Guild Calls for Higher Royalties, Contract Limits

Next, the Guild said that the acceptance of a manuscript should not be a "matter of whim," and that a "publishing agreement based on a proposal is not an option, it is a contract to publish and pay, assuming the author delivers." The group also took on payment structure, and argued that advances "must remain advances," urging publishers to move away from payment schedules divided into three or four parts. The Guild said they "defeat the whole purpose of advances: to enable authors to devote themselves to completing their books without having to take on other work to make ends meet."