First off, he had to pay Martin Harris back the $3000 he put up for the printing. So the copyright would have had to sell for two or three times that to make it worth his while. If it had sold, Smith might have taken the money, moved elsewhere, and started a whole new con.
But the BOM was so poorly received that nobody would have given much, or any, money for its copyright. In case you didn't know, the earliest missionaries were instructed to sell copies of it for (IIRC) $1.75. They got so few takers that they began leaving the books in peoples' homes for them to check out, and when the missionaries came back through, they'd retrieve them if the people didn't want to but them.
We still kinda did that on my mission in the mid-'70s. We asked 50 cents for the paperback copies, which was our cost. Most people just gave us the 50 cents to get us off their doorsteps, I'm sure. If we left a book without getting paid for it, we'd come back later and retrieve it if the people had no interest in it.
I don't think 1830 was the pivotal year. I think 1845-47.
Mormonism should have died (or splintered into oblivion) along with its founder, but BY was too strong of a leader. The trek west saved the church, and the isolation made it increasingly weirder.
Brings back memories, randyj. I served in the 70's as well. We had to BUY the BoM's by the case, 20/case, from the mission home for $20 (korean currency). Then we had to sell them for $1 each. Our mission goal was to place (sell) 5 books/week. Ours were hardback with some pretty nice pictures.