As a child, one of the first rules I learned was to precede a request with “please.” To my young mind, “please” had magical powers.
No writer wants to be sued. But since self-publishing has become so common, writers for hire are particularly vulnerable. And they know it.
As an aspiring author, you don’t have to quit your day-job to write the book yourself or jump-start a writing career in order to publish.
Once I’ve tucked myself into bed for the night, I often pick up a book. Recently, the one I reached for was by a friend in New York—let’s call her Lucy.
Finding an attorney when you need to prepare or review a writing or publishing contract is not always easy, especially if you live and work outside most major cities.
If you have an idea for a book, article, or blog series consider contracting with a professional writer who you pay to perform writing services.
There are few authors who wouldn’t correct as many spelling, typographical and grammatical mistakes as possible in their work before placing it in the hands of their readers.
Recently, an acquaintance of mine finished a six-book non-fiction series of interviews and published it on Amazon. It was a tremendous achievement. He had no plan for selling the books.
Even educated people in various walks of life cannot read and understand a contract without some legal background. Why?
References to electronic rights, eBooks, digital versions or digital publishing in the grant of primary rights can be minefield for even a contract-savvy author.
Whether you’re on the traditional or non-traditional path, when you’re offered a publishing contract, you should look at the term of the contract.
For more detailed information about literary contracts, some of my favorite books are –
- Kirsch’s Guide to the Book Contract by Jonathan Kirsch (Acrobat Books)
- Negotiating a Book Contract by Mark L. Levine (Asphodel Press)