[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Advice needed - book publication



Having recently had the experience of writing a book for a publisher, I suggest that you get a lawyer who has experience with book contracts to work with you on the contract. If the publisher really wants to publish the book, they will be open to negotiation. Explain to the lawyer all your concerns, and show him/her the replies you've gotten in response to the list. A lawyer experienced in publishing contracts will quite possibly raise other concerns that did not occur to you or people on the list. I had to pay the lawyer a few hundred dollars to go over the contract for my book, but I will easily recoup that with a few clauses that were added to or deleted from my contract. The lawyer may also negotiate you a better deal than the publisher is originally offering.





Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer
Special Collections Librarian/Archivist

Culinary Institute of America
1946 Campus Drive
Hyde Park, NY  12538
(845) 451-1757
c_crawfo@culinary.edu

>>> Thomas Berry <tberry@WCNET.ORG> 02/13/01 02:43PM >>>
Greetings!

We've been asked by a book publisher to prepare a book based on one of our
better collections. It would be primarily photographs from the collection.
The publisher sent us a contract for the book, and it contains several very
questionable clauses. For instance:

We are forbidden from publishing any document that is based on material in
the book without the publisher's written permission. I'm sure that this
publisher has never dealt with an archives before and has never heard of a
finding aid.

The publisher will return all original photographs used in the book within
30 days of publication and assumes liability for any loss or damage to the
photographs, but there is no commitment to a publication date. Also, all of
the photographs to be used are irreplaceable.

Has anyone else had experience with a situation like this?


Best wishes,

Thomas Berry, Archivist
Historical Construction Equipment Association
16623 Liberty Hi Road
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402
Phone 419-352-5616
Fax 419-352-6086
tberry@wcnet.org 
http://www.hcea.net 

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu 
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu 

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html 

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>