Christina writes:
> No one has yet to respond to my the Author Contract/Release question...
I for one have missed out on responding because I'm still recovering from
GTS. Apparently I'm not the only one who picked up some kind of cold/flu
thing that involves losing much of my voice...
Anyhow--one good place to go for model contracts is the Science Fiction &
Fantasy Writers of America website, www.sfwa.org, and in particular the
"contracts" section: www.sfwa.org/contracts.
The model contracts are written from the POV of writers looking to maximize
creative control and ownership; most game publishers are buying on a
work-for-hire basis. However, they provide a pretty good starting point to
consider the different dimensions of an agreement (including subsidiary
rights and whatnot).
In my point of view, the most important thing is simply to have something on
paper, and for it to be as specific as possible. Don't sweat the legal
mumbo-jumbo, especially if you're doing this as a hobby and legal fees are a
significant barrier. The reality is that it's not cost-effective for people
to go to court over, say, a little submission to an RPG book done by a
basement publisher. If one of you is out to screw the other, a contract is
of little protection, except to prove it afterward to anyone who cares, or
if the material in question somehow turns into the Next Big Thing...and if
screwing someone over is the intention, that can be done with a devious
contract as well as with blatant false promises. On the other hand, there
is a WIDE range of avoidable nastiness that can arise from miscommunication,
mis-remembered promises, mistaken assumptions, and so forth. A simple list
of mutual expectations and obligations, even if not written in eye-numbing
legalese, can go a long way to making publishers and freelancers mutually
happy.
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John Nephew voice (651) 638-0077 fax (651) 638-0084
President, Atlas Games www.atlas-games.com
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For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
