said, a lot of them can be found on eBay for reasonable prices, so it may be worth it. I, personally, am incapable of destroying, selling, or losing a book, but that's just me.

 

[Xavian Starsider]

Have they tried pirate bay? Haha

 

[tomBitonti]

Maybe a nit, and probably the intent of the program is to enable this sort of step. But, is the actual scan step allowed by copyright? The copy is *not* for personal use, is an *entire* copy, and is made for *commercial* use. Or has some additional approval been granted for this program, specifically?

 

[darjr]

Doesn't WotC have the copy right on these? If so I imagine they could give special permission to an agent or third party to do this.

 

[Dire Bare]

Maybe a nit, and probably the intent of the program is to enable this sort of step. But, is the actual scan step allowed by copyright? The copy is *not* for personal use, is an *entire* copy, and is made for *commercial* use. Or has some additional approval been granted for this program, specifically?

Copyright is not a problem, because you are scanning a D&D product for One Bookshelf, which has the license for this exact sort of thing from WotC.

If you scanned your book, and then threw it up on the interwebs for all to share, now THAT would be a copyright issue.

 

[tomBitonti]

But, I didn't see One Bookshelf grant any authorization to make the copies on their behalf. Does the request itself count? I took a quick look at the forms and don't see any mention of copyrights. Does the *program itself* authorize this sort of copying? Or, I suppose, because you are being hired by an agent which has the authorization, you are granted authority under the same grant that One Bookshelf has? But, to be safe, one would want to see the actual document which enables One Bookshelf, as a necessary diligence.

There are other issues: What is to be done with the scan copies after they are transmitted to One Bookshelf or their agents? Can the copies be retained forever? Must they be immediately destroyed after the business relationship concludes?

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Got a chuckle out of that as well. I understand what they want, but I’m picturing someone sending in a scan of the physical disc.

I'm slightly bemused that they're looking for scans of the 2nd Edition "Core Rules" CD-ROMs.

And I'm also slightly shocked that WotC don't have digital files for most of the 3e/3.5e stuff from which they could generate PDF versions.

 

[Dire Bare]

But, I didn't see One Bookshelf grant any authorization to make the copies on their behalf. Does the request itself count? I took a quick look at the forms and don't see any mention of copyrights. Does the *program itself* authorize this sort of copying? Or, I suppose, because you are being hired by an agent which has the authorization, you are granted authority under the same grant that One Bookshelf has? But, to be safe, one would want to see the actual document which enables One Bookshelf, as a necessary diligence.

There are other issues: What is to be done with the scan copies after they are transmitted to One Bookshelf or their agents? Can the copies be retained forever? Must they be immediately destroyed after the business relationship concludes?

I think you are overthinking things. One Bookshelf has the license to produce and sell digital books of past D&D titles (and other past TSR/WotC titles), and they are certainly allowed to pay you to do some of the work for them. No special legalese "grant" is necessary.

If you choose to participate in the program and One Bookshelf "buys" your scan, you could certainly keep a copy of your scan, as that would be for personal use. You could not distribute on your own, other than passing it on to One Bookshelf.

 

[tomBitonti]

Like I said, maybe a nit. I'm trying to work through some of the legal details, which may seem like non-issues, but may not be as simple as they seem, because, ..., legal stuff.

It does seem strange that WotC would not provide digital copies. Certainly, as a brand quality person, I'd want good quality scans, and this sort of process doesn't seem to guarantee quality. Having several folks destroy their stuff just so at least one provides a good scan doesn't seem to be a good plan.

 

[Dire Bare]

It does seem strange that WotC would not provide digital copies. Certainly, as a brand quality person, I'd want good quality scans, and this sort of process doesn't seem to guarantee quality. Having several folks destroy their stuff just so at least one provides a good scan doesn't seem to be a good plan.

Older stuff it makes sense, as digital pre-production copies never existed. But the later stuff, 3E and beyond for sure, yeah, that's weird. I'm sure WotC has provided all that they can and haven't held anything back, but you'd think some of those titles would be easily available from the original pre-production digital files.

 

[tomBitonti]

I would expect WotC to make good quality digital copies of their earlier works: As an archive, to put in a repository of assets; to set a uniform and high quality; to establish definitive versions for digital release. To do this in an ad-hoc fashion seems odd.

One possible problem with making digital copies of *everything* would be securing digital reproduction rights to all of the content. Someone at WotC has to (or will have to) go through *all* of the items and ensure that the full necessary rights are held for digital reproduction. (For example, this is a problem with reprinting magazines digitally, as some initial agreements didn't include digital rights.) As an example for the listed works, I'd be concerned about back page advertisements.