In publishing, “merchandising” refers to the right(s) to create, market, and sell products (merchandise) based on a book or its characters and settings. A good example is Bertie Botts’ Every-Flavor Beans, which appear in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and also on many convenience and candy store shelves. Since Rowling invented the candy in her…
Tag: Contracts
The JOY of THE END
By J.A. (Julie) Kazimer Very few things in life can make me as happy as typing the last word on a manuscript. I’ve done that 10 times so far. The last time being just last week as I finished up Book 2 in the Deadly After Ever series (Book 1, The Fairyland Murders, releases on…
Honoring Your Contract
By Katriena Knights One of the most important things you can do is a writer is honor your contracts. I’m not talking about your contracts with your publishers. I’m talking about your contracts with your readers. Wait, what? Authors don’t sign contracts with readers, do they? So what am I yapping on about this time?…
Juggling Contracts, Part 2: Look for the Language!
By Susan Spann In month’s #PubLaw post here at Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, we started a conversation about juggling multiple contracts for rights to novels and other creative works. Over the next couple of months, my posts will continue that conversation, with an eye to helping authors learn to juggle rights successfully. Step 2 in…
Examining the Elephant: Publishing Contracts, Part 1
By Susan Spann Autumn has arrived, and it’s time to turn the monthly “legalese” column from thoughts on pitching to talk of publishing deals. My legal practice focuses on publishing contracts, so it makes some sense to focus on the “terms and conditions” part of the publishing process here. In the months to come, we’ll…