Category Archives: Book Contract

The following book contract information is subject to change at any time. Many contractual elements stated here are negotiable between the author and publisher.  Specific publisher-author contracts will be drawn up privately.

Copyright and Exclusive Rights

The author may retain copyright of his or her book, but Moon Willow Press (MWP) is assigned exclusive worldwide rights, including derivative works.

Author Royalties

The author will receive royalties for each book sale. Royalty percentages will be dependent on a number of factors, including third-party seller/distribution fees, book marketability, sales, and printing costs. Royalty agreements will be negotiable and remain private between  MWP and the author.  Because MWP is a start-up press, the author will not receive any advance payment. This may change in the future.

Author Warranty and Responsibility

The author must sign a statement that he or she has not plagiarized or sold the works to another publisher or distributor. The author must submit the manuscript in terms of the publisher’s guidelines, including correct layout and format.

The publisher may contract to work separately with the author in editorial and proofreading services, but the author is solely responsible for hiring his or her own editor and submitting a professionally written and proofed manuscript.

The author is responsible for acquiring all written permissions and correct citations for illustrations in the book, including cover art, charts, graphs, photographs, scans, and drawings. The author must provide written permissions from any and all contributing illustrators for the use of their works. Any financial agreements between authors and artists remain separate from the publisher. MWP may be able to direct the author to find artists if needed.

Non-Compete Clause

The author will agree to not write and sell a similar work that would compete in market for the work being submitted and sold to MWP.

Book Schedule

MWP and the author will decide the scope of the book’s publication together, with consideration of personal schedules.

Publication Delay

MWP may end a contract prior to publication if the author does not present works as defined in the guidelines or as fit for publication.

Book Marketing

The author holds responsibility (according to submission guidelines) for researching the marketability of his or her book and advertising it upon publication. While MWP will help to market and advertise the title, much of responsibility also falls onto the author. The reasoning behind this is MWP’s start-up status, but  marketing avenues may grow in the future with staff and growth. MWP holds no guarantee for the book’s saleability. Moon Willow Press will acquire EAN barcodes to be printed on books, and will be able to sell to interested book-sellers.

Book Printing and Distribution

MWP will be responsible for book printing and distribution. MWP will print only on FSC-certified or post-consumer paper, and will print only in short-print cycles unless there is more demand for the book. MWP will pay for all printing; shipping costs are incurred through the customer. MWP will work with the author to decide initial printing run number.

MWP will handle sales and distribution via the press’s website and other outlets, including Amazon and Smashwords (for e-books). Smashwords offers an e-book service in many formats, including HTML, Kindle, Epub, PDF, RTF, LRF (Sony reader), PDB (Palm reader), and so on. Because of the small print run reality for most authors, distribution of paperback books are made only on MWP’s website. At times local bookstores or libraries may pick up a book, but MWP is not a big press and will not distribute through corporate channels nor bookstores unless the book sales are high enough for larger print runs and proper distribution.

Editorial Services

The author’s manuscript submission must be, to the best of the author’s knowledge, edited and proofed prior to submission. MWP’s publishing services may include free editorial services such as proofreading, content editing, and development. These services  will be applied only under exception and in private agreement between the author and Moon Willow Press. For promising titles that require heavier editorial work, Moon Willow Press can be hired separately for these services when time allows.

Author Copies

The author will receive 10 free copies of his or her book after printing. A limited number of free review copies may also be available upon request. There is a one-time free shipment of the author’s requested copies; this shipment is sent only to the author.