Publishing contracts 101 protect your work writers digest. Association of american publishers professional and scholarly publishing. D rafting and negotiating contracts is viewed by some publishers as wasteful and time consuming. In the case of scholarly books, the publishing agreement transfer or license will. Nearly all of these standard contracts have language that favors the publisher, so its up to you to haggle out a better deal. Steve gillens guide to textbook publishing contracts is not just reading material, it is an indispensable reference, whether you are a firsttime or experienced author.
The asa recommends this path be available to the author via a specific contract clause see australian book contracts, 4th edition, 2009, p. A beginners guide to negotiating publishing contracts. Essay on how academics should negotiate with publishers. In this post, i outline the differences between advance academic book contractstypically offered based on a proposal and sample chapters aloneand regular academic. This is an incredibly unfortunate but common position to be intaking steps to break a publishing contract with a traditional book publisher because, among other reasons, your hard work and dreams of book publishing arent going as expected. Oh what i would have given back then to have something like steve gillens guide to textbook. When presented with a publishing contract, remember that you are a professional writer and. Home how to negotiate a publishing contract ulibraries.
How a successful book contract led to an academic careers. How is the process different from getting a contract for a collegelevel or k12 textbook. How to read a publishing contract 1 stroppy author. A book contract is a legally binding agreement between an author and their book publisher that dictates assignment of rights, obligations, and money earned. In addition to the specific terms the author and publisher have agreed upon for such items as the type of book, the advance against royalty amount, and the delivery date, the standard book. As both an agent and an attorney, i can tell you that most publishing contracts youll be offered will contain language that can come back to haunt you. When i got my first book contract in 1967, i didnt ask many questions. The contract terms this guide covers are relevant to authors of both fiction and nonfiction and are appli cable to agreements with academic. This book publishing contract represents the entire agreement between the author and publisher. It will usually also dictate terms such as authors deadlines and word count. Securing a book contract for promotion and tenure is a goal in itself for academic authors. You arent signing up for a lifetime contract just because a good press is publishing your first book. Under the supervision of editorial assistants and assistant editors, the acquisitions. Posted in book proposals and contracts, landing your tenure track job, promote yourself.
For a detailed guide to negotiating book contracts, see the authors alliances guide to understanding and negotiating book publication contracts, available for free on the authors alliance website. Should either party cancel this book publishing contract, all rights granted to the publisher shall revert to the author. Percentages also differ depending on which genre the book is in. When presented with a publishing contract, remember that you are a. If there are certain areas that are nonnegotiable, the publisher will tell the author that. At some schools, publishing a book with any legitimate academic. How to publish an academic book why choosing a publisher. Once you agree the royalty figures, the publisher will issue a draft contract. If you are new to academic publishing, simply gaining good.
Landing an academic book contract laura portwoodstacer. Why and how to negotiate with academic book publishers. It is evident that academic publishing is very, very profitable for these companies, and their shareholders. Tales of my book contract with bloomsbury academic press. Study aids subscription, from west academic publishing, is an online subscription based service that provides access to hundreds of study aids. As a rights holder and professional author, you have significant bargaining power. For example a hardback academic textbook will often earn a larger royalty percentage for the author perhaps 15%. Its helpful for others who are trying to work through the harrowing process of publishing a book in an academic series. Author initials publisher initials maven house press book publishing agreement 060112 page 3 of 11 6. The rights provisions of a book publishing contract. Bear in mind that a successful first book with a good university press generates a lot of. Most companies have a standard contract, or boilerplate that they use. A closer look at university press contracts helen stephenson apr 1, 1991 in 1869, a press was founded at cornell university for the sole purpose of publishing scholarly works.
Subscribers can favorite, read, and mark up their study aids. Book club rights be sure royalties are fair dont become a free or lowcost giveaway rights not exploited by publisher within reasonable period e. Publishing continues to be a major industry worldwide, and this book is designed to assist the thousands of entities that regularly contract into a variety of agreements and need advice in drafting or. Guide to textbook publishing contracts text and academic. Book contracts author royalties, advances and rights in. Why and how to negotiate with academic book publishers helen. This contract may not be altered, amended, or otherwise modified except through written form requiring signature by both parties. Its easy to be intimidated into thinking that you just have to sign on the dotted line and go. It is a really good idea to get independent professional advice on the. Can you get an advance contract for your first academic book. In addition to the specific terms the author and publisher have agreed upon for such items as the type of book, the advance against royalty amount, and the delivery date, the standard book contract encompasses a lengthy number of clauses covering important points in a books life cycle and an authors compensation.
Additionally, make sure if the publishing company is sold, disbands, or goes bankrupt that you recover the rights to your book immediately. How to break a publishing contract with a traditional book. Scholarly book contracts tend to favor the publisher, however, and the terms often work against the. Unlike contracts from trade publishers, ive never heard of a subsidy publisher willing to negotiate their contracts. By all accounts, the arrival of the book contract in the spring of 20 from a major academic publishing house should have been a moment of celebration, with my wifeco. How to publish an academic book why choosing a publisher is important and how to choose one like many aspects of academic publishing, where you publish is often as important as. This section of the template includes general terms common to. As a scholar in a book field, inking your signature on your first book contract will. Academic publishers, devoted to advice on publishing an academic monograph solicited. This deal point is the nucleus of the publishing contract because it outlines what rights the publisher has to reprint your book.
As bad as the economics looked, other elements of the contract were worse. Id realised just how little id actually known about academic publishing, while other people in everincreasing numbers were reporting. But a paperback romance might only earn the author as little as 5%. Publishing contract negotiating book contracts, legal. What to look for in a book contract with an academic. When a publisher wants your book, shell make an offer.
How to read a publishing contract 1 publishing contracts can be long and scary documents. Contracts in a nutshell nutshells rohwer, claude, skrocki, anthony, malloy, michael on. In addition, there are lawyers who specialise in publishing contracts and for those who prefer to go it alone, there are some useful books on the subject listed at the end of this article. Understanding and negotiating book publication contracts. Yet authors, who may work for years on a single book, are to be content with royalties of a few hundred. The author initially owns the to their book, which is the right to reproduce the work themselves or sell it to publishers, studios, theaters or anyone else. Second, how you should think about contracts should probably depend on your careeraspirations, job, andor trajectory. This is an incredibly unfortunate but common position to be intaking steps to break a publishing contract with a traditional book publisher because, among other reasons, your hard work. Publishing is probably a means to an end tenure for most. How do you go about getting a contract to publish an academic book. Its a volume business, if they dont get your book theyll get somebody elses. Book cover for understanding and negotiating book publication contracts.
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