This is what I looked like earlier.
So we got the contracts from Kensington for the titles that Lyrical held and I was so excited. I was finally holding that all elusive New York publishing contract in my hands and even if it was for the e-division, it was still that much of the dream.
A dream I've had for a long, long time.
And then I read the contract. And reread it. And went over parts of it again and again and I realized something interesting. New York contracts suck eggs.
There were a few things that really made me shake my head. But foremost was that I realized my chances for making any money at all were nil. I'd do better self-pubbing all my titles and taking the chance that I might one day write something more than just a few people will read.
Oh they talk a great game and there's a lot of promises that go into it but ultimately, the contract is the final word and the contract had too many provisions I just couldn't agree to. So I refused it.
I'm a little bit heartbroken right now.
On the bright side: if Lucifer ever shows up with a contract, I have a better idea what it might look like ...
OMG, that gif!
ReplyDeleteHey, but you achieved your dream, all you had to do was sign the contract. Of course you'd sign every right you can think of away, including the right to breathe, sounds like.
So, perhaps there's something better than NY contracts. I think you'll be happier managing your own book career and, oh my, isn't it fun?
On a more insignificant note, I'm glad we get to keep the cover of Letters from Greece, paperback. Maybe it can be the e-cover too?
They do say the devil is in the details.
ReplyDeleteSorry it sucked arse for you Lori but good on you for not just signing it and hoping for the best. I'm sure a lot of people don't/didn't have the guts to refuse and are now regretting it.
I have heard, if memory serves at all, really bad things about Kensington's contracts,so I'm not surprised you told them to shove it. But it does suck to have the dream so close, then to discover it's more like a mirage *hug*
ReplyDeleteOh Doll, I so feel your pain. Three years ago I thought I'd made it, an advance and everything! I was a real author. And now I have a dead end pen name up for a major award that is otherwise worthless and a pair of broken rose-colored glasses. On the positive end, I've made more with indie than I have with NY over the last two years so it's not over yet. I'm thankful we have options.
ReplyDeleteI still have a great sense of sadness because let's face it, the dream has been around so long that it had more dust bunnies than under Carolyn's bed.
ReplyDeleteHeh heh.
But I'm counting on my amazing optimism to pull my head up soon and get excited for the chance to self-pub more of my work.
I'm sorry. :-( I had a sort of similar thing happen recently, and I looked just like that. :-\
ReplyDelete