I posted that horrible contract, read with a growing righteous fury the offer he was making to these graduates - and then started to wonder what I would do.
Was I really appalled? Or was I jealous?
These people get a shot I won't get. They get a published author (even if it is a douchebag published author) as a mentor. If they write something worthwhile, it will get shown to a publisher who is interested already.
Is it really so much to ask? To say "In return for giving you your big break, I expect to get all the credit and most of the cash"?
Personally, my answer has to be - yes, it is too much to ask. It is too much to ask that I allow you a parasitic existence while I work my butt off with no guarantee of anything except a chance. It is too much to ask that if I work hard, you reap the benefits.
What would you do?
Word count - 1,201
This struck me as another twist on those people who come up to writers at parties and say, "I have a great idea for a book. You write it and I'll dedicate the book to you and give you thirty percent of the money when I get it published. Because it's my idea."
ReplyDeleteAnd that's still a (slightly) better deal than Frye's offering.
No thanks.