[Publisher] Blue Mountain Arts

I've never worked with Blue Mountain Arts but I know that they're legitimate as far as selling greeting cards goes. I used to use their online greeting cards all the time (when membership was free), and I've also bought two or three of their real (paper) greeting cards at Hallmark. Hope that helps!

I would see about negotiating "all rights" down to just the rights they use.

Blue Mountain Arts

I just had a greeting card submission excepted for market review. The contract Blue Mountain Arts sent seemed like a run of the mill contract. Has anyone had any problems with them?
Thanks,
Stacey

Stacey, BMA is a fantastic greeting card company that if you get a card accepted they pay $300 for an accepted verse, $50 for an accepted verse in their anthology and you go up the scale with each successive greeting card accepted paying $100 more. So, in answer to your question, yes, they are extremely legitimate, and definitely not run-of-the-mill. They're probably the tops in greeting card companies. Much good luck with the market review. Just know it could take 2 years for them to make a decision.

I've never worked with them, but have heard good things.

Thanks

Thanks!! I've been lucky and haven't gotten taken by any scams yet, but only because of this board.
I appreciate the input.
Stacey

For what it is worth, according to the P&E site, Blue Mountain Arts, Inc. has a:

Poor contract and is not recommended.

I'd contact the site administrator to find out why. Go to: http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors

Wow, Kiva, that's amazing. I'm really surprised. I wonder why it's not recommended and they say the contract is poor. They're very legit and pay the highest amount per greeting card.

I'm on the top pay scale for being published with BMA. When I first started with them, my brother-in-law, who is a lawyer, read the contract before I signed. The only "negative factor" is that they buy exclusive rights to a poem, which some greeting card companies do anyway. $700.00 for a published card right now? - I can live with that - keeping in mind that they are simply greeting cards.

Deb

Cabria said:

When I first started with them, my brother-in-law, who is a lawyer, read the contract before I signed.

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Not disparaging your brother-in-law, Cabria, because I know nothing about him or his practice, but it really, really matters whether or not your lawyer knows publishing law specifically. Keep this in mind when you have someone look over your contracts, ladies and gents.

Kiva Wolfe said:

For what it is worth, according to the P&E site, Blue Mountain Arts, Inc. has a:

Poor contract and is not recommended.

I'd contact the site administrator to find out why. Go to: http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors

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My question: WHO is saying that BM'S contract is poor?

Has anyone contacted the site administrator?

Cassie

Aconite said:

Not disparaging your brother-in-law, Cabria, because I know nothing about him or his practice, but it really, really matters whether or not your lawyer knows publishing law specifically. Keep this in mind when you have someone look over your contracts, ladies and gents.

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Ummm...he knows publishing law. The contract is straightforward. On an added note, BMA is the highest paying greeting card company to freelancers, by pay schedule. I have been working with them for ten years now. No problems. Editors super to work with. BMA has a very good reputation with their freelance writers. But yes, you are correct in keeping on top of contracts with any area of publishing, even if it is only greeting card.

Deb

Maybe someone could just get Dave (of P&E) to stop in...he's probably over in the NEPAT...

We took a look at their contract a couple of years ago. What we saw then was just too unfavorable to writers in P&E's opinion. They are a legitimate outlet for writers, but we just don't feel right in recommending them when we don't recommend other publishers with similarly poor contracts.

But why is their contract poor? It seemed really straight forward to me. I know some people might not like the fact that their work has to go through a two year market review, but other than that the contract seemed great.
And about the two year thing, I've signed contracts with Babybug and Ladybug and both said that it may be 2-3 years before you see your work in print or receive a check (and yes I know they are both Cobblestone Publishing).
Also, all three have you sign over all future rights to your work. I assumed that was routine. Is it?
I never have anyone look over my contracts because I can't afford to at this point. If there is something specific in Blue Mountain Arts contract that is unfavorable, I'd love to know what (for future reference).
Thanks,
Stacey

Cabria said:

Ummm...he knows publishing law.

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Fantastic--your own in-house publishing lawyer. You're so lucky.

Blue Mountain Arts

We took a look at their contract a couple of years ago. What we saw then was just too unfavorable to writers in P&E's opinion. They are a legitimate outlet for writers, but we just don't feel right in recommending them when we don't recommend other publishers with similarly poor contracts.

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I still don't understand why their contract is poor. I've had four more greeting cards accepted and thought I'd try one last time to get an answer before signing the contracts. Is the Market Review period why you think their contract is unfavorable? Or is it something else?
Thanks,
Stacey

I'm guessing it's because they buy poetry rather than simple greeting card messages, and they buy all rights, which means that you can never publish that poem again anywhere, ever. So if you write a meaningful poem to your mother or daughter or husband or whoever, and sell it to Blue Mountain, it's gone.

On the other hand, they pay reasonably well and their products are excellent quality and your name appears on the card as the writer of the poem.

Torin said:

I'm guessing it's because they buy poetry rather than simple greeting card messages, and they buy all rights, which means that you can never publish that poem again anywhere, ever. So if you write a meaningful poem to your mother or daughter or husband or whoever, and sell it to Blue Mountain, it's gone.

On the other hand, they pay reasonably well and their products are excellent quality and your name appears on the card as the writer of the poem.

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Thanks, I can deal with that. I believe I gave away all rights to the stories I've had published in magazines too. For little stuff like short stories and poems, I don't really mind because I don't know where else I'd publish it anyway.
Thanks again,
Stacey

Stacey Sweeney said:

For little stuff like short stories and poems, I don't really mind because I don't know where else I'd publish it anyway.

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Themed anthologies, foreign markets, year's best anthologies, radio shows, webzines, button manufacturers.... Never, never, never give away rights. If somebody wants them, they can darned well pay for them. For one of my poems, I earned two and a half times more in reprint money than I did for first rights, and I can still sell reprint rights.

Aconite said:

Themed anthologies, foreign markets, year's best anthologies, radio shows, webzines, button manufacturers.... Never, never, never give away rights. If somebody wants them, they can darned well pay for them. For one of my poems, I earned two and a half times more in reprint money than I did for first rights, and I can still sell reprint rights.

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So do you just reject contracts that say they want the rights? Or do you make changes to the contract? For Cricket Magazine Group, I signed one that said "....all my right, title and interest in their work." My other contract from them said the same thing. I don't really understand the one from Blue Mountain Arts, but it sounds similar. I just assumed it was normal to sign away the rights.

What do you do if you don't like the contract?
Thanks,
Stacey

Stacey Sweeney said:

So do you just reject contracts that say they want the rights? Or do you make changes to the contract?

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I change the contract. So far, that's always been accepted.* If they wouldn't change the contract and for some reason I decided to go ahead with the sale in spite of their requiring all rights (I have never done that, btw), then I'd make sure they were paying through the nose for my piece, because that's the only money I'd ever see from it and for all practical purposes I'd be kissing my work goodbye.

*Publishers will ask for the moon in their contracts, because you never get more than you ask for, but most will settle for less if you negotiate.

Just going to chime in quick: my mother actually had some of her paintings purchased by these guys at Blue Mountain, they paid her quickly and professionaly. I've never done any business with them myself, but thought I would add my $0.02 anyway