It would never occur to me to have to pay for this, honestly. But if people are willing to, go for it. I'd think that the act of bidding/paying for the privilege would imply consent--wouldn't it?
You are absolutely right, but (a) I'm a lawyer, and (b) I'm in America.
I'm actually thinking of making the waiver itself part of my presentation, which means it will be funny.
Here's the waiver the winner(s) will sign:
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On May 19, 2013, I took part in a raffle at BookPeople in Austin, and even though I complain about never winning anything, my name was picked.
I therefore acknowledge that my mildly egocentric desire to see my name in a novel is being realized. To be clear, I entered this contest because I actively want my name and physical likeness to appear in one of the Hugo Marston books.
I also agree to the following:
-- the character who is given my name might be a murderer, a masochist, a priest, or a pervert. Or, all four.
-- the character who is given my name might appear just once in the novel, or may become a recurring character.
-- the character who is given my name might be killed off as soon as he or she appears; I agree that this does NOT mean the author wishes to kill me off and I will not take it personally if the character who is given my name is shot, stabbed, smothered, skewered, or otherwise made dead.
Furthermore, I agree to give up all control over my fictional appearance. The character who is given my name may be beautiful, ugly, tall, short, fat or thin. He or she may be a snappy dresser, a slob, or even wear clothes normally associated with the opposite sex. Or a nudist.
Additionally, if I win and I have a silly name, I give unconditional permission to the author and his characters to make fun of it. If I don't have a silly name, the author or his characters may still make fun of it.
In summary, I entered this raffle voluntarily and with the sole intention of giving my name to Mark Pryor to use as he sees fit in any number of his Hugo Marston novels. If I decide later that I do not wish my name to be used, I appreciate that it is at the sole discretion of the author whether or not to stop using that name.
Finally, I understand and agree that if a block-buster movie is made, I do not automatically get to play the character who is given my name, but will have to attend a casting call like everyone else.
