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Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware I write a lot about publishing contracts on this blog, and questions about publishing contract terms make up a large portion of my Writer Beware correspondence. Unfair and even outrageous contract terms are a major problem in the publishing industry, whether they stem from a traditionally one-sided relationship that's being challenged by developing technology (Big Publishing) or the plague of ignorance, inexperience, and greed that afflicts the small press world. Last year, the US-based Authors Guild announced its Fair Contract Initiative , whose goal is "to shine a bright light on the one-sided contract terms that publishers typically offer authors and to spur publishers to offer more equitable deals." Why do publishers insist on offering their newest partners more than a hundred conditions so dubious that they’ll quickly back down on them if asked? It largely boils down to unequal bargaining power and historic lethargy. A...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware As most of you already know, Penguin Random House dumped Author Solutions at the end of 2015, selling it to a private equity firm for an undisclosed amount. ("A Penguin Random House Company" has already vanished from Author Solutions' logo.) The sale received quite a bit of media coverage, at least some of which acknowledged AS's troubled reputation--something else that won't be new to you if you're a regular reader of this blog. One of the areas that I and others have often criticized is AS's huge range of marketing services , which are aggressively pitched to authors who sign up for publishing packages. Most of these services are dubiously useful ( email blasts ), jawdroppingly expensive ( book signings at book fairs ), or both ( cinema advertising ). Basically, they're the equivalent of liquor at a restaurant: relatively inexpensive to deliver, but extremely profitable because of the enormous markup at...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware This post has been updated. If you're a regular reader here, you'll know that I love the strange and twisted stuff that happens (mostly) at the outer fringes of the publishing and writing worlds. Today, three head-shaking examples. International Association of Professional Writers and Editors Gosh, isn't that an impressive name for an organization? It certainly impressed the person who wrote to me to ask about the IAPWE's reputation. Of course, professional is as professional does, and the person wouldn't have contacted me if they didn't feel at least a little uneasy. And red flags do fly at the IAPWE's website, from the cheesy-looking logo to the lack of substantive information about the organization and its members, to the dime-a-dozen advice blog posts, to the fact that its fancy-sounding New York City address is actually  a UPS store . ( UPDATE:  IAPWE's address has changed--it's now apparently op...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware 2015 was not my best blogging year, by a long shot! My mother's deteriorating health sidelined me for much of the second half of the year (and will probably sideline me again in 2016--after bouncing back surprisingly well from broken ribs this summer, my mom had a small stroke in December, which has messed up her vision and made her very weak). Still, I do have some posts to highlight. Read on. JANUARY - Two Red-Flag Sentences in Publishing Contracts : Does that publishing contract you just received state that promotion is "at the publisher's discretion", or that the publisher doesn't guarantee that your book will sell? Be warned: this may be advance rationalization for zero promotion and tiny sales. FEBRUARY - Editing Clauses in Publishing Contracts: How to Protect Yourself : A bad editing clause can really come back to bite you, especially if your publisher doesn't employ qualified editors. This post discusses ...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware I was working on my usual year-end roundup post, when I spotted this , in PW: Penguin Random House has sold its Author Solutions division to an affiliate of the Najafi Companies, a private investment firm that at one point owned Bookspan and made an offer to buy several hundred Borders outlets after the chain filed for Chapter 11.   The terms of the deal, which closed on December 31, have not been disclosed. Quoted in PW , AS's CEO, Andrew Phillips, promises that "day-to-day operations will not change following the sale." Phillips also says that he's "excited to be part of a company where Author Solutions will be more of a focus," which I find interesting: has PRH been letting AS languish, or will the sale simply make AS a bigger cog in a smaller wheel? The sale isn't as random as it might appear. The Najafi Companies have been involved in book- and publishing-related ventures before; also, Najafi CEO Jahm N...