Writing Blog

20220822 Contract Woes

August 22, 2022, 8:00am

So...

Another short story acceptance. This is for a magazine. I spent the weekend going over the contract.

I feel I am probably going to reject it.

Here's what I get: $US25 up-front, a share of 33 1/3% of the profits with the other contributors to the magazine (once it reaches a point where expenses are covered), and they have the story exclusively for 18 months. That is all standard.

Here's what I don't like - during the 18 months they can on-sell the story to another publication at their discretion, at no recompense to me. They can use the story in more than one edition (this means, usually, a "best of" the year or a themed later edition) without further recompense to me and without my permission; each further publication shifts the 18 months to their exclusivity, from the date of the new publication's release. Once accepted, they can do edits without my approval. The places the story is on-sold to can do further edits, again without my approval.

So this morning (my time), bright and early on this Monday, I sent them an email explaining my issues with the contract in much more professional language than this blog post.

Look, this is not my first go-round. Counting stories waiting for the publications to be released, I have (and/or will have) 98 short stories in various magazines, online sites and anthologies, all of them traditionally published. I think by now I have learnt what works and what doesn't, and have the experience to be a little fussy when it comes to contracts.

I have not rejected the contract yet; that will depend on their response. But I am not holding my breath.

But I put this here to let those who might be starting their publishing journey that there are some contract clauses to be wary of.

(As an aside, the magazine is published by a company based out of Singapore. It is my first submission to an Asian publication in 10 years, and so it is not one I have ever submitted to before. They reached out to me after the publication of Under Ground by Black Hare Press last year.)