AT WHAT STAGE?
At what stage during submission process should an author/writer start to negotiate conditions and terms with his/her prospective publisher?
1: After you have sent the publisher their first requested sample chapters of your manuscripts?
2: When they said your sample chapter manuscripts have passed their stringent quality and standard scrutiny?
3: After they have requested your complete manuscripts even though they said your sample was good?
4: Or just do what they want and follow orders without a choice?
As a well Self-Published Author looking for print publishers
Because I am now confused on what next with my potential print publisher.
I will appreciate your comment and advice on the above.
John Kanu Woko
The time to negotiate your rights is when your publisher offers you a contract. Do not sign a contract without taking expert legal advice. If you are foolish enough to do so, you will probably find that you have signed all your rights away, and that you're tied to a long book deal with them. You should avoid vanity publishers, or other types of publisher that want to charge you money to produce your book. It is always advisable to first try and hook an agent, then let them negotiate on your behalf.
The main things you should consider are agreed royalties on a rising scale, the more books you sell. Electronic rights, English rights, foreign writes, film writes.
Royalties are usually agreed at between 8-12 per cent a copy for a would-be author. It's important to realise that royalties are not based on the jacket price of your book. Publishers give huge discounts of 50-65 per cent of the jacket price to wholesalers and book clubs. Say your book is priced at £5, with a 50 per cent discount to a wholesaler, you would receive 25p a copy. That's £250 for every thousand copies, £25.000 for a 100,000 copies, so don't pack up your day job.
It's not all bad news, because if you self publish on Amazon, you will receive 70 per cent royalties.
I hope this brief summary offers a basic understanding of the kind of rights which authors should be aware of, and the potential opportunities. The question is how can I, the author, be doing more to ensure I am best maximising these rights?
I hope that helps.
Good luck.