Out of Print--Limited Availability.
Select delivery location
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Kristine Kathryn Rusch
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Deal Breakers 2013: Contract Terms Writers Should Avoid (WMG Writer's Guide) Paperback – April 2, 2013

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
See all formats and editions
In recent years, traditional publishers have shifted from wanting only the rights they need to demanding as many rights as they can get, not just for the book under consideration, but for all books the writer writes. If the writer wants to remain a hybrid writer (utilizing both traditional and indie publishing)—or even leave and go to a different traditional publisher—he or she must negotiate a good contract. In this WMG Writer’s Guide, international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch helps writers navigate the changing tides of the publishing industry to make the best possible deal while retaining the rights to publish their works how and where they choose. Chapters in this book include: Deal Breakers Rights Reversion Agents and Audits
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    66 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 2, 2013
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.17 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0615789579
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0615789576
  7. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Award-winning, bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch has published books under many names and in many genres, including the nonfiction "bible for the self-employed," The Freelancer's Survival Guide, now in its third edition. She has owned several businesses, and has worked for herself for more than thirty years. For more information on her work, go to kristinekathrynrusch.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ WMG Publishing (April 2, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 66 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0615789579
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0615789576
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.35 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.17 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes in almost every genre. Generally, she uses her real name (Rusch) for most of her writing. Under that name, she publishes bestselling science fiction and fantasy, award-winning mysteries, acclaimed mainstream fiction, controversial nonfiction, and the occasional romance. Her novels have made bestseller lists around the world and her short fiction has appeared in eighteen best of the year collections. She has won more than twenty-five awards for her fiction, including the Hugo, Le Prix Imaginales, the Asimov’s Readers Choice award, and the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Choice Award.

Publications from The Chicago Tribune to Booklist have included her Kris Nelscott mystery novels in their top-ten-best mystery novels of the year. The Nelscott books have received nominations for almost every award in the mystery field, including the best novel Edgar Award, and the Shamus Award.

She writes goofy romance novels as award-winner Kristine Grayson.

She also edits. Beginning with work at the innovative publishing company, Pulphouse, followed by her award-winning tenure at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, she took fifteen years off before returning to editing with the original anthology series Fiction River, published by WMG Publishing. She acts as series editor with her husband, writer Dean Wesley Smith.

To keep up with everything she does, go to kriswrites.com and sign up for her newsletter. To track her many pen names and series, see their individual websites (krisnelscott.com, kristinegrayson.com, retrievalartist.com, divingintothewreck.com, fictionriver.com, pulphousemagazine.com).

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
14 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

SF Shopper
5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
It was just what I expected and was looking for. I had received a contract from a publisher, and was leaning against it, but wanted to know if I was overreacting to some of the terms. Ms. Rusch's book helped me feel confident in my analysis.

I'm an experienced media professional, and you'd think that would have armed me to react more objectively to the contract I was presented, but the excitement of being 'picked' by a publisher is very powerful for a would-be author, even when the novice author is an experienced businessperson. This book can empower authors to be a little less afraid about protecting their own interests.
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
A. Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read even after 2013
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
Rusch has no fluff in this book. She packs in highly valuable information for writers. I feel MUCH better prepared for negotiations. Also, it's a very good idea to read this BEFORE you have an offer on the table. It's important to be rational in that process, and preparation helps you stay rational and do what's best for your career as a writer.

I think she should retitle it because even though it's 2015 as I write this, I think it's just as relevant.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Mark R Yount
2.0 out of 5 stars Look Elsewhere
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2017
Verified Purchase
Rusch's blog was recommended to me, so I was surprised to find this slim volume to be a mix of a little helpful information, questionable opinion, and unnecessary (if justified) ranting. The 30 pages of the main section read as if they could have been dictated or typed in an hour or two with little editing. This content is covered much more thoroughly and professionally in Mark Levine's superb Negotiating a Book Contract (though you may need to find a used copy now). Eckstut & Henry's hefty and informative Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published also includes almost anything of value in Deal Breakers. Rusch's style is exemplified in her opinion that you're better off hiring an attorney to negotiate a contract for $500 than pay 15% of the deal to an agent "for work in which that agent has no expertise." But you can only negotiate if there is an interested party. I'd rather rely on an experienced literary agent to negotiate my contract than rely on an experienced contract lawyer to get me a contract offer from a publisher right for my book. Fine to recommend a lawyer, but why knock agents when theirs is a more embracing and potentially consequential role?
Helpful
 Report
Michael La Ronn
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2014
Verified Purchase
I'm surprised fewer people haven't read this. Rusch knows her contracts, and she walks you through the major clauses that you should beware on any publishing contract. A lot of this was familiar, but the agent clauses was new, and I would have never thought to look at that. If anyone you know gets a publishing contract, tell them to buy this book. It's well-written and you can read it pretty fast.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Аmazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars easy read, some useful info
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
easy read, some useful info, but still felt a litle light. It is a good intro / first step into the business
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jane Susann MacCarter
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb resource!
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2014
Verified Purchase
The realm of writing contracts and understanding legalese is super-intimidating to most of us... but Kristine Kathryn Rusch puts it in plain English. Smart, shrewd and no-nonsense, she's a terrific resource to have in one's corner. This book is definitely a keeper!
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
J.A. Marlow
5.0 out of 5 stars For All Writers Wanting To Go Pro
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2013
I read the free version of this, and wow, is it great. It doesn't try to cover all of the gotchas of publishing contracts, just the big ones. I appreciated this, as it kept me from becoming overwhelmed as a reader. It's a good basis to jump off for learning about other bad contract terms, or phrases and bits to look out for.

A writer who wants to work with big publishing should read this to get their feet wet. To know what to start looking for. To start learning what it means to be on the business side of the writing profession. Signing any contract pushed to you is a great recipe for disaster. Rusch's Deal Breakers 2013 book can help with that.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Dianne Greenlay
5.0 out of 5 stars Important Reference Book
Reviewed in Canada on July 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
I bought the print version of this little gem because I felt that it would contain way too much information to absorb at a single reading, and I still retain information better when I can access it in a physical copy rather than a digital version. And I was right. Not a single wasted page here. Well organized and stuffed with important points to consider. Rusch's book states plenty of examples of deal breakers, and more importantly, she explains WHY they are not in an author's favor. This book should be in every writer's personal library.
Report
J.F.Penn
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read if you are considering a publishing deal
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2013
Verified Purchase
There's a lot of smoke and mirrors in the publishing industry, and many authors are so blinded with happiness at a publishing deal, they neglect the small print of the contract. If you're an author signing any kind of publishing contract at any stage of your career, you must read this book. It may save you thousands and also a lot of heartache in your writing career.
One person found this helpful
 Report
C. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars but it's advice is so valuable it may be a good idea to have a hard copy to refer to
Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
This advice is online, but it's advice is so valuable it may be a good idea to have a hard copy to refer to.
Report