I have lost count of how many times over the last two years that I have said Publishing is changing rapidly.
About the only consistent thing you can say about publishing today is that next week it will have changed.
Five years ago Print was all you had to worry about in a publishing contract... and the heady dreams of maybe a movie...(See that pie in the sky?).
Three years ago digital rights were being talked about, but nobody really knew what they were.
Last week Amazon reported they had sold more ebooks than print. Barry Eisler signed a print deal with Amazon, whereupon Amazon has now leapt into the ranks of traditional publishers. Agents are becoming publishers. Writers are earning more from selling their own back list as ebooks than they get with a current print book in the market place.
Traditional publishers are looking at the rapid changes and wondering how they are going to stay in business...(Will they go the way of the big music publishers???)
So this week it was no surprise that the latest publishing contracts have been under scrutiny and Boy Do They Make Scary Reading Now!
I flagged this on Facebook when I read it. Writers need to be very aware of how contracts are changing.
Passive Guy in his blog post Strip Mining The Author has highlighted important passages in Kristine Rusch’s warning to writers about new changes appearing in publishing contracts.
He says
While the band is playing and champagne flows, people make brave speeches about the timelessness of their trade. But, make no mistake, a battle is underway below-decks for spots on the lifeboats. If it’s necessary to toss authors over the side to make room, well, that’s just the nature of the business these days.
Check out warrenty clauses, non compete clauses and a nice little phrase called ‘Electronic Version’
Kristine Rusch described this
Think about this: movies are digitized—they are performance, and they are often distributed online. Not only does that clause allow someone to monkey with your work, abridging it, taking it out of order, adding things to it, making it into a performance piece, adding sound effects, but it also is a backwards way of granting television rights, video display rights, and any other performance right, so long as that performance can be distributed electronically.
Read both Passive Guy and Kristine Rusch and bookmark the pages...
Another writer taking a close look at contracts is Victoria Strauss on the Writer Beware site. She has a post up- Contract Red Flag: The Net Profit Royalty Clause...when this is slipped into a contract it means the royalty is paid at the very end, after every discount has been taken off, then you get your 10% of what’s left...hmmmm.
Victoria has also been looking the stoush between Publishers and Agents. As publishers attempt to go behind the agents backs to reprint authors backlists. Agents are not amused! The whole issue becomes messy when you have agents wanting to digitize their clients back list themselves...
If you are looking at alternatives in your publishing decisions...The Book Designer has listed the top ten e-publishing guides that will help you.
Bob Mayer has a very informative post on ebook pricing and perceived value...what does that 99c ebook really do for your sales...
In the craft corner,
Mary Kole has a great post on Physical Clichés...how much head tilting, eye rolling can you stand?
Kristin Lamb has a great post on what Finding Nemo Can Teach Us About Story Action (yes you read that
right...)
Over on Craicerplus, (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on
10 Questions To Ask Before Writing
What’s A Book App?
30 Ways To Know You Are A Children’s Writer (guiltyguilty)
Mal Peets Reply To Amis’ Trashing Of Kids Lit. (the man’s absolutely right!)
Why It Is Hard To Write Fantasy If You Are A Girl (who wants to be typecast as a writer because of your gender...?
To Finish,
Chuck Wendig has a post on how to tell you are a writer...This has a warning on it...Contains Language...(that always makes me roll my eyes when I see it on a review- Of course there is language..print or verbal...) However you will laugh...ROFLMAO...
enjoy,
maureen
