Book Contracts

While most of us will have heard about the book contracts from some of the imprints of major US publishing house, Random House which provoked much discussion - if you haven't, have a look at this post at Writer Beware and here and here on John Scalzi's blog Whatever - Dean Wesley Smith has pinpointed another issue that no-one seems to have taken much notice of so far. This is the length of time you are signing your work away for, something every writer needs to think about seriously. Since few of us have the legal expertise to assess a contract properly it's easy to make mistakes. We need to change this and realise taking care of business is a vital part of being a professional writer and for that this article makes illuminating reading.