tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post4092324272713418577..comments2024-03-26T15:49:05.333-07:00Comments on Criminal Minds: I’ll Show You Mine If You Show Me YoursJosh Stallingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09913654176433125233noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-31003532371511832072020-07-17T17:36:27.303-07:002020-07-17T17:36:27.303-07:00Thank you for your comment, Allison. I agree with ...Thank you for your comment, Allison. I agree with everything you say. And the vineyard example is a good one. As you say, the most important thing is to be happy with the contract/terms that you make. I think comparing ourselves to others generally doesn’t lead to anything good. And I think everything your next to last paragraph is worth talking about in ways not related to anyone’s specific contract. People need to do their homework.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-45888992947010511122020-07-17T09:01:06.055-07:002020-07-17T09:01:06.055-07:00My two cents: there are really two different quest...My two cents: there are really two different questions about sharing contract information. The first is money, the second is terms. I have generally been opposed to sharing $$ amount, other than the ranges in PM, because the $$ amount is completely tied to the author's individual career and the other terms in the contract. Someone might get $100K for a book and if they told people, everyone would scream it wasn't fair or this or that ... but maybe the OTHER terms that the author gave up to get the cash are terms another author WOULDN'T give up. For example, foreign rights -- they can be very lucrative, but what if the author gave the rights to their publisher in order to get a larger advance? You wouldn't know that based on the advance. What if there's joint accounting? Generally an unfavorable practice ... but some authors might say, "You know, I have two kids about to go to college, I want the money now and if it takes me longer to earn out, that's fine." Also as you said in your article, money can make people envious ... and that is an increasing problem in our society where people think "That's not fair!" <br /><br />I go back to the parable of the vineyard -- the owner hires people to work a day and they agree to wages. They are happy with the arrangement. The owner realizes at lunch that he needs more workers and hires them for the same wages, even though they only are working half the time. Those who have been there longer resent the new workers, but truly, they were happy with the arrangement UNTIL someone else came in and they perceived that they were now treated unfairly. I take this to heart -- if I'm happy with my arrangement, whether someone gets better or worse is irrelevant. <br /><br />In publishing, the most important thing is to be satisfied with the deal you have based on your knowledge of the market for your book. If you are happy when you sign the contract with the terms of the contract, then why would you care what someone else makes other than 1) to make yourself feel superior ("I got paid more than Author B!") or make yourself feel angry/jealous ("Wow, why did he get paid more than me?") I've found with the deadly sin of "envy" (great analogy) that people tend to think that others shouldn't have something, that by someone else "getting" something they perceive is better than what they got, it's "unfair" -- and they generally think THAT PERSON SHOULDN'T HAVE IT. I don't raise my kids that way and I don't live that way.<br /><br />Finally, I think what authors CAN do to help other authors is to fully understand the terms of their contracts and share that understanding. Put the money aside -- how is the money divided over time? What rights does the author retain? What is the option or non-compete clause and how does that practically work? What redress does the author have if the editor is a jerk? Foreign, audio, serialization, graphic novels, ebooks -- what are these terms and how do the terms affect the contract now and in the future? What is the out-of-print option and how do ebooks affect that? These are things that benefit ALL authors and I know some agents fight for certain terms because they've seen how they have been used against authors in the past. <br /><br />Anyway, it's a great topic and should be discussed, but talking about money will always lead to major problems.Allison Brennanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05598446973999304028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-38414779583214084722020-07-17T07:41:52.360-07:002020-07-17T07:41:52.360-07:00Thanks, Dietrich.Thanks, Dietrich.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-36106179227066872032020-07-17T07:41:38.459-07:002020-07-17T07:41:38.459-07:00Thanks for your comment, Jacqueline. I agree, it i...Thanks for your comment, Jacqueline. I agree, it is a difficult question and can be a little touchy. Sounds like you're handling it well.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-64133617756091152752020-07-17T06:51:06.756-07:002020-07-17T06:51:06.756-07:00Well said, Paul.Well said, Paul.Dietrich Kalteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-25603536187056070092020-07-17T05:35:53.246-07:002020-07-17T05:35:53.246-07:00Hi Paul,
This is a difficult question. When asked...Hi Paul,<br /><br />This is a difficult question. When asked privately and directly by other writers who share a certain publisher with me, I am frank. Otherwise, I tend not to give a lot of details about the contracts I enter into. Some have been good, others not so. A lot depends on the integrity of the publisher.Jacqueline Seewaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com