What to Do if Your Manuscript Gets Accepted

Continued

If you have been offered a contract from an epublisher and several agents have turned you down, then it’s time to visit the EPIC (Electronically Published Internet Connection) website at www.epicauthors.com/ and read up on what is considered a fair contract in epublishing. When the epublisher sends you your contract, go over it carefully to see how it matches up with EPIC’s ideal. It’s best to learn about your publishing rights and responsibilities before you have a contract offer to consider.

If learning the details of contract terms yourself sounds daunting, there is something else you can do. You can consult with other writers and check their web sites for recommendations about contract details. Or you can hire a publishing attorney on a one-time basis to read your contract and negotiate for you. Expect to pay upwards of $400 an hour for an attorney who knows publishing well enough to do you any good. Again, you should research before you need this help, because not just any attorney will do.

Even if you have an agent, you still should do your homework because some agents are better than others. You need to know if your agent is doing a good job for you. You need to know what literary rights you have, what reprint possibilities there are, and if your agent knows how to sell movie options. You need to know if other published authors are getting more from their agents. The way to find this out in the romance world is to network and use the Internet. Keep current on who is doing what. Know your field. Even though it is considered unprofessional to make negative public comments about one’s agent, there are romance writers who do, and it is useful information. Agents often have websites and you can learn about their personalities and their client list from them. An agent you’ve seen giving a presentation at a writers conference is going to make a strong impression on you as well, whether good or bad.

Finally, despite all the worry about contracts and agents, once you have a book sale in hand, you should celebrate. You’ve worked long and hard to produce a saleable book, and you’ve succeeded. Pat yourself on the back.    

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