I'm purposefully not revealing the publisher due to potential legal issues (ie I don't want to be sued) and that fact that a couple people here on AW might be submitting (or otherwise involved).
The portion of the submission terms that stopped me in my tracks was as follows,
"
Rights
If accepted, <redacted> acquires lifetime rights for web (each story will be archived for the life of the site) and first worldwide anthology rights for both print and eBook. <redacted> does not take any film rights or other media. Year’s Best Anthologies are excluded from these rights, meaning that if your work would be accepted in the major year’s best anthos (edited by <redacted>, etc.), then it would be free to be reprinted in those specific publications.
Publication
The initial publication will be on our website <redacted> This website is a subscriber-based / members-only site, so your work will not be accessible to the general public—only to paid subscribers). <redacted> will also be publishing stories in an anthology series to be published in eBook and a best-of anthology published in eBook and paperback.
Payment
All authors will receive 5 cents per word payable on initial publication, plus 1 free copy of all print editions their work appears in. In addition, authors will get a complimentary lifetime subscription to the <redacted> site."
The part that worries me is the "lifetime rights for web" portion.
While I'm sure the publishers are above-board (given that I know of their editor and a couple others from here at AW) this part worries me a great deal. In theory, the lifetime of a website is forever.
Tell me I'm wrong?
The portion of the submission terms that stopped me in my tracks was as follows,
"
Rights
If accepted, <redacted> acquires lifetime rights for web (each story will be archived for the life of the site) and first worldwide anthology rights for both print and eBook. <redacted> does not take any film rights or other media. Year’s Best Anthologies are excluded from these rights, meaning that if your work would be accepted in the major year’s best anthos (edited by <redacted>, etc.), then it would be free to be reprinted in those specific publications.
Publication
The initial publication will be on our website <redacted> This website is a subscriber-based / members-only site, so your work will not be accessible to the general public—only to paid subscribers). <redacted> will also be publishing stories in an anthology series to be published in eBook and a best-of anthology published in eBook and paperback.
Payment
All authors will receive 5 cents per word payable on initial publication, plus 1 free copy of all print editions their work appears in. In addition, authors will get a complimentary lifetime subscription to the <redacted> site."
The part that worries me is the "lifetime rights for web" portion.
While I'm sure the publishers are above-board (given that I know of their editor and a couple others from here at AW) this part worries me a great deal. In theory, the lifetime of a website is forever.
Tell me I'm wrong?
