Book Marketing Tips
Contract Terms to Avoid or Negotiate with Publishers
The last few sections described the various contract clauses you might encounter and what to do about them. Here is a summary of the major clauses to ask the publisher to delete or change (or ask your agent to make the request on your behalf, if your agent doesn’t already plan to suggest these changes). […Read More…]
Publicity, Book Excerpts, Co-Author & Co-Publishing Deals, & Pay-to-Play
Some additional clauses in contracts deal with publicity, book excerpts, pay to play, and co-author or co-publisher deals. Here’s what to expect and how to deal with them Publicity Often specific details about publicity aren’t included in the contract, but the general idea is that the author agrees to help support the book through […Read More…]
Future Books, Revisions & Updates, & Getting Rights Back
If the book does well, your publisher may want revisions or updates to keep the book current. Also, the publisher may hope for future books from you. On the other hand, if the work doesn’t do well or the publisher has financial difficulties and declares bankruptcy, you may get your rights back under certain circumstances. […Read More…]
Getting Paid and Author’s Copies
Other contract clauses deal with how you get paid, the number of author’s copies you will receive, and how you can purchase copies. There are a few changes you might request here in the number of copies you receive and purchase arrangements, but generally, the payment arrangements are based on the publisher’s accounting system, so […Read More…]
Dealing with Royalties and Payment Arrangements
Probably the one section of the contract that involves the most negotiation is the royalty rate, size of the advance, and payment arrangements. If there will be a hardcover version of your book, a common arrangement is 10 to 15% of the retail or the net price (which is about 50-60% of the retail […Read More…]
Dealing with Editorial and Production Arrangements
Another key contract provision deals with editorial and production arrangements. This section refers to the requirement that you will review any gallery proofs within the time limit specified (generally 5 to 10 days after you receive them), and if you make any changes other than printer’s errors or in some agreements more changes than 10%, […Read More…]
Dealing with Warranties, Indemnity, and the Grant of Rights
Other common contract clauses deal with warranties, indemnity, and the grant of rights, many of which are basic boilerplate. It is best to just leave most of them as is, rather than trying to nitpick small points, which could lead a publisher to think of you as a difficult writer, which would kill the deal. […Read More…]
What to Expect and Watch Out For in a Contract
If you have an agent, he or she will normally handle the contract arrangements in consultation with you and make recommendations on how to present your material and the best publishers to contact. Agents are typically familiar with the usual contract provisions and what they can ask for and negotiate to get you the best […Read More…]
Making Special Arrangements for Clients
While you may have certain prices and policies that are the usual way you work with clients, at times clients will ask you to make certain changes or exceptions, and it can be hard to decide whether or not to agree to these changes. Following are some common scenarios and how to deal with them. […Read More…]
Adjusting Your Fee and Payment Arrangements as a Freelancer
One of the great things about being a freelancer, is that you can freely choose what projects you work on, what clients you agree to work for, and what your terms and prices will be. You can also freely adjust your writing and payment arrangements to changes in the marketplace and your own ebbs and […Read More…]
Creating a Platform as an Author, Scriptwriter, or Speaker
Today, if you are seeking to pitch a book, script, or yourself to get published by a mainstream publisher, sell film rights for a book or a script, find an agent or manager, or get paid speaking engagements, it’s all about platform. That means you need a solid track record in your field, expert credentials […Read More…]
Do You Really Need a Copyright?
One issue that frequently comes up in workshops or online forums is whether you need a copyright for your film or book. Occasionally people ask if they can use what is sometimes called the “poor man’s copyright,” where you send yourself your material in a sealed envelope, so you can later prove that you wrote […Read More…]
What to Do About Advance Purchase Commitments & Payment from Established Companies?
A recent trend among some major publishers is creating special imprints where writers pay to get published or asking for a pre-purchase commitment of a minimum number of books. These offers are coming from established companies with a tradition of paying writers an advance as well a royalty, even if it’s a low advance, or […Read More…]
Should You Work as a Co-Writer and Take a Percentage?
Sometimes professional writers are offered the opportunity to work as a co-writer. Should you do it, and if so, what the best way to protect yourself should problems develop? Co-writing can be an ideal arrangement, when you have long been friends or business associates and you both share a passion for the project. Then, you […Read More…]
Should You Begin Writing Anything Before a Payment or Contract?
A big issue for many writers is what to do after you get a publishing or job offer. What if the publisher or employer has a tight deadline, and to make the deadline you have to start writing before you get a payment or a signed contract? Should you get started and risk not getting […Read More…]
Searching for Publishers
When you are searching for a publisher for your book, don’t only target publishers who are interested in your type of book but the editors who handle that subject. The way to do this is by using keywords, such as “historical,” “relationships,” & “self-help”. Although this is not a perfect science, since these searches will […Read More…]
Protecting Yourself from Piracy
Since the development of the e-book and its growing popularity, the problem of piracy has become pervasive. The reason is that it is easy to copy and pass on ebooks, and a growing number of piracy sites have made these available. And many other sites which sell ebooks for authors and publishers have pirated books […Read More…]
Working Out a Co-Writer or Ghostwriting Arrangement
Co-writing and ghost writing arrangements for both books and scripts can be great when you and your co-writer or lead writer have a shared vision for the project and you bring to it complementary skills. Besides writing my own books and scripts, I have worked with several dozen clients on co-written projects. A first step […Read More…]
Do You Really Need a Copyright?
One issue that frequently comes up in workshops or online forums is whether you need a copyright for your film or book. Occasionally people ask if they can use what is sometimes called the “poor man’s copyright,” where you send yourself your material in a sealed envelope, so you can later prove that you wrote […Read More…]
What to Do About Advance Purchase Commitments & Payments
A recent trend among some major publishers is to create special imprints where writers pay to get published or ask for a pre-purchase commitment of a minimum number of books. A key distinction is these offers are coming from established companies that have had a tradition of paying writers an advance as well a royalty, […Read More…]
Should You Work as a Co-Writer and Take a Percentage?
Sometimes professional writers are offered the opportunity to work as a co-writer. Should you do it, and if so, what the best way to protect yourself should problems develop. Co-writing can be an ideal arrangement, when you have long been friends or business associates and you both share a passion for the project. Then, you […Read More…]
Should You Begin Writing Anything Before a Payment or Contract?
A big issue for many writers is what to do after you get a publishing or job offer. What if the publisher or employer has a tight deadline, and to make the deadline you have to start writing before you get a payment or get a signed contract? Should you get started and risk not […Read More…]
Searching for Publishers
When you are searching for a publisher for your book, it is important to not only target publishers who are interested in your type of book but the specific editors who handle that subject. The way to do this is by using keywords, such as “historical,” “relationships,” “ self-help,” and so forth, although this is […Read More…]
The Steps to Write Your Book, Find Publishers and Agents, and Get Published
Here’s a quick overview of things to keep in mind when you write your book, look for publishers and agents, or decide to publish your book yourself. The Publishing Connection can help with any phase of this process. Writing Your Book • Collect your blogs, articles, or journal notes into a book • Use transcripts […Read More…]
How to Decide Which Publisher to Work With
How do you decide which publisher to go with if you have publisher interest? If you have already chosen an agent to work with, the answer is simple. Usually, you will turn over the contact information for each publisher and the agent will follow-up, along with contacting other publishers the agents feel is right for […Read More…]
How to Decide What Agent to work With
Say you have sent out queries to agents and now have to weigh offers from multiple agents or decide if you want one interested agent to represent you. Ultimately, your decision may come down to a matter of personal chemistry – who you would like to work with. But before you trust your intuition or […Read More…]
How To Decide What Publisher or Agent to Work With When Both are Interested
While many writers are ecstatic when they get one publisher or agent to express interest in publishing or representing their manuscript, in many cases, writers get multiple offers to publish or represent them. So what do you do then? How do you choose which publisher or agent to go with? Or even if you only […Read More…]
Editing & Polishing your Letter, Proposal or Manuscript
Whatever you send to an editor or agent, should be perfectly edited and polished – whether it’s an initial query letter, synopsis, proposal, sample chapters, or the complete manuscript, since you will be judged on how you write as well as on your content. And both editors and agents tend to be sticklers for good […Read More…]
Increasing your Creativity To Improve Your Writing
People have often asked me, how have you been able to write so much, citing the more than 50 books and over 20 feature scripts I have written? The answer lies in cultivating your creativity, so you can more quickly come up with ideas, select among them to choose the best ones, and then develop […Read More…]