Contracts, Rights, and Signing Authors

Literary agents are uniquely positioned in the publishing world to have their hands in many facets of the book process, from a book's inception through to finished copies and publicity. This course begins with an overview of the Agency Agreement, the contract that binds an author with an agent. Students analyze the contract in order to gain a general understanding of the role and responsibilities of an agent and how they go about shepherding authors and their work. This course also unravels the mysteries of book Publishing Agreements and provides a step-by-step guide to understanding the legal language, recognizing which subsidiary rights can (and should) be negotiated, and the differences between a good deal and bad deal—it isn't always money. Students leave the course with a general knowledge of what it takes to foster a book project from query to signed contracts.