getting published

[tensen]

Actually, that isn't strictly true in that you can't technically have a 'work for hire' contract for material that already exists only for commissioning works to be produced. Even then, every contract I've had has specifically outlined which rights I'm granting to the publisher.

Since in most cases you probably modify you preexisting work to meet a publisher's requirements... the end product does in fact fit under the work for hire...since you worked under contract to modify the work.

 

[Orcus]

Tensen is correct. And let me inform you, the publishers want all the rights. You would have to be a well established author to get another arrangment, or perhaps get with a start up company that is willing to work a contract different from the standard work for hire situation. Again, I am speaking about publishing game materials, not novels.

Clark

 

[Rhombus]

Tensen is correct. And let me inform you, the publishers want all the rights. You would have to be a well established author to get another arrangment, or perhaps get with a start up company that is willing to work a contract different from the standard work for hire situation. Again, I am speaking about publishing game materials, not novels.

Publishers can 'want' all they like but that isn't the issue. Any contract can stipulate what rights the creative talent is selling/creating.

My mistake here is coming at it from a visual artists perspective, where Work For Hire contracts aren't so common because of various considerations. My bad.

 

[MEG Hal]

Publishers can 'want' all they like but that isn't the issue. Any contract can stipulate what rights the creative talent is selling/creating.

True Rhombus but if we want and you say no, we move on and you are unpublished...so I understand what you are saying but as Orcus stated unless you find a unique deal it will be asked that the rights become the companies.

It is in the companies interest to own it so they will do all they can to do so or pass on the deal.

Good luck.

 

[Rhombus]

[B
True Rhombus but if we want and you say no, we move on and you are unpublished...so I understand what you are saying but as Orcus stated unless you find a unique deal it will be asked that the rights become the companies.

It is in the companies interest to own it so they will do all they can to do so or pass on the deal.
[/B]

Oh, I'm not disputing the point but that can be achieved outside of a specific Work For Hire contract and, in my experience as a freelance artist, often are. Work For Hire contracts, at least here, are specifically for labour (hence "Work for Hire") based payment schemes. Publishers don't care how long it takes or what goes into making their art as long as we make with the pretty on time and to spec. We don't get paid on an hourly or per brushstroke basis, just for the end result which is why WFH contracts are uncommon for freelance artists except in the case of long term contracts and retainers (hahahaha... retainers... Sorry, just amused myself).

As for the 'sorry, we'll find someone else' scenario, sure - the Publishers have the money so they, in most cases, call all the shots. It happens. It's happpened to me a time or two but that's life. No use holding a grudge against Publishers trying to get the best deal they can (within reason - oh the stories it would be unprofessional of me to tell ).

 

[philreed]

Keeping all rights . . .

I am not a publisher but I have been currently helping a few others get their stuff published in PDF format. They keep all rights to the text and I take a % of sales.

If you're interested, e-mail me at philip@philipjreed.com. My only requirement is that 100% of the text involved be open game content. I'm not going to bother with laying out a book with umpteen million different boxes of OGC. All or nothing. My own PDFs are completely OGC for this same reason.

 

[MEG Hal]

Re: Keeping all rights . . .

I am not a publisher but I have been currently helping a few others get their stuff published in PDF format. They keep all rights to the text and I take a % of sales.

If you're interested, e-mail me at philip@philipjreed.com. My only requirement is that 100% of the text involved be open game content. I'm not going to bother with laying out a book with umpteen million different boxes of OGC. All or nothing. My own PDFs are completely OGC for this same reason.

Phil your products are good, and being OGC is an added bonus.

 

[philreed]

Thanks

Phil your products are good, and being OGC is an added bonus.

I'm releasing two more in the next week. Construct Mechanus (which many have been waiting for) and Blackwater.

Construct Mechanus is all new with lots of beautiful Christopher Shy artwork. Blackwater is a revision of a book written by Russell Godwin and published by Nightshift Games (check the review here at Enworld, 4/5). I've taken Russell's text and tweaked it here and there and added some new material in places.

Both of these will be 100% OGC.

 

[MerakSpielman]

My primary focus at this stage is audience. I want as many people exposed to my work as possible. I want to start establishing a reputation in writing (in preparation for a future shift to writing as a career, perhaps ten years in the future). Modules are one aspect. Novels will be another. It looks like it will be simpler in the long run to make non-D&D fantasy novels. All D&D-inspired stories can be translated to a non-D&D format - I was just trying to save the extra work. Apparently the converstion work would be worth the time.
[pimp] For a sample of my first-draft fantasy prose style check out my story hour via the link in my sig. [/pimp] If I were to rewrite it, I would add more detail (incorporate different senses) and emotions of the characters. If this was a novel, I would concentrate on one or two main characters and have the story be more from their personal perspectives. Unfortunately, the story ends before it gets much of anywhere because our group hasn't met for a while.

Ciao.

 

[kaiscomet]

My primary focus at this stage is audience. I want as many people exposed to my work as possible. I want to start establishing a reputation in writing (in preparation for a future shift to writing as a career, perhaps ten years in the future).

If you are looking for exposure for writing, then you must be prepared to start your writing career today. Especially if you want that to be your sole support of income in ten years. If you really want to write, I would suggest getting a copy of Heinlein's rules for writing for motivation. These were in a recent article in Deep Magic e-zine. To sum up, out of 100 people who say they want to be a writer, only two or three will keep at it until they are published.

To get your name out, I would start by submitting stories and articles to some of the e-magazines that are mentioned on EnWorld, specifially Stygian, since they are currently needing submissions. I would also try Deep magic, ENWorld journal, D20 weekly, Asgard, and any other you can think of. Be warned, you will get many rejection notices, but keep trying. If you do have a story bought by a magazine, remember that in many cases it will not be published for many months. In other words, if you are looking for name recognition, it might be six months for your first story to be published if you sent it out today. In many cases it could even be longer. In four or five years time, hopefully you will be putting out the type of work and had enough stories published that you will be moved to the top of piles by editors.

If you need some help on how to do this entire process, I would again recommend www.sfwa.org/. There are several articles there that would be helpful to a beginning writer on how to submit stories and common mistakes that writers make. The main advice that they all mention is to write everyday and read as much as you can. If you can't find time to write today, then you probably never will (Heinlein's first rule).

Anyway, I hope this helps some and good luck.

kai