A Word from Lips Unsealed
Can you amplify on this? Were any of these companies publishing companies? What sort of rights did you handle? What sort of contracts did you help to negotiate? I ask because publishing contracts are highly specialized documents, with terms and clauses you don't find elsewhere, and experience with other kinds of contracts isn't necessarily transferable.
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I am glad to further explain. The companies that I am referring to include publishing companies (including the conglomerates, university presses, and smaller houses), magazines (foreign and domestic), journals and the like. I negotiated print reprint permissions, which is where a seperate source wants to reprint a either or portion of your work or it in its entirety (usually for an anthology or coursepack). I have also negotiated electronic rights for inclusion of work on web editions and databases. I am presently working on a database securing electronic rights where I am negotiating with publishing companies, magazines and journals, other literary agents and authors for over 700 selections. So I have been on the "other side" of rights which gives me insight on securing the best deal for our clients.
Also I would like to include some information about my partner, Amaris Dosi.
She studied linguistics at the graduate level at Florida Atlantic University. Linguistics being the scientific study of language in all its forms, puts her in an advantagious position to help author's polish their work. She has also worked with a educational database company for years as an editor. She was responsible for the selection of the articles, editing and proofreading of an entire volume of 80 articles on the topics of Government, World Affairs, Third World, and History. She was also responsible for one section of 20 articles of another volume. The profit from these sets of volumes totaled large sales for the company. They trust her work and so can any aspiring authors.
These are things that we don't normally discuss unless we are in the stage of signing a contract with a client. We don't ask for reading fees, or editorial fees or publicity fees (which is another service we offer our clients even AFTER we secure a deal).
We have a few strong books in the work so I'm sure very soon you will see that we put our money where are proverbial mouths are.
Best,
Kristi King