Rule #3.5 - Read your contracts (addendum)

People, we told you this right from the start - so pay attention cause here is another reason just why you must always READ YOUR CONTRACTS!

If you are ever given a contract that has something termed a" Life Of Copyright" - DO NOT SIGN IT! This is seriously shady from what we discovered and is beyond the lowest form of scum sucking organisms. Hell, this is an insult to scum sucking organisms. This will screw you over so many ways of Sunday you won't know if you are coming or going. If you read this or anything similar in your contract contact your lawyer promptly and let him/her know about your find. If you do not have a lawyer you call up your publisher and tell them you will NOT be signing a contract with that "Life Of Copyright" in it. You want a set number of years written up in a fully revised contract.

If they hem and haw and basically try to blow smoke up your ass tell them thank you but you will be taking your business (ie: your book and all the potential money it will make) elsewhere. And ensure that they send you a copy of your book back. With it being mostly electronic these days you have to have a record of some sort that they "returned" your book to you in the same condition you sent it to them in.

So, quick recap. If you receive a contract from your publisher without a very set time frame that they will own the copyright of your work(s), DO NOT SIGN! Also, don't be an idiot and sign for anything over 7 years. You can always renegotiate if you want at a later date but by that point you may hate the very air your publisher breathes so don't do it in the here and now. If they insist on something over the 7 years - talk to your lawyer and make the call. But our advice would be to walk away - something be smelling hinky in here!

The Moderator

PS - Unless of course you are Stephen King or JR Ward or someone of that awesome megastar level, and have lawyers to shred idiots who try to pull shit over on you, so do whatever you want. WE LOVE YOU!