Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellmark
From my take of things, it isn't quite that way. The author mentions how the contract was for a novel, and what they'd self published was short story collections. How is it bad faith?
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They gave her an
advance on a novel. As Elfwreck pointed out, the contract almost certainly grants the publisher exclusive rights.
Otherwise, you could have an author who signs with multiple publishers at once, and each one getting "one book each."
I don't know what the contracts say about re-releasing back catalog.
I am also guessing that communication on both sides was problematic. She should have notified the publisher of her intentions during the negotiation phase, especially since it sounds like she plans to re-issue older work -- which could easily be a nightmare for marketing. Her agent really should have head this problem off at the pass.
The publisher probably didn't handle this perfectly either; it would probably be good for her to release something this year, or at least have thoroughly reviewed timing and strategies with her, given that she was accustomed to releasing what she wanted at any time. At the same time, to them she probably looks like a loose cannon who would issue titles without informing them or with any regard to a marketing strategy.