We know all too well from the feedback we receive from members that often authors don’t feel entitled to ask questions of their publishers. Authors report feeling that they should be grateful to have a publisher at all, and some even fear that asking basic questions might jeopardise the deal on the table or their relationship with their publisher. Or that it makes them look ignorant or unprofessional. This highlights a very real and concerning power imbalance in the industry and one which the SoA works hard to address in our broader policy and campaigning work. We are the collective voice for our 12,000 plus members. We provide as much clarity as possible for members through our 1-2-1 advisory service, commenting on contracts and any other professional issues that may arise, but there are some questions that only your publisher can answer.
You can query a royalty statement that doesn’t make sense, and you can (you must!) ask where your royalties are if they don’t arrive at the expected time or if you believe there is an error. You can ask about that clause in your contract which doesn’t make sense. Publishers are human too and sometimes the wording might be a hangover from a previous version that someone forgot to remove. Or maybe your publisher is new and using a contract template that isn’t quite right for your work; you can query it. Even if you’ve worked with the same publisher for a long time and have a good relationship, you are still entitled to question terms – contracts evolve as the industry moves forwards. You can ask how much you’ll be paid if no one mentions the fee when you’re invited to give a talk or take part in an event. ‘What is your budget for paying the author?’ or ‘sorry, I can’t work for free’ are a couple of phrases to concentrate minds. Never be afraid to ask to be paid fairly.
If you’re unsure how to approach something, ask us. We can look at your draft email, suggest a way of approaching an issue you might find difficult to raise, or discuss negotiating tactics. We will listen to your concerns. If you are told that your discussions with the publisher are confidential and cannot be shared, know that you are still entitled to bring your issues to our advisors, in confidence, as we are your trade union. If you’re being pressured to respond quickly, you can say you need time to consider a point and seek advice. A good publisher will always respect this. If your relationship with your publisher has broken down or your own efforts at obtaining information have failed, talk to us and we will do what we can to help.
Asking questions, and receiving clear answers, is a professional author’s right and no good publisher minds a polite request for information. It’s your writing career. You need as much information as possible to make the decisions that are right for you.
Contact info@societyofauthors.org for bespoke advice. Keep an eye out this year for online professional development events from the advisory team covering topics including submissions, negotiations, and common accounting questions.