People working in Contracts are responsible for drawing up and
negotiating contracts between author and publisher. The continual aim
is to organise the best deal for the company whilst still keeping all
parties happy. The main points of internal contact will be with Rights
and Editorial: once these departments have initially
brokered a deal, it is important that Contracts take over so as to
preserve the editorial/author working relationship.
They also work alongside the Legal department to ensure that anything
agreed on will have legal weight. Day-to-day work includes drafting
and negotiating contracts including ones between the publishers and
the UK authors, but also contracts with ghost writers, translators
and artists. They also advise on related issues such
as offer letters or cancellation of contracts whilst constantly ensuring
that terms remain within company policy.
Good negotiating skills and patience are clearly important whilst
agreeing the terms of a specific contract. People also need strong
attention to detail so as to prevent any future misunderstandings. An
ability to communicate effectively is also necessary; not just while
coordinating the finer points of a contract, but also when relaying the
agreements to the various other departments so they too know their
responsibility to the author.
Owing to numerous changes in the publishing industry, not the least of which is digitisation, a modern publishing house arguably contracts more frequently and in a greater variety of ways than ever before. Since joining Random House a little under two years ago, I’ve been involved in drafting and negotiating a vast range of documents for an equally vast range of titles, from head contracts to audio agreements, for film and TV tie-ins to all genres of fiction and non-fiction. The learning curve is steep and a curiosity about all aspects of a book’s life is essential: the opportunity to learn from other departments and external sources is a constant. And this works both ways of course: one vital part of our role is the ability to provide other departments with information and guidance quickly and clearly.
Immediately prior to my working here, I worked in a medium-sized literary agency in North London. This general position was an invaluable all-purpose introduction to the book business from an agency’s perspective. My experiences there have certainly fed into my work at Random House where I enjoy extensive dealings with literary agents, lawyers and authors, many repeatedly, and the earlier job has helped me to understand the other party’s likely concerns and needs in doing the best for their clients or for themselves. It’s equally enjoyable to guide another party through the contractual process for the first time as it is to lock horns with someone more experienced than yourself.
