Comments on: Making the Pen Mightier: Negotiation and Writing http://helpingwriters.com/blog/august-26-2009 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:35:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Randi Kreger http://helpingwriters.com/blog/august-26-2009/comment-page-1#comment-12 Randi Kreger Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:29:41 +0000 http://helpingwriters.com/?p=1552#comment-12 Scott: it's nice you're sharing the techniques you've used to get me great deals. Don't forget the idea of using books as part of the advance. Randi Kreger www.BPDCentral.com Scott: it’s nice you’re sharing the techniques you’ve used to get me great deals. Don’t forget the idea of using books as part of the advance.

Randi Kreger
http://www.BPDCentral.com

]]> By: Nancy Peske http://helpingwriters.com/blog/august-26-2009/comment-page-1#comment-11 Nancy Peske Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:46:42 +0000 http://helpingwriters.com/?p=1552#comment-11 Excellent point about the core of negotiation. You are truly an ace contract negotiator! As you've noted before, one of the best negotiating tactics when there's a disagreement on who retains a particular subsidiary right (for instance, audio rights) is to grant it to the publisher for a limited time only, with rights reverting to you if they don't use them. True, sometimes, years later, the publisher will want those rights, but they probably won't see that now. Once, as an in-house editor, I re-bought a book that had gone out of print and was now being turned into a movie. The author sold the rights back to the publisher but retained book club and large print rights, which turned out to be quite lucrative. Most authors would've just sold back all rights, but this fellow, a seasoned author, had a hunch he should retain some of those rights for his agent to sell on his behalf. As a result, a much bigger chunk of money went to him than if the publisher had sold them! Excellent point about the core of negotiation. You are truly an ace contract negotiator!

As you’ve noted before, one of the best negotiating tactics when there’s a disagreement on who retains a particular subsidiary right (for instance, audio rights) is to grant it to the publisher for a limited time only, with rights reverting to you if they don’t use them. True, sometimes, years later, the publisher will want those rights, but they probably won’t see that now.

Once, as an in-house editor, I re-bought a book that had gone out of print and was now being turned into a movie. The author sold the rights back to the publisher but retained book club and large print rights, which turned out to be quite lucrative. Most authors would’ve just sold back all rights, but this fellow, a seasoned author, had a hunch he should retain some of those rights for his agent to sell on his behalf. As a result, a much bigger chunk of money went to him than if the publisher had sold them!

]]>