Synopsis
Kirsch's Guide to the Book Contract is a comprehensive clause by clause guide to the standard (and not so standard) book contract. Award winning attorney and author Jonathan Kirsch sweeps away the confusing verbiage and cuts to the key points. Kirsch's guide is an indispensable tool for every writer, publisher, editor and agent, whether novice or vet.
Reviews
Kirsch, an intellectual property attorney and author, presents a companion volume to his popular Handbook of Publishing Law (LJ 4/1/95). The new work opens with a model book publishing contract. Through the remainder of the book, each of the contract's representative clauses is explained, alternatives are offered, and terminology is defined. Kirsch uses different icons within the text to signal matters of special concern to authors or publishers. "Deal points," those parts of a contract that pertain to the particular rights assigned and the amount of compensation for them, are noted with a dollar sign. In addition to laying out the practical and legal meanings of the components of the contract, the author dispenses strategic advice designed to help the parties to the book deal consider all their rights and options. Kirsch succeeds in presenting the legal concepts without oversimplifying and prepares those participating in the contracting process for the new ways in which books are being written, published, and sold. Recommended for most public libraries.AJoan Pedzich, Harris, Beach & Wilcox, Rochester, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Publishing law probably isn't any more or less complicated than any other group of laws, but it is still an area to which few lawyers can claim much expertise. Kirsch is one of the few who specializes in intellectual property and publishing law, and he attempts to demystify the book contract. Aimed at publishers, authors, editors, and agents, Kirsch's Guide picks up where his well-received Handbook of Publishing Law left off. At the center is the model book contract. He breaks this standard "boilerplate" contract down, explaining even its smallest clauses and major deal points. Particularly valuable are tips highlighted by symbols marking them as useful for either publishers or authors. A glossary helps those who are still learning publishing "legalese." For anyone who needs to know what "work-for-hire" really means before they see it in a book contract. Marlene Chamberlain
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