Publishing Company - Christian work |
Author: Sheila Campbell (12.54.82.---)
Date: 07-31-08 17:06
Hello everyone,
I wrote last week about getting a literary agent for a single poem. Anyway, I submitted my poem entitled "The Gospels" to a publishing house named New York City Christian Publishers and I got a response via email as well as by telephone. During the initial telephone conversation, I was told that they would not publish and promote my poem because they did not partner with businesses but needed to have sole rights to the work. (I guess they took this position because am selling the poem via my website.) So out of curiosity, I asked them to send me a copy of a contract in the event that I considered signing the rights over. (Now trust me, I would not do that without fully understanding and seeking the advice of an attorney.)
To make a long story short, I received the contract with 3 options. Each requiring that I sign the rights over to them for a period of about one year during which point they would have sole ownership and the right to promote the poem as they see fit. It also showed various fee options. So in essence, I'm being asked to pay a monthly fee to them without the right to sell it on my own with the promise of quarterly royalties.
I might not know a lot about this industry, but I believe that a firm who truly believed in your work, would invest the monies because they were relatively confident of the return. I welcome your feedback.
Sheila
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Re: Publishing Company - Christian work |
Author: Joe Zeff (---.lsanca.dsl-w.verizon.net)
Date: 07-31-08 17:50
In the publishing business, money flows from the publisher, through the agent (if there is one) to the writer. Never, under any circumstances should it go in the other direction. Does that answer your question?
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Re: Publishing Company - Christian work |
Author: Stacy Copping (---.hsd1.ga.comcast.net)
Date: 07-31-08 17:55
I performed a hasty search on this company. It's a "self publishing" company. In my opinion, this is not the way to go.
Joe is correct. Money flows in not out.
stacy
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Re: Publishing Company - Christian work |
Author: Sheila Campbell (12.54.82.---)
Date: 08-01-08 09:27
Thanks Joe and Stacy,
I agree with what you are saying. I do want to know though if it is normal for a publishing company to ask you to relinquish your rights to your work during the contract period.
Sheila
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Re: Publishing Company - Christian work |
Author: Keith . (---.dhcp.spbg.sc.charter.com)
Date: 08-01-08 10:27
Sheila,
A friend of mine is pretty successful in the Christian market. I think she's on a speaking tour now but if you email me I'll send you a link to her website.
km
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Re: Publishing Company - Christian work |
Author: Robert Brown (---.hsd1.in.comcast.net)
Date: 08-01-08 11:46
Had a client once who we were able to publish with Journey Forth, which is a small Christian publisher and, yes, they did want us to sign over all rights to them--including the copyright. This is sometimes done because some publishers feel they can better fight copyright infringement if they control the rights to a property. If this is done, there should be a clause in the publisher's contract specifying when the rights return to the author and it should not state for the life of the copyright, which is the author's life plus fifty years.
Who holds the copyright isn't important if the publisher controls all the rights anyway. However, in a case like this, reversion of those rights becomes very important.
As far as paying a publisher a monthly fee, for what? Are they going to do something for that fee or is that just for some intangible item. As Joe Zeff said, money flows to you, not the other way around, unless you are self-publishing and are fully aware that's what you're doing.
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