Present Tense
Or, Contract Frets
This week took me away from my research. Instead of sourcing info to share on how to organize a book of poems, I was busy freaking out about contract issues. (Never thought you’d hear me say that, did you? Me neither.)
The issues concerned the contract for my forthcoming my chapbook, The Higher Call, poems about artist models and modeling.
As mentioned, I’m in a marketing mentorship program through Atlanta Writers Club (AWC). My mentor is a whip-smart woman who self-publishes her poems. She’s active in readings and events that get her books into reader’s hands. She’s a great resource.
She offered to look over my contract for The Higher Call, so I sent it over. It didn’t take long to hear that she’d found two concerns. One was about the ways in which I can promote this chapbook, the other was how my royalties are structured.
If you know me you’ll know that legalese is not my love language. I did read the contract before signing, but I relied more heavily on the opinion of friends who have published through this press. The four poets I spoke with all had a good experience, so I signed on the dotted line.
Only after my mentor raised her concerns did my heart start to palpitate. And only then did I toss and turn at night, worrying that I’d goofed.
Luckily, my mentor gave me the name of a contract attorney trusted by the AWC, so I reached out to this woman. Doing so led me to an experience I’ve never had before—talking to a lawyer (besides my dear friend Brooks, that is).
The attorney offered a free consultation, so I took her up on that. She listened to my concerns, and she offered to read the contract. But, if you know me, you also know that I didn’t want to spend $450 an hour on a done-deal, or put down a $2500 retainer.
Even so, the attorney solved my issue. She said that I’m in parentship with the press through their representative, so I should reach out to her. The attorney said that a “person-to-person” contact might be all I needed. And she was correct.
I emailed my publisher’s rep with my concerns, and she quickly answered. The rep said that I could publish excerpts from my poems for publicity. Check off worry #1.
She also said that I do earn royalties on the chapbooks sold during the presale period because the publisher “pays in net” (whatever that means). Check off worry #2. Phew.
I slept better that night. And I remembered that half of my reason for putting out this chapbook was to learn from the process. And learn I did.
In the end, these issues turned out not to be the nightmares I feared. And resolving this mental snag was easier than I imagined. But it was a major distraction.
When I wasn’t wrestling with this, I was editing that first draft of Sweet, Bittersweet. This week I get to hear Donna’s thoughts on the changes. Yeah!
Please do stay tuned—the pre-sales for The Higher Call start…drumroll, please….next week. Eek! I’ll soon share how you can best support me.
As ever, thank you so much on for following along on my journey into print.
