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Damn motherfucking ripoff cuntscum bastards
So a couple of years back I agreed for my university dissertation to be published in an academic book in the US, which I was quite pleased about, and did some revisions accordingly. Finally they've secured a publshing deal for this, which is fantastic.
Although I hadn't expected a great deal of renumeration and didn't do it for the money I've now found out I'm going to get one copy of the book and that's it.
It's such a fucking derisory arrangement I'm genuinely seriously insulted (more than I would be if they offered nothing at all).
The way I see it they've got 15 - 20 people (some of whom are university lecturers or other academics) to write a book for them, they've written the fucking opening chapter and get all the money.
Am I being really unfair? I've been on compilation albums before and got the exact same (i.e. a copy of the compilation) and been perfectly happy so is it wrong to be pissed off here?
deal with it
i doubt the book will make much money anyway
call the book police
Surely they have laws in America protecting author's/contributor's rights to get money if there is a money cake to be cut, then again, they haven't sorted out health care yet . . .
Well no.
Maybe I should find a lawyer.
Do they have lawyers in America?
Fact-o-rama
50% of the world's lawyers live in America...
Probably not.
It's a bit of a niche subject.
To be honest I'm a bit more pissed off by their blunt email which was pretty much "you're gonna get a book and you should be grateful" more than anything else.
well then
can you not refuse permission?
I can
but then it won't be pubished at all and I guess the credit'd be nice even if there's no actual money.
I can then stroll into rooms and say "I'm a writer" and then women will flock around me saying "really, how interesting?" And assume I'm some sort of fascinating bohemian and want to do various things to me that I can't even pronounce.
That's how I figure these things work anyway...
they don't
Killjoy!
You could have just let me dream!
this is pretty much
standard policy for certain types of books i'm afraid. if you signed the contract there's nothing much you can do about it.
and if you didnt sign a contract
you don't have to give them it...
by the way
i know guys who've edited entire books for no royalty and just one or two copies of the book, sheerly for the prestige.
See above reference to women doing things to me I'd most probably enjoy.
I want to be a published writer goddamnit!
I think most of the problem is that this has been going on for two years with people asking me what I'd get paid for it.
I'd assumed it wouldn't be much but I was sort of conditioned into expecting something...
yeeeh
you can't really expect that unless the book is going to make a lot of money... otherwise its not budgeted into the costs when they decide whether to publish it at all (ie at the start).
Well I haven't actually signed it yet
but I've no doubt they won't negotiate so I probably will do any day now.
hmm
they sound like buggers. big companies will make sure you know the terms, that way you are legally obliged to give it to them...and you know what you're getting out of it.
these guys are obviously wankers.
I mean they never actually implied anyone would get paid
they just didn't mention not getting paid either.
this was 2 years ago?
shit. i can't really help because i didn't know what i would get as an author when Smokestack agreed to publish me, i was just happy to be published. have you signed anything at all?
who are the publishers? do a bit of research and see if you can muckdredge.
In fairness I'm sure I'm not being unusually harshly treated here
It just pisses me off that these things are set up in a way that writers and other creative types always seem to be expected to work for nothing.
I mean it's obviosuly great to have something published at all, and I didn't do it for financial reward, but ultimately I have done some work for someone and it is a bit exploitative to then not be paid for it :( I know it's how the world works etc. but it still seems kind of like taking advantage.