Does anyone have a standard non-exclusive publishing contract that they would be able to share? I'd like to start with something that I can adapt to my needs rather than beginning from scratch. Writing contracts is not an area of expertise for me.
You might consider the book: "Business and Legal Forms for Photographers" by Tas Crawford. I bought the 3rd edition (2002) used for about $12 at Amazon. This book has 31 forms including a book publishing contract.
Sounds like you are on a good track Erik. It may seem premature before you business volume builds, but we long ago did two things that have really simplified our transactions. We had multi-copy (i.e., "carbon-copy") invoices printed by Quill with all the usual bells and whistles. Very reasonable price and incredibly handy. In addition they also have our model release on them with a separate slot for signing, and a statement of our general terms for photo use. In day to day applications, we also spell out any additional terms and exceptions for specific photos and contracts.
This all does two things. It's pretty easy to demonstrate that folks agreed to the terms when they sign such a form and write us a check (or more commonly now, slap plastic). It's also really simplified our own paper tracking to have all the agreements incorporated into our normal billing/filing system. Our business is really diverse, involving hundreds of clients a year ranging from small to large, so this has evolved into a huge help.
Even starting small in your case, I'd sure try to think long term and figure out how you are going to incorporate this year's transactions into your record keeping system ten years from now when your volume is really high. Yeah, you're good enough that it will happen if you want it to!
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4 repliesThis all does two things. It's pretty easy to demonstrate that folks agreed to the terms when they sign such a form and write us a check (or more commonly now, slap plastic). It's also really simplified our own paper tracking to have all the agreements incorporated into our normal billing/filing system. Our business is really diverse, involving hundreds of clients a year ranging from small to large, so this has evolved into a huge help.
Even starting small in your case, I'd sure try to think long term and figure out how you are going to incorporate this year's transactions into your record keeping system ten years from now when your volume is really high. Yeah, you're good enough that it will happen if you want it to!