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publishers' contracts

edited June 2014 in Writing
Do ALL publishers now demand you sign away your rights to work for the copyright term i.e. 70 years after your death. I've come across this twice recently - one with a small regional publisher, but the second with one of the major publishers?

Comments

  • No they don't.

    Normal publishing contracts you are giving the publisher the right to produce your book for x amount of time, NOT surrender your copyright.
    If it's a print book (not sure re e-books) there will also be a clause on reversion rights.

    DO NOT TOUCH THOSE WHO DEMAND YOUR COPYRIGHT IN PERPETUITY.

  • I agree with Carol - don't give up your copyright.
  • Carol's right, Don't sign a contract that says that. All of my contracts are for a set amount of years and I usually have clauses saying that if the publishers go out of business that I get my copyright returned right away.

    I also had one publisher sneakily trying to assign the copyright to himself in the book:)
  • That's outrageous, Elise - don't do it!
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