Writing Blog Number 2

20240818 Reverse Rejection

Reverse Rejection

So, I received a book offer this past week.
         After going through the contract, seeking independent advice and some back and forth, I have decided to reject it.
         I know what you’re going to say: “WHAT?!?!” (Although long-time readers will note this is not the first time I have done this.)
         Let me explain.
         The contract had two clauses I was not happy with that they would not consider changing. Well, it had four clauses I was not happy with. But the other two they were willing to negotiate on. What did they negotiate? I did not want an author photograph anywhere, and I needed to be paid by a means not PayPal (PayPal are evil and nasty and not worth dealing with; they have banned me and won’t tell me why).
         The other two…
         One was that they maintain ownership of characters and story. What this means is that the rights to make a film, a graphic novel, even a sequel, is not in my hands, but theirs, and I only get 10% of subsidiary rights moneys.
         The other was that they maintain all rights in perpetuity. This means that, unless the company goes bust, I have no access to my own work without their written permission.
         I was concerned about these two, so I reached out to the (free) legal advice available to Australian authors. They told me straight away that this was not a good deal. They confirmed it was not a hybrid (vanity) publisher, and that they did have authors and books available, but that this contract was a bad one. They also cited the 15% royalties I would be getting as below industry standards.
         So, I refused it.
         For the record, I will not name the publisher; my blog is public and I dare say they would be a litigious group. I will also not tell you who they are in an email, so please do not ask.
         But the whole thing with this brief post is to say a simple: be careful.

READ YOUR CONTRACTS CAREFULLY!