Book contract tips

Hello Reader,

Welcome to the first weekly update for 2024!

Today I'm going to share a few thoughts on book contracts, based on some of my missteps.

(PS Scroll down if you'd rather read about an upcoming webinar and exciting course!)

Book contracts

Now, last November I attended an excellent workshop on book contracts organized by Francesca T. Barbini of Luna Press Publishing. (If you read spec fic, check them out!)

Two points came up that made me wish I'd negotiated more when I signed a book contract for a cultural anthropology monograph several years ago. These were on how long I handed my publication rights over, and a clause on first refusal for future publications.

First, rather than handing over your publication rights to a publisher indefinitely, it's reasonable to hand them over for a fixed period of time.

For instance, if the publisher did a bad job of marketing and your title sat on their shelves for five years, you might want to get your rights back and self-publish, or pick a different publisher. So take careful notice of how long you're handing your rights over for, and how you can get them back.

I handed over my rights indefinitely; I could submit a request to get them back if the book was no longer being printed, but the decision was left to the publisher's discretion.

Second, watch out for a clause on "options of future work." The contract I signed had a clause about giving them first refusal on future texts. And it didn't say academic monographs – it was worded very generally.

I was worried about this, especially as Francesca had mentioned this type of clause as a possible red flag, so I rejoined the Society of Authors (a trade union for UK-based authors), and asked for contract advice on this point.

After chatting with them, I contacted my old acquiring editor and asked for this clause to be disregarded, which they accepted.

Had they said no, that could have put me in an awkward position, as I have other books coming out this year and a novel in the pipeline too!

So, in short, watch out for clause on future options when negotiating, and if in doubt, get a second opinion from the Society of Authors, or a similar organization in your jurisdiction.

When I signed that contract in 2017, I was a precarious academic with little knowledge of how publishing worked, and I was fearful to make lots of demands, as I really needed the book contract.

Taking a step back and looking at what power you think you hold (or not) in the negotiation can help get a fresh perspective on it. And there's no need for secrecy either (unless you've signed a confidentiality clause). Ask around to see what terms and conditions other authors are getting.

Have you experienced any similar worries? If so, hit reply and let me know!

Webinar: Is Your Novel Editor-Ready?

First of all, on Jan 17, 2024 (yes, writing that "4" still feels bizarre), I'm cohosting a free webinar with Claire Cronshaw of Cherry Edits.

The webinar is called Is Your Novel Editor-Ready?​

I know this is often a sticking point for authors, especially new authors.

Editing is a big investment and you want to be sure your novel is ready for editing. This webinar will offer some pointers and give you tips on what to do if your novel's not quite there yet.

Finally, we still have spaces available on the Storytelling for Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers course, which starts at the end of the month. So if you've resolved to prioritize your writing and make progress on your novel this year, this course would start the year off nicely!

If you're not sure about the course, why not give the webinar a go, to get a sense of what working with us would be like? Hope to see you there.

See y'all next week!

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Andrew Hodges from The Narrative Craft

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