I GOT THE CALL… NOW WHAT?
Copyright August 2002 All contents are the work of the author unless otherwise credited

PART ONE - Negotiating (cont.)

When Brenda finally called to talk about the contract, I felt well prepared for whatever came up in our discussion. First she told me that, because I was a first time author, Harlequin would be keeping the best terms for themselves. There would be no negotiating certain parts of the contract. Frankly, I appreciated her candor because I hate wasting my breath.

Brenda told me how much my advance would be [money you get up front, but have to earn back by selling a certain number of books] and that it would come in two separate checks. One half will be released once I sign the contract and the other half after I send in the final version of the manuscript. This is called the Delivery and since it’s now contractual, unlike other revisions you may have done for an editor, make sure you set yourself a realistic timeframe for making the changes and returning the manuscript.

Once you agree to a Delivery Date, the editor can tell you when your book will be scheduled for release. You’ll also be told how many free copies you can have. I asked for and got 10 extra because I want to enter the RITA contest next year. We also discussed the option clause. I was lucky enough to get my option on partial instead of a full manuscript. 

Also Brenda offered up front to make my contract say ‘next Blaze’, but you may have to ask your editor for this clause to be very specific. You don’t want your ‘next work’ to be obligated to your publisher in case you write more than one kind of fiction. Suggest the option be on your ‘next 70,000 word sensual romance’ or something like that.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. This telephone call is considered a verbal contract in most states. Make sure you understand what you are agreeing to. You may not get the information you want, but ask anyway. For example I wanted to know what my print run would be. Based on the amount of up front cash and a 6% royalty on all US sales, I’ll need to sell about 15,000 copies of my book to ‘earn out’ my advance. Brenda wouldn’t tell me the exact print run, but assured me I won’t owe Harlequin any money.

There are several people who have to sign off on this contract, like the Senior Editor and the Legal Department, so it will take a few weeks before it gets to me. The first half of the advance should arrive four to six weeks after I execute my contract. Who knows when I get the rest, but I’m planning to frame a copy of both checks <g> Don’t forget that about 33% of that money is going into Uncle Sam’s pocket and not toward those diamond earrings I was looking at.

That leads me to one last legal thing- get in touch with a tax specialist. I still have to do this myself because I don’t know whether to file separately from my husband, how or what to itemize and whether my bar tab from Denver counts as a business expense. Start preparing right now by making a file with receipts and canceled checks for every office product, contest entry and bill for services like website design. If it’s related to your job as a writer in anyway, save it and let the tax expert decide.