Barbara Brabec's Author-Publisher Book  Contract Consulting Service Let Barbara critique your trade book publishing contract and point out its  financial pitfalls and specific clauses you should try to negotiate.   This service is for authors who do not have a literary agent or an affordable attorney that specializes in book contracts. Note that I can work by phone only with authors in geographical areas where I have unlimited long-distance service. (See NOTE below.) Read high praise from satisfied authors Barbara has helped! There is NO CHARGE for an introductory ten-minute phone chat to discuss your particular publishing situation and the publisher you're dealing with. <<< Call 630-717-0488 >>> NOTE: The following information is applicable to contracts from traditional trade and academic book publishers in the U.S. or other countries—but not from one of the many Web-based book publishing companies or those offering a package of services to self-publishers. This is a different kind of contract altogether, but one I can certainly help you understand. If this is the kind of contract you have, read this article for perspective and then click back to this page. My unlimited long-distance service covers the following areas, so if you live in one of these areas, you won't have to stand the expense of the follow-up phone call that is part of this consultation service: Continental U.S., Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Financial Pitfalls in Book Publishing Contracts

If you don't have a literary agent or an affordable attorney who understands the inner workings of the publishing industry (a regular attorney is not recommended for this job), first  read my article, Author-Publisher Contract Tips. It won't address all the tricky clauses in today's book publishing contracts, but it will help you understand some of the "legalese" in the contract you have received.

If you are a first-time author, you can be sure that any contract you are offered by a trade book publisher will be a "boilerplate special," which basically means that you will be offered as little as possible in hopes that you don't understand how the book industry works—and that you will be so grateful to be published that you will sign the book contract as offered.

But you don't have to do that because publishers WILL negotiate terms, even with a first-time author. You just have to know what to ask for and HOW to ask for it. And that's what I can help you with, as these authors have confirmed. "I followed [Barbara's] advice about how to negotiate without being aggressive or alienating the publisher . . . To my delight, and largely because of my approach and tone, the publisher was very willing to make changes that I would not have even thought to ask for had it not been for [her]." - Sherrie Vavrichek (New Harbinger contract) "She gave me great advice on the contract Wiley offered me and helped me talk with them from a position of strength and knowledge." - John Davis (John Wiley contract) "Thanks to Barbara, we felt completely confident during the renegotiation process and actually got the publisher to agree to all the changes she suggested!" - Roxana Soto and Ana Flores (contract from Bilingual Readers, Spain) "Barbara's fee was just as advertised, with no hidden costs. It was the best money spent. She had no agenda, other than to be helpful." - Suzette Hodnett (contract from Findhorn Press, Scotland) As a first-time author unfamiliar with customary terms, conditions, and practices in the publishing industry, I benefitted greatly from her experience and wise counsel." -  Roger Dooley (John Wiley contract) CLICK HERE . . . To read the full comments of each author and learn about specific contract concessions they were able to get after consulting with Barbara.

Note that I do not offer legal advice.

From my viewpoint as an author of several trade books, I will simply study the publishing contract you have been offered, discuss it with you, and write a summary of all its "problem clauses." I'll cite each clause that concerns me (particularly those that are going to diminish your royalties or control over your intellectual property), and offer suggested wording that your publisher might consider adding to your contract if you ask in just the right way.

My Qualifications for this Work. I didn't set out to become an expert on this topic, but I have had more than thirty years' experience with several trade book publishers, and I've also learned a great deal from observing how my very smart literary agent modified most of the clauses in my own book publishing contracts. In recent years I've also read many other contracts sent to me by author friends and clients. I know better than most how book publishing contracts are always weighted in the favor of the publisher—particularly now that publishers are scrambling to get on the "eBook Wagon"—and how certain clauses may be negotiated to help balance the scales.

Ready to use my book contract consulting service?

The fee is just $195, payable in advance through PayPal.

REMEMBER . . . today's traditional trade book publishers are seeking more control over an author's work now than ever before, particularly in the area of electronic rights.  Contract clauses have always been obscured by legalese, but some publishers today are compounding the problem by using new phraseology never before seen in the book contracts.

For much less than what you'd pay for an hour's worth of advice from a literary attorney, you'll get information from me that will enable you to successfully negotiate changes to your publishing contract that will give you more control over your book and possibly result in thousands of additional dollars in royalties over the lifetime of your book.

Depending on what you tell me at the onset, I may work with you in one of two ways. After studying the contract and considering your particular publishing quandary, I'll either want to first discuss the contract with you by phone and follow-up with a detailed written critique and suggestions for changes to certain clauses; or (2) I'll send the written critique first, and follow-up with a phone call to discuss each troublesome clause. Either way, you will get a considerable amount of my time and be able to get answers to all your questions before we're done.

Specifically, the phone consultation and critique will focus on clauses that:

will dramatically cut royalties and subsidiary rights income;
limit eBook royalties and income from other electronic uses of content;
make it impossible to create spin-off products and services;
limit the author's control during the publishing process;
make it difficult to sell copies of one's book;
curtail the author's use of content for promotional purposes . . . and more.

I cannot write legal contract clauses for you, but where necessary, I may suggest specific wording that would be desirable in certain clauses, plus give you other tips on how to tactfully get what you want from the publisher. I will also link you to some helpful articles on the Web that will give you additional negotiating power.

Transmitting the Contract. I need the contract either as a Word or Adobe PDF document. If sending a PDF, please give me the ability to cut-and-paste content from it into my critique. Depending on the contract, in some cases I may wish to highlight clauses in a Word document, and add comment notes about it.

Note that contracts may be scanned as editable Word documents. If the contract is on legal-size paper, fold pages in half and scan as two pages and then bring all the pages together in one master document.

AGAIN . . . There is NO CHARGE for an introductory ten-minute phone chat to get acquainted and discuss your particular publishing situation and the publisher you're dealing with. I won't ask for payment until I'm sure I can be helpful to you.

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