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Purple Crayon BookstoresThe Authors Guild's Model Contract: A Useful Resource
by Harold Underdown
The Authors Guild made the latest version of their "Model Trade Book Contract" public in spring 2021. This is a significant development, because it is difficult to find resources that help with the intricacies of the modern publishing contract. I do offer a chapter's worth of guidance in my Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books (chapter 23, to be precise), with tips on what to watch for, but the AG model contract takes you through clause by clause.
Their contract includes all of the basic sections found in a contract, including grant of rights, copyright, advances and royalties, subsidiary rights, author's and publisher's obligations, and reversion of rights. It includes explanations of each section and advice about what to watch out for and what to negotiate, if a writer is dealing with a publisher directly rather than via an agent.
As the Authors Guild acknowledges in their press release, some of the terms they suggest in the model contract are far from being standard, may not be found in any current contracts, and (in my opinion) may be rejected out of hand if requested in a negotiation. Still, the model contract does give a writer an idea of what to expect in a contract, and what to attempt to obtain in a contract, once they have enough leverage.
Children's book writers and illustrators should find it useful. Though the model contract is a general trade contract, and does not address terms specific to children's book publishing, I estimate that it overlaps around 80-90% with the contracts used by children's book publishers.
Here is a direct link to the Authors Guild Model Trade Book Contract.
Additional related resources can be found on the Publishing Articles Index page.
Comments? Questions that weren't answered? Contact me.
This article is copyright © Harold Underdown, 2021 and may not be reproduced without permission. Single copies may be printed out for personal, non-commercial use.
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