Understanding Contracts

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Understanding Publishers’ Contracts

An essential part of any author’s reference library, this practical book covers publishers’ contracts from the author’s point of view. Michael Legat offers a thorough but comprehensible survey of the subject. He analyses a typical contract, explaining the meaning of each clause and commenting on its effect and what he thinks is regarded as fair by current standards.

As well as hardback contracts, he also covers paperback and American agreements, as well as those for special kinds of publishing such as illustrated books, packagers’ titles, and academic and educational books.

If you’ve ever struggled to understand a publisher’s contract, this book will give you the answers you need and give them to you in an accessible, non-legalistic way that you will be able to understand.