Before you even begin talking to book publishers who are interested in your work, you have to understand how to protect your interest as an author. Publishing agreements can be complex and slightly tricky—especially for first-time writers. Plunging into book publishing uninitiated about international book publishers, publishing houses, and the many intricacies of the publishing process can lead to mistakes that may come back to haunt you.
So before signing on any dotted line, make sure to do your homework and get informed about the type of business you are entering with book publishers. Don’t let jargon and confusing publishing terms intimidate. The key is to arm yourself with solid knowledge before entering into any agreement.
Resist the urge to be overexcited when you are approached by international book publishers. Always proceed with caution as you finalise the terms of your agreement. Publishing contracts should never be taken lightly and there are certain things that you should examine before sealing the deal:
- Description of the work – If you are careless, it can be very easy to overlook work description, which can be a major cause for miscommunication (particularly between you and your editor). Avoid this kind of oversight by making sure that the work described in the agreement completely and accurately describes the novel or the book you have written or that you are being contracted to an author.
- Book rights – Intellectual rights can be especially tricky when working with international book publishers. While there are international standards that publishers follow, variations do exist when crossing international waters. It is important that you give book publishers only the specific rights they can and will actually use and make sure that you reserve all rights to your work that are not specifically granted. If making a compromise is inevitable, consider granting certain rights for a well-defined (and short) period of time so you can be protected.
- Royalties – It is also a good idea to have an agent look into the different terms and language that your publishing contract uses when describing royalties. This will protect you from accidentally giving away huge amounts in royalties and losing future income from your book.
- Copyright and advances – Just like royalties, tricky book publishers may also throw tricky language to describe copyright rules and agreements on advances. To avoid loopholes and traps, consider having an agent look over your publishing contract so each term in the agreement can be explained to you in detail.
