Publishing a book takes a lot of hard work and research. After working for months to complete a book, it is extremely important to ensure that you find the right publisher. There are lots of book publishers for new authors, who will be ready to publish your work, however, an important point that you need to consider is the contract. As the number of publishers is less, many authors make the mistake of accepting an offer from the publisher without reading the contract. So, in this blog we discuss some important points to confirm before signing a publishing contract.
The most important part of a contract that you need to read carefully is the payment clause. The most argued point in a contract is the advance payment mentioned in the contract. In addition to having a clear idea about the percentage of advance payment, you also need to know when the payment will be cleared. The reason is publishers try to hold the payment as long as it is possible. Read the payment clause carefully as it will be hard to change the clause later.
Another important point that you need to consider is whether you plan to give the publisher subsidiary or exclusive rights to the book. A publisher may request for exclusive film, TV, eBook, digital rights and paperback rights. This implies that even if the author will own the content of the book, it is only the publisher who will be allowed to sell it to other publishers. Before deciding the type of rights you prefer, do a thorough research to avoid any problems in future.
An author needs to be prepared for both worst and best case scenario. An average book publisher may sell approximately 3000 copies in the lifetime. This implies, there may be circumstances when a book a sell less copies than the expected average. A store may also return the books to the publisher after accepting the offer. This is the reason the contract needs to mention some factors such as how will the sales be reported, the frequency of reporting the sales and how much collaboration will you have to provide ideas and resources.
Finding a publisher is not enough. You also need to consider the points mentioned in the contract between the publisher and the author. Reading and understanding the contract will ensure that you avoid any discrepancy in the future.