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: For publishing negotations I would like to know what a publishing company makes in profit? I did a little research but blogs are never enough. I would like expert advice or even sample contracts
I did a little research but blogs are never enough. I would like expert advice or even sample contracts which spell out everything if possible.
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: Advice on portraying my protagonist's anger without making her insufferable Background Info: My main character starts out the story with kind of a sad back story, it's not in a tragic way, just
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Never had a paid for publishing offer but I think the negotiation is pretty straightforward and can be done ... and is best done ... without an Agent. If you think you have a best seller on your hands then you would want part of the sales...if this is your first time start "big"(15%) and aim small (no lower than 10%.) Also take a look at the publishing house...have they ever produced a best seller? Talk to another Publisher when you're not satisfied...and you will not be...to see if you can get a better producer.
Be sure they have a good editor on the payroll.
I would not agree to any follow on material unless you've already written it.
Always take any money offered up front...even if it's 500 bucks.
Before you sign anything, read Kristine Kathryn Rusch's series on "Dealbreakers" -- clauses which, if they are in your contract, should make you walk away from the deal. For example, here's one about agents and the contracts you make with them. She doesn't seem to have a handy link where you can read the entire series, but this link comes close:
kriswrites.com/category/business-musings/
She has the term "Dealbreakers" or "Contracts" in the headline of all the relevant articles, so you can scroll down and find all the articles in her Dealbreakers series that way. (You might have to click on "Older Entries" a few times to get all the articles -- and the Older Entries link is dark-grey-on-light-grey, so it's hard to see.)
Always keep in mind, whether you're dealing with a publisher or an agent, that this is a business negotiation. Which means that even if both parties are being completely honest (which is true for some publishers, but not for all -- caveat scriptor), they will not open with the best offer they're willing to accept. Negotiate every clause in the contract, even the ones you don't think are going to be negotiable. You might be surprised.
And make sure you know ahead of time what your own dealbreakers are. You may not have ever thought about it before, so that's why Rusch's series is a good one. She quotes clauses from actual contracts, and explains in detail why they sound good in theory but are terrible in practice.
Also, since you asked about sample contracts, I'll link one more article. This is about a real contract that came up in the news recently because the publisher is suing the author for breach of contract. The article will do a better job of explaining it than I could, and will link to the actual contract itself:
kriswrites.com/2016/08/31/business-musings-a-real-book-contract-contractsdealbreakers/
Hope this helps. Good luck with your search for a publisher, and remember that one totally valid tactic in negotiation is to walk away and say, "These terms are unacceptable; I'm going to go find another publisher." Because ten years ago, if you wanted your book published, you didn't have much choice. But now, self-publishing through Amazon is always an option, which means you always have a fallback position at the negotiating table. And that gives you a lot more power, and will let you end up with a lot better contracts, than was the case ten years ago. So always keep that option in mind.
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