I subscribe to and read tons of blogs. They keep me up to date on writers, publishers, agents and more. One blog I regularly read is the Pitch University blog.
Last week I noticed the Pitch U blog featured a column by Jeffrey V. Mehalic of the Write Lawyer. It was to be a featured column in which Mr. Mehalic would review and give his legal opinion on various publishing contracts.
As a lawyer, this really caught my interest, and so I read his review of the contracts from Sourcebooks, Crescent Moon Press, and Entangled Publishing. The rating for each? Sourcebooks: SHRED IT; Crescent Moon Press: BURN IT; Entangled Publishing: SHRED IT.
Today, as I review my RSS feeds, I find that Mr. Mehalic has announced the following: "Starting Monday, September 19, 2011, I will be posting my column on publishing contracts on this blog, rather than on Pitch University. I had my posts removed from PU (appropriate, eh?) after my post was altered by the owner of the site."
WOW.
First, let me say that contracts are ALWAYS skewed to favor the interest of the party who is presenting the contract. Which is, a no-brainer. That's why one must always have a contract evaluated and negotiated before signing. Plain and simple.
As a writer in search of a dream agent who will sooner than later be reviewing my own contract, I appreciated the advice and the heads up by Mr. Mehalic on some of the issues I will soon face. On the other hand, I can see how publishers might not appreciate their contracts on display without having a chance to first address the issues in the post.
But the question is: what do you think of Pitch U allegedly altering the posts? What does that say to you?
Monday, September 19, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Emily Contest is Open!
Calling all writers! The Emily contest is open!
The Emily is sponsored by the West Houston Chapter of the RWA. According to their website, the contest started back in 1990 to promote publication of previously unpublished writers of romance.
The contest evolved and is open to published and unpublished writers. (You do not need to be a member to enter.) Unpublished authors may enter in any category not contracted in (book-length) by September 30, 2011. Published authors may enter in any category not published (book-length) in the past three years. For a full list of categories, please visit the website. NOTE: there IS a YA category!
The Emily is a highly respected contest. In fact, many Emily winners and finalists have gone on to be published. The contest is capped at 300 entries, and multiple entries are allowed. The contest asks for your first 7000 words. And, there is no synopsis requirement! (Hooray!) The deadline is September 30th, but because of the cap you don't want to wait!
For more info, and to enter, go to the website link above. Good luck!
The Emily is sponsored by the West Houston Chapter of the RWA. According to their website, the contest started back in 1990 to promote publication of previously unpublished writers of romance.
The contest evolved and is open to published and unpublished writers. (You do not need to be a member to enter.) Unpublished authors may enter in any category not contracted in (book-length) by September 30, 2011. Published authors may enter in any category not published (book-length) in the past three years. For a full list of categories, please visit the website. NOTE: there IS a YA category!
The Emily is a highly respected contest. In fact, many Emily winners and finalists have gone on to be published. The contest is capped at 300 entries, and multiple entries are allowed. The contest asks for your first 7000 words. And, there is no synopsis requirement! (Hooray!) The deadline is September 30th, but because of the cap you don't want to wait!
For more info, and to enter, go to the website link above. Good luck!
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