17th Century book writing

[IJDisney]

I'm not sure if this is the right area to post - book writing wasn't really my ancestor's occupation, but more of a hobby. But one of my ancestors, Marius D'Assigny, wrote a number of books from 1670 and dedicated some of them to high status people. Would he have needed permission to do so, or could he dedicate a book to whomever he fancied, or hoped to gain notice from?

Also, what sort of income could he expect from his books? Would he sell the book in one go to the printer/seller, or did he get a percentage of the sales? Some of his books were republished during his lifetime, so would he have had some control over this? He lived in Somerset, so would he have needed constant trips to London (where his books were printed and sold)?

Any comments, or sources for research, would be appreciated. Thank you.

[jbml]

I should have thought the St Bride Printing Library may be able to help you with some of this.

[IJDisney]

I should have thought the St Bride Printing Library may be able to help you with some of this.

Thanks