Frequently
Asked Questions
Can you help me?
Hopefully, but there are no guarantees. Prevention is always better
than cure and, regrettably, writers are all too often authors of their
own misfortune.
They
didn't pay me an advance.
So why did you offer them your book?
They
asked me to contribute to the costs of publication.
Get real. If your book is worth publishing, or if the publisher is one
with which you should place your book, they will bear the full costs
of production.
Can you get a cheque out of them?
Possibly. The likelihood of this being achieved will depend of the contract
signed. But it will also depend on how professional the writer has been
in keeping records of every contact, oral and written, with the publishing
house.
They're not answering my phone calls or
letters.
Surprise surprise. It happens a lot; often when cheques are due. Sadly
contracts are often written to the disadvantage - even detriment of
the author.
However, if the writer has a file of all dealings with the publisher
and if the publisher has clearly erred, the Union will contact the publisher
on the author's behalf.
More often than not, we get a result.
They didn't consult me about the cover.
Back to the contract. It all depends on what was said about the author's
right to be consulted in the contract. Clearly, it is the writer's duty
to insert a clause to the author's advantage, if it is not there already.
They destroyed unsold copies without telling
me.
It happens a lot. Forgetful chappies, publishers would often appear
to be. An oversight, they'll claim. What the Union can do often depends
on a well negotiated contract - in which case publishers are a lot less
likely to bin remaindered copies because they'll take you a lot more
seriously.
Their publicity is dreadful.
It often is. But what did the author insist on at the time of negotiating
the contract?
I was invited to give a talk and my books were not available in local
bookshops.
Presume nothing. Be professional. Get everything down in writing, from
the earliest possible time so these 'misunderstandings' and 'administrative
blunders' are a lot less likely to happen in the first place.
They told me the IWU approves their contract
The IWU does not and never has approved the contracts of any publisher.
This has been publicly stated and it is wholly wrong for any publisher
to convey the impression, directly or indirectly, that the Union approves,
endorses, or is even well disposed towards any publisher's contract.
They told me it was a standard contract
There is no standard contract and you should never ever sign the first
contract you are offered.
A contract is a negotiating process. Never ever sign one unless you
understand every single clause and until you have significantly improved
it.
Never ever sign an option clause.
They said we didn't need a contract.
Not worth the paper it's written on.
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