13 May 2022 | From the friendly caves of Pixie Hollow.
Relatively recently I sent a contract that terrified the pants off a CEO.
The reason for the terror was a four-page contract specifying license conditions.
The immediate fear it generated speaks loads for how few professionals consider licensing considerations for their work. And how even fewer people are used to reading license terms.
The terms in my contracts specify:
- what is covered
- in what form
- for what purpose
- in which territory
- in which language
- in what format/s
- whether it's adaptable - and if so, how so
- whether it's shareable
- whether it can be interpreted
- whether you can sub-license the material
- whether or not it is exclusive
... and so on and so forth.
As far as licensing terms go, it's pretty clear: Just a standard run of tables with boxes checked off wherever they're relevant.
Now the CEO who freaked out didn't read the contract.
If she had, she would have seen that it was offering:
- exclusivity
- adaptation
- global rights
- in all useful and necessary forms for their business to gain maximum benefit.
Without wanting to be too generic, I am going to state that this is something I often discover in the not-for-profit sector. People flip out about normal business, as if for-profit and not-for-profit are wildly different things. (Spoiler alert: Nope.)
When I form a collaboration with someone, this contract is only the beginning! We also discuss
- moral rights and whether waiving is appropriate
- whether or not it's a collaboration and if so, how transparent that's going to be
- royalties, particularly if the full copyright is being handed over (including how they're measured, how they're reported, whose responsibility is whose...)
- disclosure requirements and whether a separate contract for non-disclosure is necessary.
WHY would I tell you all of this?
Well, firstly, because I've got vacancy for ghostwriting clients coming up - and I like potential clients like you, {{ subscriber.first_name or "Pixieling" }} to be informed.
And secondly because unprofessional writers never talk about licenses.
Seriously, if you're an artist of any kind and you don't discuss licenses, I shudder to think how much money you've left on the table over your life!
Licensing for ANY content and communications work is necessary.
I don't care what your business is or how you create your material, but if you're not thinking about licensing then you're not thinking about the future.
Y'know, pro tip right there.
In any case:
Right now I have just two openings for ghostwriting clients from 1 July. Here's the deal:
- It's expensive
- You have to be willing to get dirty, to think, to feel
- You have to be willing to bare everything about your life or business or methods or whatever it is
- You have to remember it's a collaboration, not an abdication.
If you have dreams of being a keynote speaker, a bestseller, or just someone (or some business) with a real and meaningful legacy, it could be for you.
You can find out with a discovery call.
xx Leticia 'sharp down to the wire' Mooney
Please let me know what I can do for you.
Leticia Mooney is a consultant with decades of experience writing with and for people like you. Her company Brutal Pixie casts the kind of spells your customers love. Its services are oracles (communication strategy, CCX, audits, investigations, quality assurance), metamorphoses (training, mentoring, coaching, wargaming), and your stories in magick hands (ghostwriting, content writing, editorial support). Leticia is also
the mother of an intelligent, engaging, and curious boy, who is named after a character created by J.R.R Tolkien.
Follow
the enchanted link tree to discover more.
Brutal Pixie Pty Ltd works worldwide.
PO Box 1190, Pasadena SA 5042, Australia
Phone/Text (Signal/Telegram) +61 421 925 382