I have an idea for a book
it would include about 25-50 storeis from people around the country.
My only concern is royalty payments and such,
because of the nature and title of the book, I know it would get pretty good notice and sales. But if I include diffrent people's stories with pictures of them, do they get a cut or not? Or more percisly,
how do they get compensation, or do they just sign off thier rights?
thanks!
2006-09-29
15:48:33
·
18 answers
·
asked by
Anonymous
in
Arts & Humanities
➔ Books & Authors
sorry for bad spelling...
english is not my first language.
2006-09-29
15:53:30 ·
update #1
okay this is what I mean,
I want to write stories of people ( with thier own words and mine) detailing a stressful life situation they have gone through and overcome. It's mostly going to be in thier own words. Its suppose to be an empowering book, aimed at an audience that is pretty much going through the same thing.
2006-09-29
16:45:43 ·
update #2
The best way to go about this is to pay a flat fee per story and have the authors sign over the rights. Otherwise, you could provide them the option of receiving royalties in lieu of a flat fee. Though in your case I still think that the flat fee per story is the way to go, if you've got he capital. If not then royalties, unless you can get them to donate their work, though this may be problematical unless they are trying to establish a name for themselves.
2006-09-29 16:22:34
·
answer #1
·
answered by the_green_grass_horse 3
·
0⤊
0⤋
If you expect an author to sign their rights away, you better be prepared to pay them a lot of money, otherwise they are going to tell you they want a cut of the action and that's called royalties.
You'd have to compile the stories and figure out how much the book will sale for and then you just divide the profits equally.
2006-09-29 17:15:15
·
answer #2
·
answered by Call Me Babs 5
·
0⤊
0⤋
No, but you also can't use someone's name and/OR life situation if they are recognizeable, unless they are truly public figures. So, you'd have to get permission from the people whose stories you want to tell.
There are lots and lots and lots of books that do this, so it shouldn't be a problem for you.
Check out books on non-fiction writing and see what advice/info they have.
[ADDED] - I'm just reading other answers and something's not clear... are you creating an anthology or are YOU doing all of the writing and just using life stories of other people? I was assuming the latter.
2006-09-29 15:59:17
·
answer #3
·
answered by ? 6
·
0⤊
0⤋
Well, I wouldn't claim to be an expert, but I think I have an idea. I heard once that when movie studios come up with a name of a character, they first research to find if there is anyone with the same name. Then they get them to sign a release giving them permission to use their name and compensate them with a small amount of money (like $10).
Anyhoo - as long as they sign a release and accept payment for use of their name and image, you should have to worry about royaltys.
2006-09-29 15:53:21
·
answer #4
·
answered by poax2 1
·
1⤊
1⤋
hi
You want to give them as little as possible. Try to give them nothing and work up from there. Tell them just having their story reach millions is compensation enough, play on the ego, get them to agree to nothing except maybe $100 or less. It depends on who you are talking to, but if they all spell as badly as you then you should be able to get away with giving them nothing.
Usually it is some percentage of sales, so you could try 0.00000001% for starters; with all those zeros it looks like a lot, and if they read as badly as you spell, they should go for it.........
2006-09-29 17:47:27
·
answer #5
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
0⤋
I am not sure what you mean by "people's stories." Do you mean stories written by these individual people?
Or do you mean stories you have written?
If they are stories written by these people, you do have to get their permission. What you need is names on a contract. They might give you their stories for free, they might accept a one time fee, they might require royalties.
I have had things I've written published in anthologies, and in most cases I have accepted a one time payment.
If you mean stories about these people, written by you, that changes everything. You can write about anybody you want to, but you might face a lawsuit for invasion of privacy. Or for libel.
The main point is payment for a story written by another author is negotiation.
For a story about another person, the question is accuracy, respect for privacy, and, possibly, your ability to withstand a lawsuit. That brings us back to negotiation; you show seek their approval in writing.
2006-09-29 16:14:28
·
answer #6
·
answered by o41655 4
·
0⤊
0⤋
If the authors of the stories sign off their rights, which they may or may not be willing to do, then they wouldn't get a cut. If they don't sign off their rights, they do get a cut. In your case, you should be more worried about the cut you'll have to pay the proofreaders to fix your spelling.
2006-09-30 07:14:25
·
answer #7
·
answered by cookie_monster 4
·
0⤊
0⤋
You want to give them as little as possible. Try to give them nothing and work up from there. Tell them just having their story reach millions is compensation enough, play on the ego, get them to agree to nothing except maybe $100 or less. It depends on who you are talking to, but if they all spell as badly as you then you should be able to get away with giving them nothing.
Usually it is some percentage of sales, so you could try 0.00000001% for starters; with all those zeros it looks like a lot, and if they read as badly as you spell, they should go for it.. AEN
2006-09-29 15:54:34
·
answer #8
·
answered by Kokopelli 7
·
1⤊
2⤋
Everyone gets a small percentage. Find a sample anthology contract. It should include negotiations about when and where they can republish their work and if they should credit you as first publisher.
You also need to decide whether to approach an established publishing house with the idea or self-publish.
2006-09-29 15:56:23
·
answer #9
·
answered by fast g 1
·
0⤊
2⤋
In an anthology each contributor would get an equal share. You would draw up a contract to that effect that you and each author would sign. Click the link below for a sample contract.
2006-09-29 15:51:27
·
answer #10
·
answered by Justsyd 7
·
1⤊
1⤋