Not for Sale

There is an excellent discussion going on here over at Absolute Write's paying market forum that reads like a primer of everything a writer should check out and question about open anthology calls. I'm particularly impressed by how the writers on the site are responding to the post (and if you do go over and join in, please be as civilized about it as they are.) Protecting each other by flagging and (when possible) discussing prohibitive terms involved with any writing job is one of the most valuable aspects of being members of the online writing community.

In the past I've done flat-fee writing for hire, which in my case involved turning a concept into novels for one client. Like most writers I much prefer to do my own thing, but at the time I needed the income, and when bills pile up you often can't afford to be choosy. It turned out to be a neat challenge involving an interesting type of writing, plus I got to use some personal knowledge I don't usually have the chance to employ in my own writing. I worked with some great editors and was suitably compensated for my time and efforts. All in all it was a decent experience and I'm glad I did it; if the right project came along I'd certainly do it again.

That said, before I signed the contract for that particular WFH project I made sure I understood every aspect of what I was selling to the client: all rights, including the copyright, in exchange for a flat fee per novel plus a standard percentage of the royalties. Once the books were finished they belonged to the client, not me; from my POV they might as well have been written by someone else. Which is how I still think of them, actually -- as the client's books, not mine.

Bottom line, be sure and read all the terms involved with any offer or writing job you're considering, and be sure you're clear on what you're selling to the publisher or client. If any clause is unclear, ask for some clarification. If any of the terms leaves you feeling uncomfortable, worried or otherwise troubled, don't accept it. You can always find another job -- once you sell off your rights, they're gone forever.

Still Dealing

Nothing to report yet, although things seem to be going well. The editor's first reaction to my pitch, and I'll quote: Oh, this sounds so cool! I know, she's toying with me, trying to lull me into a false sense of security so she can talk me out of the pony, but that's how this stuff works.

And if I can't sell anything more to NY, all is not lost. I could go and write for a rag for a while. I bet Romantic Times would love to hire me to do all their article research verification for them! Okay, maybe not. But maybe I could do a column for something like True Confessions*. I've already got some title ideas: I Helped Aliens Abduct My Ex, Married in Middle School, and How Can I Keep Hiding My Prehensile Tail from My Boyfriend?. I'd still be writing fiction. Mostly. Look, the aliens were going to abduct him anyway.

Thank you all for cheering me on, and keep your fingers crossed.

*I would provide a link, but my extremely paranoid software advises me that the official magazine web site is not to be trusted.

Off to Deal

Now that you guys went and put Twlight Fall on the Times list for two weeks straight -- Valentin & co came in at #33 on the extended list -- I'm in trouble. Specifically, the folks in NY want to talk to me. Right now. They don't know exactly where I live, but they have all my phone numbers, and they're not afraid to use them.

I have to get myself mentally prepared for these deal-or-no-deal conversations, too, or I'll agree to things I don't want to do, like write a novel every ten minutes. No matter how much money they wave at me, it still takes twenty. Anyway, I'm going to bail on your guys so I can get ready and then make the calls. First I need to meditate, center myself and repeat my professional mantras:

I will be kind and sensitive, and not make those jokes about retiring. When I retire, I will send them a postcard from whatever tropical beach I'm going to sit on for the rest of my existence.

I will not use this as an opportunity to air every single grievance I have had with Publishing dating back my first mean rejection letter in 1975. No matter how much they freaking deserve to sit there and listen to it.

I will not drop hints about how much I want Robin's cover artist to do every cover I have from now until the end of time.

No matter how tempted I am, I will not ask them for a pony just to see how they'd react.

See you all later, hopefully with some good news.

The S&S Flap

You've all likely heard about Simon & Schuster's contract rewording that will allow them to retain book rights for the length of the copyright, or in writer terms, basically forever. So it seems that my definition of out of print in the Devil's Publishing Dictionary was a little more accurate than I thought.

Hey, what can I say. Maybe I am psychic.

Everyone is busy sending out alerts to their memberships and writing strongly-worded protests against the proposed change, which amuses me to no end. This practice is not anything new; it's done on the writer-for-hire side of the industry every day. Would you be shocked to know that copyrights to ten of my published novels belong to the respective publishers, not me?

It's true. They will forever be my books, but the rights don't belong to me, nor will they ever revert back to me. I have no problem with that, either, as I clearly understood that condition when I signed the contracts.

That's the key here, folks. If you don't like what a contract says, don't sign it. If enough authors refuse to sign, the publisher will have no choice but to reword their contract.

Should it become a standard industry practice for publishers to retain book rights for the length of the copyright? I think it would be foolish in the long term. Aside from becoming yet another choke-collar authors have to wear (don't we have enough strangling us already?) I think it would eventually lead to publishers exiling 99% of authors to Print-on-Demand Land, which would in turn hurt the booksellers and further sabotage the industry's future.

What's your opinion on the kerfluffle? Should authors hand it over yet again without so much as a whimper? Should we stage sit-ins and chant "Hell, no, we won't sign!" Or is there a possible compromise that could be worked out?