Writer Beware

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Bad Contract Alert: NovelCat

NOV 5, 2021September 29, 20257 COMMENTS

How cute is NovelCat's kitty logo? If only its contract were so adorable.

NovelCat is yet another of the serialized fiction apps, mostly based in Singapore and Hong Kong, that have sprung up relatively recently and are aggressively recruiting authors. A few have decent contracts, but many offer truly terrible terms, which I've explored in a couple of previous posts: EMP Entertainment and A&D Entertainment, which appear to have been deputized to recruit for Webnovel (this post includes an assessment of a number of similar companies), and Fictum, a new platform from ByteDance.

The full NovelCat contract can be seen here. It's non-exclusive, and the non-exclusivity doesn't seem to be vitiated by prohibitions within the contract (as with the EMP and A&D contracts, which include several clauses that severely restrict their supposed non-exclusivity). There's also an advance; the amount wasn't stipulated in the contract I saw, but similar platforms pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $1,500.

CONTRACTS

A Critical Look at Scribd’s Audiobook Reprint Contracts

OCT 22, 2021January 1, 20232 COMMENTS

This week I became aware that Scribd is engaging in a major push to acquire audiobook and ebook rights for already-published books, thanks to this post from Isobel Starling.

Starling's email exchange with a Scribd representative raised some concerns:

There are definitely some questions here. Fortunately, I was able to get hold of several copies of the contract Scribd is offering for these deals. You can see it here. (I've redacted the author's name and other identifying information, and omitted the signature page. The contracts I saw were identical.)

CONTESTS AND AWARDS

Contest Alert: Bardsy’s “The Short and Long of It” NaNoWriMo Prep Contest

OCT 15, 2021May 2, 20225 COMMENTS

Yes, folks, it's another of my posts about problematic writing contest rules.

I do a lot of these, and the issues are often pretty similar from post to post. But because writing contests are so popular, and poor rules language is so common, it never hurts to blast another warning out there.

Bardsy offers products and resources intended to help writers "Optimize Your Writing Process", including writing tools, templates, video courses, automated tips and prompts, and something called the "Bardsy Method". Bardsy members can publish their stories to the Bardsy Library, where they can be accessed and read by other members, or submit to Bardsy anthologies for possible publication. All of this is accessible for a monthly membership fee of $12.99.

OVERSEAS SCAMS

Another Reason to Just Say No to That Offer to Re-Publish Your Self-Pubbed Book

OCT 1, 2021December 2, 20238 COMMENTS

One of the identifying markers for the scores of publishing/marketing/fake literary agency scams that are super-aggressively soliciting self-published and small press writers these days is an offer to re-publish or “re-brand” your book. The offers–which always come out of the blue, by phone or email, from companies you never heard of–vary. Your book isn’tRead More

BUSINESS OF WRITING

#DisneyMustPay Update: Disney Is Still Not Paying

SEP 17, 2021May 25, 20223 COMMENTS

This past April, I wrote about writers’ struggles to get Disney and Disney-owned publishers to provide unpaid royalties and missing royalty statements–in some cases, going back years–and the formation of the #DisneyMustPay Joint Task Force in response. The problem: Disney has acquired many publishers and imprints over the years, along with their properties and contracts.Read More

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

Very Weird Solicitation Alert: Monica Susan Main

Header image: Screenshot from a Monica Main video

SEP 3, 2021March 7, 202337 COMMENTS

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I like the weird stuff. And this is definitely weird.

Several writers have recently contacted me about a strange snail mail solicitation (there are also a number of reports online, so clearly this is a sizeable mailing).

You can read the letter yourself by clicking on the images, but if you have better things to do, here's a quick synopsis.