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An Inside Look at a Book Contract

As most of you know, I recently signed a three-book deal with Bethany House Publishers. I wanted to take the opportunity to thank ALL of you for celebrating with me! Your encouragement and excitement made the moment all the sweeter!

After the initial verbal contract over the phone, BPH sent my agent five pages of legal terminology called the "Publishing Agreement." After Rachelle scrutinized it, she sent it back to them. Then finally, BPH sent me two official copies. I read through the contract, initialed each page, added my signature, and sent everything back.

The entire contract process took about 3 weeks. During that time, I wasn't allowed to say anything about the book deal. I could hint (and I certainly did!) but I couldn't share the details. Only after my publisher had received my signed agreement, could I finally shout my news through all of cyberland!

For the average writer, I think a book contract contains a mixture of both the easy to understand and impossibly complicated. I was just glad to have an agent who could help me make sense of everything. Here are just a few areas that my contract contained:

Grant of Rights: In this section I granted my publisher exclusive rights to print, publish, and sell in all book forms, including data base, electronic and computer publishing throughout the world during the full term of the copyright of three unpublished books.

Manuscript: This was the area in which all of the deadlines were spelled out for each of my books. I agreed to deliver Book One by November 15, 2009; since this book was already complete, I merely made a few name changes and emailed it to my publisher. Book Two is due by November of 2010 and Book Three by November of 2011. (I'll discuss the pro's and con's of writing one book a year versus writing two or more in a later post.)

Royalities: This section took at least half a page. My initial royalty rate is 17% of the publisher's net receipts. After 15,000 copies of my book sell, my percentage jumps up to 18%. It will continue to rise as high as 21% as more copies are sold. There are a lot of other details in this section regarding large-print editions, discount books, audio editions, etc. The general idea is that if I can sell more books, then I'll increase the percentage of my earnings.

Web Site Usage: I agreed to the stipulation that I have the right to publish excerpts of my books on my web sites or the web sites of others for promotional purposes, but that I couldn't exceed 1,00o words total.

Author's Copies: My publisher agreed to furnish 50 copies of my book to me and a certain amount to my agent. And then if I want additional copies I can purchase them at a discount of the retail price.

Agent: In this section I irrevocably appointed WordServe as my literary agent for this book contract. It spelled out that my agent is due to receive 15% of all the money I make as a result of the contract.

Advance: The final section contained my complicated advance schedule. After my publisher receives my signed contract, they'll pay me my first advance. Then I'll be paid another amount after my publisher accepts the complete manuscript for Book One. I'll get a check after they accept and approve each synopsis for Books Two and Three. And then finally I'll get paid again after the acceptance and approval of the complete manuscripts for Books Two and Three.

There you have it! Of course this is a VERY abbreviated version of my contract and I left out sections that are much more complicated. But I think this gives an overview of some of the more important areas of a book contract.

What areas of a contract are confusing to you? And what part would be most important to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts and questions!

49 comments:

  1. Wow, with the way you wrote it it's not confusing at all. How interesting! For some reason I didn't realize you had a three book contract. A book a year sounds SO doable. Do you think you'll be itching to write more? Or is that about how long it takes you anyways?
    This is all really fascinating. I hope you're going to do a blog tour with your free books. I've won a few books that I liked so much I had to go buy the other's other books. But since this is your first there wouldn't be anything else to buy, right? LOL

    I'm SOOOOO excited for you! Thanks for sharing the details. :-)

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  2. *deep breath* Wow, it seems pretty clear, but overwhelming . . .

    Again, my congratulations. The sky is the limit for you. :-)

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  3. The only thing confusing me is why I don't have one. LOL.
    When I read all that, I thought, thank goodness I have an agent. I tend to freeze up when it comes to legal and monetary matters. The only thing I know about money is how to spend it. I hope I don't grow to become one of those old ladies that get taken in by scammers all the time.
    Congrats again on the whole deal!

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  4. I don't mind the legal stuff but yes, having an agent to explain everything and "be in the know" sounds like the way to go.

    Curious though if they "define" net receipts in the contract. Do the spell out what expenses come out until you get to the net?

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  5. Thanks for sharing Jody. I sounds exciting, but also a lot of work. i am so pleased for you though. I'll be buying the books for sure:)

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  6. It's fascinating! And overwhelming, too, like Becca said.

    Congrats yet again!!

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  7. AH! This makes me super excited for you all over again. You are a real-live author. I mean, you can't get much more real than that! How exciting!

    I'm really looking forward to reading about the benefits/drawbacks of writing one book a year vs. two or three. I've always been curious about this.

    So excited about this!

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  8. Wow. You made it very clear, Jody. I'm not to the contract stage yet, but I'm glad someone is out there to interpret these things for us.

    I think the main issue is: make sure you have a printed contract and that you understand it. Even in Christian publishing.

    Congratulations again!

    If the people you have to say "no" to don't get it now that you are in contract, just pray for grace. When your books come out, they may understand. Or they may never get it! But God does.

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  9. You've done a great job breaking this down here. Very fun and interesting to learn about. Thanks for sharing so much of your journey with us :)

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  10. So do you get to keep your advance if not many books sell?

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  11. I'm interested too in the one book a year details, rather than two or three. It seems to me one book a year is sufficient, given the work consecutively going on with the others. You won't always be focused solely on the one you're writing, no? (And congrats again!)

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  12. Oh my, I'd love to sit and have coffee (or Pumpkin Spice Latte)with you to discuss all of the above. I was surprised to see just a book a year expectation. Looking forward to reading more on that. Takes a little pressure off? Fascinating about being able to post up to 1,000 words. Are you going to fill a bookshelf with all 50 books? Kidding. Family and friends are probably already begging.

    Jody, you make me smile.
    ~ Wendy

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  13. Okay, first of all, didn't you just love writing the first sentence of this post?
    Secondly, thanks for giving us such a clear view inside what we're hoping to one day experience. Your blog is a real help and encouragement for the rest of us that are "on the path".

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  14. Jody,
    I'm so excited for you. I confess I didn't realize it was a THREE book deal you signed to!! How wonderful! Your hard work has truely paid off. Thank you for being so giving of your time and talents to let us in on the wonderful world of publishing. Legal documents of any kind cause me to break out in hives! When the time comes for my own dealings with such dread documents, I'll look back on this post :)

    A book a year sounds like a leisurely way to do it. I can see where it would be tempting to write more, but knowing that someone had already commited to buying it would help me relax and enjoy the process of spending an entire year working on one story. Enjoy the journey!

    Happy Monday!
    Jen

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  15. Jody I can't wait to buy and read your books! What a privilege to do what you love and have the whole world be able to be affected by it.

    I love that your contract included a three book deal! I am speaking "Best- Sellers!"

    Blessings to you...

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  16. Congrats again on the book deal! And thanks for breaking down the main sections of a contract. It helps to know what to expect and which portions are negotiable.

    As to writing a book a year, that feels leisurely until you factor in the multiple rounds of edits on the previous book and promotion activities (and kid stuff on the home front). Do you have a non-compete clause? Because you could also be developing other book ideas.

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  17. Very neat to see the "inside" of a book contract. Thanks for sharing. We love to live through you.

    Lynnette Labelle
    http://lynnettelabelle.blogspot.com

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  18. How did you decide on the 1,000 word limit for web use? I always thought I'd have the first chapter of my novel online to attract readers, but my first chapter is a little over 2,500 words...

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  19. It is so kind of you to share all of thesed details. I always feared the whole contract thing, but you have described it in such a way that is understanding and much less daunting.

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  20. Congrats again, Jody! This is so much fun!

    My favorite part of one of my book contracts was for my book Expecting (pregnancy devotional). The publisher wanted to "retain all movie/theme park rights." ?? Preggo Land, anyone?

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  21. You have a gift for simplifying, Jody!! Sounds very interesting and understandable. Thanks for leaving out the real complicated stuff! ;)

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  22. Thanks for sharing some information about your contract, Jody. It answered some questions I have--I'm still so happy for you! I can't wait to see your book in print.

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  23. Excellent! I'm still so thrilled for you. I suppose when staring at one of those things you're pretty glad you have a reputable agent working for you. Too much leagalease for me, but I'd gladly withstand it to get a three book deal! I'm so thrilled for your blessings!

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  24. Thanks for sharing, Jody. This is very enlightening. I don't think a book a year sounds leisurely at all, given that you'll be promoting your books already in release while also writing the remaining contracted books, figuring out proposals for beyond this contract, and doing all the other stuff you do in your life. These are single-titles, not category romances, which many are writing, so think about a 50% bump in word count. 90-100,000 polished words. For a new author, a book a year sounds about right to me. Challenging but not impossible.

    The slightly confusing part was the part on advances. Your advance, in essence, covers three books and is divided into six parts, if I read that correctly? The final portion would pay out possibly in 2012?

    Of course, by then, you'll also be getting royalty statements. Do the incremental bumps in royalties apply across the three-book contract, or do they reset for each book?

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  25. Jody, thanks for this. It's been several years since I've thought deeply about how a book contract looks, and when I was signing mine, I don't remember a section for Website use, but it would make sense. I have a friend who went unagented successfully for years, but the contract thing always terrified her, so her editor made her seek out an agent for this very purpose. I could feel the relief with you that all you really had to do was sign on the dotted line. You knew the rest had been gone over by Rachelle. It definitely makes the case for why agents are invaluable. Appreciate the great insight. I know your sharing this journey is extremely valuable to many, including me. :)

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  26. your posts are so valuable, jody. i really appreciate you taking the time to walk your blogging friends through your process with you. :)

    jeannie
    Where Romance Meets Therapy

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  27. You're good to share this with everyone! They can be so confusing.

    Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder

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  28. Jody,
    I am so thankful that you are educating all of us on your wonderful, exciting journey of publication. Thanks for taking the time. We share your joy!

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  29. So interesting! Thanks for sharing with us.

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  30. Thanks for sharing all these juicy details with us! I can't wait to hear what book #2 is about!

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  31. Great post, thanks for sharing your contract/knowledge!

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  33. So cool, Jody! Thank you again for sharing this with all of us!

    My question is, was there any wording or expectation of you to promote the book (on your blog, book tour, book signings, reviews, etc.)?

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  34. I get excited for you every time you mention your book deal. You are such an inspiration.

    Reading your post makes me wonder why anyone would even try to do this without a good agent that they trust.

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  35. I'm glad 2 or 3 books per year are not expected of everyone. I'm sure the publishers and authors benefit from having an agent act as middleman. They can translate all the legal stuff for their client and present any changes on behalf of the author.

    Congratulations to both you and Rachelle for closing the deal.

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

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  36. Very exciting! And congratulations again.

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  37. Thanks for the walk-thru. Seems many are reluctant to share the details of the deal. This post gave us a very nice glimpse into the contract. Thanks again.

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  38. Jody, you have a way of making the complicated things seem simple! I love watching your journey and seeing how the "pros" do it. :)

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  39. Hi Everybody!

    Thanks for all of your questions today! Boy, I wish I had the time to respond specifically to each of you, but I ran out of time today! Hopefully I will be able to address most of your questions in future posts!

    Thanks again for all of your encouragement! You guys are awesome!

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  40. Thanks for sharing this part of the process, Jody. It's a lot more complicated than for a magazine article but you make it very understandable.

    Carol

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  41. You made this sound quite simple. I only wonder about the rights. It says through the time they publish them. Can you use your published stories, essays somewhere else beside the 1000 word limit on the website?

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  42. So, do you feel like it's real? Like it really happened?

    I can't suppress my joy for you. It is floating right out of me without one tinge of green.

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  43. All that work, and the writer gets 17%? Actually, not even that, since the agent gets 15% of the writer's 17%. I think I'm in the wrong line of work! Wonder if Thomas Nelson is hiring? LOL

    You really made the contract stage interesting, Jody. Thank you for sharing. Hope you soar to 21% fast. :)

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  44. Thanks for sharing the steps in your process with us! Also, you laid it out very well. SO EXCITING!!!

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  45. This is fascinating! I've listened to some authors talk about contracts and how it is so much easier to wade through it with a good agent. I can't imagine figuring it out on my own!

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  47. Very helpful! And I know this'll be in the front of my mind when I see my contract in a few days/weeks for my novel! By the way, I remember the day Rachelle tweeted about coming back from lunch to receive an email for a three-book deal!

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  48. Thanks for the opportunity to see a little deeper into the publishing world!

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