Contract for a book

[Beth Agnew]

It's not about how much you make, but how much you keep. Hang on to that 
intellectual property tightly! If they are giving you author credit, 
make sure there are very few strings on what you can do with that book 
later. Also try to work it so that if they need updates, they have to 
come to you. You may never do anything outside the company with the 
book, but you never know... books with a more commercial spin are great 
calling cards for very lucrative future work. Find out how much of that 
book you'll actually "own", if any of it, and what other ways they plan 
to use it. You will also have "moral rights" to the book if your name is 
on it. Maybe not a concern if it's highly technical but worth thinking 
about. Will this be simply a work for hire? That's okay, if you can 
liberally show the book afterward as your creation.

Apart from that -- which you may or may not be able to accomplish 
depending on subject matter and the purpose of the book -- I'd quote on 
a project basis. Ask them what their budget is, flat out. They'll 
probably tell you. Then figure out if you want to do it for that. (I 
think the money is probably unimportant anyway, you'd get more value 
from having done the book and leveraging it as a portfolio item.) 50 
pages -- just off the top of my head $2500.00. If that gives them a 
heart attack, then say, Well, most books like this cost that much to 
write, but since I already have much of the material together, I could 
probably do it for less. What did you have in mind?" Then you have a 
basis for negotiation.

Quoting on any job is a complex dance of what you'll do it for, what you 
need to keep the rent paid, what the market will bear, what you think 
you can squeeze out of them, and what would make both parties happy 
enough to do it again. Hence the analogy that writing is like 
prostitution. :-)

R. Armstrong wrote:
> I am on my way out the door at this job, but before I leave, the Marketing
> department wants me to write a book for them.  They want it to be a short
> 'Dummies Guide'  (48 pages,) but are willing to let me keep author credit
> and pay me a contract rate. If they went with someone else, they would have
> to spend more time and money on training that person. I'm already an SME on
> the theme for the book. 
>
> Since this is the first time I've ever considered this type of proposal, I
> am completely stumped when it comes to how much I should charge for writing
> the book. I know that the book is to be used 'mostly' as marketing
> collateral, so asking for a percentage of sales would be rather worthless.
> I have though about charging per page, or per hour.  I know it should take
> about 3 weeks of full time work to do the research and writing, so I could
> have a decent estimate on the cost if I charged by the hour. Unfortunately,
> I'm not sure what that hourly rate should be. 
>
> Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I seem to remember a similar
> thread some time back, but I couldn't find it in the archive.
>   
-- 
Beth Agnew
Catch the Buzz: http://bethbuzz.blogspot.com
STC Presentation archived at:
http://www.301url.com/podcasting

Professor, Technical Communication
Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
Toronto, ON 416.491.5050 x3133
http://www.tinyurl.com/83u5u