CONTRACT REVIEW
Barbara Florio Graham will review your publishing contract, commenting on the contract terms, flagging problems, suggesting modifications, and letting you know if there are any clauses that you should refer to a lawyer.
Barbara is not a lawyer, and she is not offering legal services. But she's had sufficient experience (having worked as a law clerk) to understand legal language, and has considerable expertise in contract terms and copyright.
Her rate begins at $75/hour, which is considerably less than a lawyer would charge for the same service, and unless you know an entertainment/literary lawyer, he or she may not understand some of the terms used in standard publishing contracts. In most cases, this can be accomplished in two hours.
After a brief email exchange, Bobbi will be able to give you an idea of how long it might take to review your book contract. If it's long and complex, it may take more than one hour. But the fee will never be more than $300.
One client who recently used this service said he showed Bobbi's comments to his lawyer, who was impressed with Bobbi's advice. He charges $200-300 per hour to review contracts for his clients.
One recent client said: I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your diligence. I love your devotion. It feels wonderful under your wing.
Another wrote: I recently received a request from my publisher to change a clause in my book contract. I wasn't sure whether the change was reasonable, so I contacted Bobbi as I knew she had a contract review service. In addition to confirming that the request was valid, she offered excellent advice on how to negotiate the change. I was very pleased with her help and am glad to know that I have such a good resource available if I have questions in the future. (Kim Thornton, writer, editor, former columnist at MSNBC.com)
And here's one more comment: Negotiating the maze of legalese that comprises the book contract world would have been much more daunting without you! My partner and I found your guidance to be prompt and professional. (Elissa Wolfson, award-winning author and editor)
See more testimonials here.
Check Bobbi's credentials on her website: www.SimonTeakettle.com, and contact her via e-mail, at BFG at SimonTeakettle.com.