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literaticat · 2 months

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Hi Jenn. I'm the person who asked about the contract - wow, thank you SO much for all that helpful and detailed info. I really appreciate that answer. I have one quick follow-up (if you have time, no worries if not). You mentioned non-compete clauses. I don't think there is one in this small press contract (I'll double-check), but if in a few weeks/months a Big 5/agent/some offers (I can dream) on another book (unrelated) would having signed this contract affect that potential Dream Offer?

First, make sure the contract you are currently holding has no non-compete clause or a tight non-compete clause, AND it either has no option clause or a tight option clause. (These might be called something different, so do be sure to read the contract carefully!)

The non-compete clause will say something like, you agree that you won't publish another book within x-amount of time of this book. If they have something like this in there, they probably won't just get rid of it, but they should tighten it to be "another book on the same topic" or "another book for the same audience that would directly compete with this book", and make sure the time frame isn't onerously long. Obviously YOU shouldn't want to publish another book that would compete with this book at the same time as this book, either, because you want this book to do well, so it's not really a problem if there's SOMETHING like this in there, as long as it is not too broad.

The option clause will say something like, they get the first opportunity to look at your next book for a certain amount of time -- you want this either struck entirely, or you want it to say something specific, like confine it only to "the next book with the same characters" or "the next work of YA fiction set in the same world" or something of that nature.) Again, it's not really a problem if they have SOMETHING like this in there -- if the book does well, you'd WANT them to look at the next book that goes with this one! You just don't want it to be EVERY book you ever write, yanno?

SO: If there's no non-compete and/or option, and you get an offer from Big Publisher for your next book, you're good to go. If there's a tight non-compete and/or option, but the next book that Big Publisher offers on is totally different / unrelated so it doesn't conflict with either of these clauses, then you are good to go. If there's a very broad non-compete and/or option, you just have to make sure that you have fulfilled the terms of them, and if that's the case, you're good to go.

Then, be sure that the Big Publisher knows about the Small Publisher book and the timing of it, so they won't publish on the exact same season, and that their contract ALSO has no non-compete or option, or one that is sufficiently tight that there's no conflict with Small Publisher's contract.

Make sense?

#contract stuff

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morganbritton132 · 1 month

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No one tells you when you get a Big Serious Job™ how many fucking abbreviations you’ll be forced to learn.

#or how many abbreviations that you’ll come across that mean something different from what you’ve always known #I stopped reading a requisition to make this post because I read a sentence that was like #‘something something the COR and the contractor POC’#and I stopped like ‘contractor person of color???’ before remembering Point of Contract #also no one at my job tells you what any of this stuff means. they’re just like Morgan can you take care of this DOA?’#and I gotta sit there like Dead on Arrival??? before figuring out it’s a Delegation of Authority spreadsheet

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theminecraftbee · 7 months

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-slamming bolt upright in a cold sweat- what do you mean verbal contracts cleo. what do you MEAN verbal contracts cleo. artists if you're doing commercial work you're A) charging much higher rates and B) making them SIGN A CONTRACT, right? right? you understand why that's VITAL, right? why having a written contract is VITAL for commercial work? you understand? you make them sign a written contract? please if you go looking in proper artist/graphic design circles i'm sure you can find a basic form that's legal in your locality and doesn't require you talk to a lawyer but if you're doing commercial work you're MAKING THEM SIGN A CONTRACT RIGHT--

#stream liveblogging #sorry someone in a chat in my discord mentioned cleo said they were using verbal contracts and my raised-by-lawyers self sat bolt upright #artists: you can get away with just an email chain with a noncommercial commission #but if you're doing someone's branding/merch/commercial work #you've both GOTTA charge WAAAAY more #and you've GOTTA have a contract #and you've GOTTA check out the rights stuff (hint: you aren't giving them perpetual rights to the design unless you're charging out the ass #i'm not an artist or a lawyer so i don't know the exact details of how this should go down but #ohhhhhhh my god.#anyway this isn't supposed to be discourse i am certain basically every youtuber does this. unfortunately.#and i don't BLAME the ones who have because they just probably hadn't realized/assumed the people they were commissioning would know #but i'm just losing my marbles for a moment don't mind me.#oh my god.#ANYWAY BACK TO MY NORMAL SCHEDULED POSTS--.

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japhers · 1 year

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sometimes a family can be a mom, a dad, the overlord of the nine hells and a baby with recessive tiefling genes

#bea backstory... you can say... beakstory-#tiefling #oc stuff #artz #they didn't get into a contract at least Mr. Uncle Moe is playing the long game

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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 8 months

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At rest, your lungs wish to deflate, and your ribcage expands outwards.

#better drawn mdzs #mdzs #wei wuxian #yiling laozu #Happy Friday the 13th!#This is scientific fact btw!#Ventilation operates through a series of active and passive forces #The active forces being muscular contraction with inhalation and exhalation having their own set of muscles.#but the interesting part is the passive forces at work:#The lungs have a certain level of elasticity to them - meaning the more they expand the more the those elastic forces are functioning-#-to try and return the system to rest (exhalation passive forces). Your diaphragm is the main force - pushing against the lungs at rest.#Your ribcage on the other hand is under a state of being pulled outwards. It *wants* to be as open as possible.#These to contradicting forces create a constant push and pull which assists in the ebb and flow of air. Most significantly with exhalation.#Now that being said - the primary action of inhalation ventilation is through control centers in your brainstem.#If you lose connection to that due to trauma you're going to need ventilation assistance.#Small note: Respiration is the cellular event of chemical exchange in the alveoli. Ventilation is airflow and pressure.#They are both important but also very different things. Sadly used interchangeably.#My anatomy nerd brain is screaming over the inaccurate ribcage...but its...recognizable. I will get it right one day.#Okay nerd rant over (I cut out a lot of stuff about pressure gradients. They are cool. To me.)#This is a redraw of an mspaint doodle I made back in april. I yearn to make the Yiling Laozu eerie as he deserves #Tear that bitch (affectionate) apart!#Been playing around with hatching for a while and its amazing how many styles there are! Not sure I'll stick with this one (but it was fun)

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biggest-gaudiest-patronuses · 2 years

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people talk about how "helpless" and "underdeveloped" human babies are compared to newborns from other species (e.g. foals can gallop 24 hours after birth, newly hatched kiwi chicks feed themselves, etc)

But. can you imagine how absolute nightmarish it would be if newborn babies could run around and climb on top of stuff? and think of the birth-giving parent, not only are they exhausted and in pain now their baby is MOBILE AND ROAMING that would be terrifying

#if anything i think it should take LONGER for babies to walk and climb and stuff #when your language skills get to the point where we can have a conversation about why you are NOT allowed to lick the electric outlets #THAT is the point at which you are allowed to roam around the house #babe you are not getting out of that playpen until you enter into a verbal contract vis a vis Swallowing Random Objects

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ksz0t · 2 months

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this uhhhh fucking dude

#rick prime #prime rick #rick and morty #rick sanchez #the brainrot contracted from watching this show got so severe that i had to make an acc here for all the silly stuff i made so yeahh :))#ratynart

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itspileofgoodthings · 1 year

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one of my favorite things about pride and prejudice is that in the last third of the book Elizabeth’s internal monologue about Darcy is her admitting that she’s in love with him but also putting all sorts of qualifications around that statement that kind of ...tamp down the level of emotion (the “feelings, if not as tender as Jane’s for Bingley, at least as just” line, even the whole thing about her and Darcy being well-matched objectively speaking) and as soon as she’s engaged you get the unbridled joy in the narrative about her own joy, cc: “I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh.”

#pride and prejudice #jane austen #this is very obvious but it's in the narration itself #that she's trying to sort of distance herself from the depths of her own feelings in case this DOESN'T work out #i also think the rational stuff is totally true and she would say that after as well but she would say it in a different way #idk i just love it. it's so subtle and it's so true #also very obvious?? i feel like i'm making a very obvious point #but anyway 'elizabeth's feelings soon rising to playfulness etc. etc.'#also this is why i hated the end of a civil contract actually #i felt like she was tamping it all down and for some reason it just made me SO mad #like no. it's supposed to OVERFLOW NOW #adam being like 'and in the end the rational choice was jenny' sir i will FIGHT YOU IN THE PARKING LOT #idk i was student teaching and very emotional at the time maybe i missed something and read it wrong #but my entire spirit REBELED #like. how honestly DARE #i'm avoiding grading can you tell #yes you can I will go now

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wannabemylover · 8 months

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rewatching the first episode of Hannibal and holy shit I forgot how good this is but it's actually insane that Brian fuller set up the ep like this, he introduces will and Hannibal by first briefly showing them at their core, at the darkest, most vile part of them---we get a glimpse behind the curtain---and then its gone, the curtain is snapped shut and we see their masks, their human suits.

Will empathizes with killers because he likes it, and he wants to kill but he refuses to give into the urge because he knows how much he'll like it and he won't be able to stop. So he lives vicariously through other killers, satisfying his own dark urge by feeding it little morsels of secondhand blood lust. Every crime scene he works gives the urge something that satisfies it, not enough for it to grow, but enough for it be sate. Enough that he can ignore it for long enough that he can walk around and be Professor Will Graham who is Weird, Brash, and Non-sociable.

And Hannibal is a cannibal at night and a psychiatrist by morning.

#hannibal #hannigram #hanniblogging #hannigram brainrot is real #also ive watched the entirety of hannibal like four times and everytime i watch it i still find stuff to lose my mind over #brian fuller the brain that you have #winston my beloved #also plzzzz the way hannibal was just gonna kill jack with like no hesitation #AND the way hannibal was fucking smitten from the moment he spoke to will #like wills all like i hate eye contract its distracting as hell and hannibal is just looking at him like 😍😍😍#plss you are embarrassing yourself #also question #when will was like how do you see me and hannibal said that shit about the mongoose and the snakes and will just looks at him like ????#do yall think he was confused because he was genuinely like dude what the actual fuck are you saying #or because he understood it #and the woman at hobbs' work being like two guys from the fbi #and neither of them are technically from the fbi #just two insane dudes having a first date by larping an active fbi investigation #omg and when will shoots hobbs he realizes that oh fuck this is my chance this is my chance to kill and finally satisfy that dark urge #so after he shoots him once he just keeps shooting shooting shooting till its impossible for hobbs to survive for hobbs to be dead #till it was will that killed him

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pharawee · 1 month

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Studio Wabi Sabi announced today that they will close down their artist management department and from now on focus on production.

Artist management will continue as usual until the end of established contracts (and there's currently a lot of artists on Wabi Sabi's roster ... they haven't even updated their website yet).

Several artists have already terminated their contracts and jumped ship over to gmmtv:

I don't know what this means for... literally all of my faves (who are at this point still with Wabi Sabi) but I hope Bas, Earth, Benz, Art, Tor and Oat will quickly find new managements too. Bas doen't even have one (1) finished Wabi Sabi Project under his belt (the Fourever Project pilot trailer not counting). 😭

#bl industry #thai bl #studio wabi sabi #gmmtv #jane watches stuff #idk what to tag this #i don't want to rain on anyone's parade #esp since many people will so happy that bounprem and santa are with gmmtv now #personally i find gmmtv's style rather samey and uninnovative atm so i'm :|#plus it's never a good thing for an industry to have a company with such a large monopoly/artist roster #i'm very happy for boun prem and santa though because yay good artist contracts #santa esp will be huge

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ddarker-dreams · 1 year

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Be Still My Bleeding Heart.

Yan Zhongli x God Reader.

[The First Contract index]

Warnings: Yandere themes, unhealthy relationships, power imbalance o'clock. Word count: 2k.

“I’ve heard you’ve been frequenting the Stone Gate.”

Zhongli’s way of speaking is best compared to a geode. Seemingly insignificant upon initial viewing, but once cracked open, you’ll find yourself enthralled by the contents within. There’s so much to dissect and digest. You’ve become fluent in his language throughout the centuries. It wasn’t always a necessary skill. He matured with each passing millennia, his mannerisms aging like a fine wine, though they became no easier to swallow.

Gone were the days of him using brute force to tackle his way through every challenge waiting before him. He’s patient with enough cunning to match.

You almost miss how simple it once was to get a read on your husband. It requires a great deal more effort now, a resource you’d prefer to expend anywhere else than on him.

“I have,” you don’t see the point in lying. “Do you take issue with the fact?”

“That remains to be seen.”

You’d sigh, but even that feels like you’d be giving him too much. You keep your lips pursed to rectify this. He could be so obstinate about the most trivial details. That element of himself has remained consistent since time immemorial. All you wanted was to take a pleasant stroll through Yuehai Pavilion before returning to your usual activities, yet it seems that’s asking for too much.

Zhongli was waiting when you ascended the steps, his hands folded behind his back, warm amber eyes rivaling the sunset in its intensity. They softened for a mere instant, whatever non-issue you were inevitably about to get reprimanded over temporarily slipping his mind. Sickeningly sweet affection poured forth like vaults of honey, suffocating you in thick layers. You weighed the merits of turning around and venturing elsewhere, then remembered this fabled ‘elsewhere’ doesn’t exist.

He might be testing mortal life, but that doesn’t make Liyue any less of his domain than it was when the Yakshas were greater in number and the adepti gathered for banquets at the Guili Assembly. He could follow you anywhere, you can’t control that. You can, however, control how bad of a mood he’ll be in when he finds you.

Presently, Zhongli places an unwelcome hand on your shoulder, the gesture that was meant to comfort you worse than the spears chaining Osial down to an abyssal depth.

“I hope this isn’t a consequence of us living amongst the people of the Harbor.”

In the same way you are attuned to him, Zhongli is an uncontested expert in all things concerning you. His fervor is born from ardor whereas yours stems from a place of self-preservation. There is no side of you he hasn’t seen, no angle he hasn’t committed to memory with the zeal of a religious fanatic. His seemingly infinite reservoir of knowledge frightens you. There are times when you wonder if he knows you better than you know yourself.

This is further evidence of the possibility.

“… What do you mean by that?”

Zhongli raises an eyebrow. “My heart, please, don’t play dense. We both know you’re anything but. Something’s been troubling you ever since we’ve taken up residence here. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy adjustment, but if this is proving too detrimental for your wellbeing, I’ll have to take appropriate measures.”

You place your hands on the railing in front of you, leaning forward ever so slightly. The wind catches in your hair, carrying the familiar scent of the ocean and dinner being cooked by households awaiting the return of their loved ones. The day draws to a close. You hear laughter, the sound of children playing; two boys struggling to keep up with a little girl who goads them on. This lively scene cannot be found atop Mt. Hulao or any other secluded area you’d be held prisoner in if he thinks it best.

“You take on everyone’s burdens,” Zhongli disregards the view in favor of examining your side profile. You know which one he finds more picturesque. “I adore and fear that trait of yours. I knew there’d be no avoiding it, as it’s embedded in your nature, but I didn’t anticipate you getting this attached.”

“You’re exaggerating the severity of things.”

“Am I?” There’s a slight challenge in his voice you can’t bring yourself to match. “I heard you requested Xiao’s assistance in finding a little girl’s lost doll. An expedition that took multiple days of our Conqueror of Demons’ time.”

“Children are Liyue’s future — I’m doing my part to ensure their happiness.”

“Last week, I found you lecturing a gentleman who voiced dislike of Xinyan’s music. It took you an hour for you to notice my presence. Another hour to let him leave.”

“It was a civil discussion, not a lecture. I left room for him to interject if he had anything worthwhile to say. It isn’t my fault he became tongue-tied when his brutish behavior was confronted.”

“You recently asked me to reshape a mountain range so that Qiqi would have easier passage on her herb-collecting journeys.”

“Are you not the one who once promised me you’d ‘shift the sun’s placement in the sky’ if I ever found it unsatisfactory?”

Zhongli coughs into his gloved hand to hide his embarrassment. “I… was young then. My prose reflects that.”

“2,500 hardly qualifies as young, old man.”

“It does for beings like us. Now,” he seems eager to move on from the subject, “The examples I listed are the mildest. You’re spreading yourself thin, concerning yourself with matters beyond your control. I’ve seen what it did to you in the past. As your husband, I must ensure that doesn’t happen again.”

There’s something else at play here, yet you’ll leave that detail to be uncovered later.

“If I’m understanding this correctly, you’re criticizing me for caring about the people who you spent centuries shedding blood — yours and others — over.”

You don’t bother hiding the bitterness on your tongue. He’s worse than a thorn in your side, he’s a knife, jabbed in so deep that pulling it out is no longer an option. You have to live with the blade’s intrusion and adjust accordingly to the pain. It’s obvious to you that he’s been stewing on this for a while, the trips to the Stone Gate must’ve been the final nail in the coffin. You’ll both argue circles around each other until the heart of the issue is addressed.

The specifics of the contract you signed many, many years ago stipulate you may not leave Liyue’s borders unless a particular list of requirements is met. It isn’t like Zhongli is actively looking to punish you — he said so many times himself — which is why he becomes extra stifling when he thinks you’re pushing your limits. Or his limits, to be precise. The God of Contracts takes these matters very seriously.

Eventually finding you can’t take the silence any longer, you come right out and say it. “It’s true that I can get a bit too… involved when it comes to helping mortals. I see the solution right in front of me and wish those involved could see it too. That’s why I was seeking out a fellow god who is better at handling these situations with the appropriate nuance.”

His face gives away nothing when he speaks. The same cannot be said for the low timbre his voice takes on.

“And what god other than myself might my dearest spouse be seeking the audience of?”

“Barbatos,” you reply without hesitation. Something cold runs through the air between you. “He’s lived amongst mortals for so long. I might have some issues with his carefree temperament, but he knows how to guide others in that human form of his. Perhaps ‘guide’ isn’t the right word. He offers just enough for them to reach the solutions themselves. I want to learn from him.”

In a split second, his diamond-shaped pupils thin into slits, reminiscent of his draconic form. It’s gone in the time it takes you to blink. He sighs, his gaze finally breaking off from you. You feel his hand settle on the small of your back in what can only be described as a possessive gesture. Zhongli rarely touched you in public for the sake of social decency. This revelation must’ve been enough for him to discard the propriety he associates himself with in the current era.

You can tell he’s thinking and you let him. While he chews on the truth, your eyelashes flutter shut, blocking out the sensory stimuli you normally adore. Memories come and go like the ocean’s waves brushing up against the shoreline of your beloved Yaoguang Shoal. Had things gone differently, you’re confident you would’ve learned the lessons you’re currently seeking out on your own. The centuries you were forced to spend separated from mortals, incapable of answering their many desperate prayers, built an intimidating wall.

You’d either need to scale it or tear it down in its entirety — you’re not going to let your husband add to its height.

“He’s a whimsical spirit, so our paths never managed to cross,” you look up at the stony countenance of Zhongli, who weighs your every word on an internal scale. Judgment could be in your future dependingly. “I’ll stop making my trips there. You have my word.”

“You can continue to do so as long as I am present,” his earrings catch the dimming sunray’s when he turns his head in your direction. “I’m not the unreasonable man you try to make me out to be, [First]. Let this be proof of that.”

No, he’s probably worse. Hiding his domineering tendencies beneath a thin veneer of amicability. You keep the thought to yourself. You’ve already pushed him far today by admitting what you did. Limits were meant to be teased, not breached. No one knows this like you do.

“I accept the terms of this contract.”

Seemingly content with this, he nods, his hand detaching from you while he does so. The vortex of tension surrounding you dissipates in an instant. You could relax your posture, but you don’t, a frown working its way onto your face. Encountering Venti by chance really would’ve been ideal, even if it was a long shot. Understanding the hearts of others was one thing, granting them the same vision is another.

“You’re doing it again, aren’t you?” Zhongli muses. It’s a tactic he loves utilizing. Giving vague statements or suggestions so you have no choice but to ask for him to elaborate. An intelligent tactic from a conniving god.

You take the bait, uncaring of how his hook will sink into your flesh.

“Hm?”

“Taking on everyone’s burdens,” he clarifies. “Whatever should I do with you?”

You make a face. He really could do anything he wanted to you — the gap in your divine power is that sizable. It’s by his mercy and self-proclaimed “love” alone that he puts up with your near-constant ambivalence. Not wanting to linger on this uncomfortable topic, you turn on your heels, preparing to descend the steps and return to Liyue Harbor’s heart. If you’re fortunate, maybe he’ll get distracted and start a conversation on architecture or preferably anything else.

This turned out to be a stroll you wish you didn’t take.

“Treat me to dinner, preferably. I made a balm for some burns Xiangling recently sustained. I’ll give it to her while we’re in the area.”

It doesn’t take much effort for him to catch up to you with those absurdly long legs of his.

“Ah. Well, it’s a date then.”

Zhongli observes with silent amusement how you scrunch your nose up yet don’t voice your dissent. You flutter around from person to person, inquiring after so and so’s health, or if a sibling safely made it to Inazuma, dutifully recording the knowledge for later use. Your husband knows how you dislike your association with The God of Love title the mortals mistakenly assigned to you many moons ago — still, he can’t help but find it fitting.

How could he not notice that you overflow with love for anyone who isn’t him?

#has it really been over a year since i've written for the first contract ??? Wtf???#zhongli x reader #yandere zhongli x reader #yandere genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x reader #yandere x reader #yandere #first contract #my stuff

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literaticat · 2 months

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Hi Jenn. A small press made me an offer and sent me a contract. I had someone very trustworthy and knowledgeable vet this (not a lawyer but someone highly versed and well-known in author/publisher contracts). They've raised quite a few things (more than I was expecting). There's going to be at least 2-3 big changes asked for and possibly another 3-5 smaller things (depending on how many I choose to let go). Would you recommend asking for everything or only choosing the most important ones? I'm also a bit t about approaching the publisher and not sure how to ask for the changes/who to say I had view the contract (I want to keep the name confidential), etc. Any input you would have for non-confrontational wording would be really helpful? I'm also afraid if I ask for too many changes, they might pull the contract - so any advice you could give to an author without an agent who is entering contract negotiations and is nervous about it would really be helpful. Thank you!

This is verging on feeling like legal advice or something and that makes me Very Uncomfy so just for the record: I'm not a lawyer, I'm not YOUR lawyer or your agent, I'm not giving legal advice, this Tumblr is for entertainment purposes only, !!! disclaimer disclaimer !!!

DO BE AWARE that a person who is not an agent might have different priorities than an agent would -- for example, your spouse may be a brilliant trial lawyer, but if they are not well-versed in publishing contracts specifically, they are not the best person to give notes on a publishing contract, because publishing contracts are notoriously weird; they will red-line the shit out of a publishing contract and have problems in every clause, and THAT would be insanely irritating for the contracts people.

But 2-3 big changes and 3-5 small changes? No sweat whatsoever, that's totally fine. I promise an agent would be asking for that many changes! That's very much in Normal territory. Real talk: If they were to get upset or pull the contract over your asking for a normal number of changes, that's a MASSIVE red flag, and you don't want to work with them.

First things first: I think the most important thing is that you read the contract yourself, and read your trustworthy and knowledgable friend's notes, and make sure you REALLY UNDERSTAND each point -- what the publisher was asking for, what you are asking to change, and why. This is important! Because if you are asking for changes, there's gotta be a reason, you aren't just asking them to move words around so they look better on the page, right? You need to totally understand what that reason is, so YOU can decide how important it is to you and how much you want to push -- or, indeed, if there are things you don't actually care enough to even ask about!

Then prioritize the asks you are making, at least in your own mind -- "this is a typo, this is a nitpick, this would be great to change but if not OK, this one is a dealbreaker." So when they come back to you with their response, you'll know how hard to push back.

(IF there is truly something where you can't figure out what it is even supposed to mean, and you don't think it's a PROBLEM per se you just don't know what the heck it is and googling or asking your friend didn't work, you can ask questions, too! Like "I'm not sure I understand ____ -- can you explain it?" -- just do TRY to understand everything first, so you can keep your notes down to a dull roar)

Second: I don't see any reason you'd need to tell them who looked at the contract, or that anyone did. You are their only point of contact here, it really doesn't make a difference to them if you had a team of lawyers read it, or a real estate agent looked at it, or a guinea pig scratched at it and you interpreted the scratches.

This is how I respond to contracts: I send an email, friendly and professional and to the point. There's zero reason to be contentious whatsoever here -- asking for changes or asking questions is 100% normal, this is not a problem AT ALL, so there's no need to feel defensive or apologetic or like you are somehow being demanding or anything of that nature. Channel your inner CONFIDENT person. :-)

"Hi, hope you had a great weekend, thanks for sending this over and for your patience as I reviewed it. I do have a few questions/changes:

And then I list them, in a bullet point kind of way, citing the clause that they are in, in the order of their appearance in the contract, like so:

-- Preamble, typo, my surname is misspelled, correct spelling is Laughran.

-- 1a Deliverables: The offer had a due date of 5/1/24, this has 6/1/24, is that a mistake?

-- 9 Option: Please strike entirely, or change to limit option to only same series / same characters, with option period to begin no earlier than 30 days after acceptance of this work rather than publication.

-- 14. Competitive works: Please add bold: "will directly compete"

Thanks so much! Jenn

I try to keep it as concise as possible, but also give them the reason I'm asking if there is one -- like, "this is a typo" or "The original offer actually said XYZ, but this says QRS". If there isn't really a reason aside from just you don't like that part, that's fine too -- but if possible, I'd say, can we strike this, OR, if we can't, can we change it in this significant way so that it does work for me. (In other words, you aren't just arbitrarily demanding they take things out -- if there's a way to make the language work for you, give them the option to strike it OR fix it.)

If you have a question, ask it. If you are asking for inserts of words/ language, provide the language you are asking to be inserted and where. If you are asking for changes in language, you can copy and paste the problem language from the contract and your proposed solution, or just explain what you are asking for and they can provide language if necessary. There's no One Way to do this -- Just make sure it's straightforward and easy to understand what you are asking to take out / change / add.

They will likely respond to you with a revised draft of the contract and notes in the body of the email, like so:

-- Preamble, typo, my surname is misspelled, correct spelling is Laughran. OK, sorry about that!

-- 1a Deliverables: The offer had a due date of 5/1/24, this has 6/1/24, is that a mistake? Editor confirmed that the June date is correct, the earlier May date was an error

-- 14. Competitive works: Please add bold: "will directly compete" OK

They will likely say yes to most of the stuff, especially the small stuff. You know what your priorities are, so if the points they said no to are not really a priority for you anyway, fine, accept and move on. If there's something you feel is truly a dealbreaker (like if they said they wouldn't change XYZ, and you WILL WALK AWAY if they don't change it) -- then DO push back.

Like, choose your battles, obviously, but if whatever-it-is is truly that important to you, now is the time to say so, because you don't want to sign a contract that has something you feel is truly abominable in it! If they refuse to change it, you can walk. If they change it enough so it's acceptable to you, great.

Do make sure you check the revised version of the contract and see that they actually changed all the things they said they would - sometimes typos and things may slip through the cracks, now is the time to catch them -- and then, when it is all kosher, they will send a final signing copy. Woohoo!

Good luck. You got this!

#contract stuff

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where-the-water-flows · 16 days

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how does di fortress interact with the local economy and what the fuck do their logistics even look like, and other incredibly normal questions to be asking here at 3pm on a work day

#mysterious lotus casebook #di fortress is such a cool (terrible) thing but also.#WHAT is GOING ON with it.#how does it function?!#what is the batshit logistics happening to keep it #1)supplied with orphans to slaughter/train #2) organised to take contracts? sold off as human hunting dogs? other??#i assume some of this is bc I am based off subs and theres cultural or genre stuff I'm missing #but also. blease. the logistics. the taxes.#how does di fortress pay taxes. are they even part of Xi.#if not: why is di feisheng in xi instead of...not xi.

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thelaurenshippen · 9 days

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open ai made a little post about how they chose their chatbot voices and two things stood out to me:

a) I am genuinely pleased and surprised that the voices come from specific real people that they hired and paid, rather than being built off of all of the data open ai has scraped. the voice for siri did one job for one company 20 years ago and now she is literally everywhere without ever being compensated by apple or even acknowledged as the voice. there's simply no way she was paid enough in that original job. whereas, open ai says "each actor receives compensation above top-of-market rates, and this will continue for as long as their voices are used in our products." this could mean literally anything (what market rate are we going above? does continue mean they get residuals or get paid for doing more sessions?) but, christ, at least the actors are doing it with full knowledge of what their voices are being used for and can decide for themselves if the compensation is enough

b) the post talks about working with "award-winning casting directors" to get the voices. first of all, yay for paying casting directors! we love to see it. but they also say the CDs received over 400 submissions in a week and they state that like a big number and it's just...not at all. and look, without knowing the intricacies of the casting process, it's hard to know what approach the CDs took - it's very possible they were selective from the jump and 400 is a lot from the pool they were tapping. 400 would be a lot if you were going to the agencies directly and asking for names, but there's just no way in hell open ai went after big stars for this. so it would've been a pool of unknowns. in which case, 400 is laughably small. even if you're not using the big casting sites like actorsaccess, I've worked on projects with CDs and their own internal systems where we've gotten over 100 submissions for a single role. I've posted roles on casting sites and received literally thousands of submissions in just a few days

look, I have a very limited perspective on this - I am not a casting director (imo, one of the most important and undervalued jobs in hollywood) and I, in fact, hate the process of casting with a passion. but 400 just seemed like such a tiny pool to pull from and, idk, it heartens me! it's heartening to think that there's very little interest from actors and agents to be doing this kind of stuff. and absolutely no shade to the actors who did--I want actors to get their bag however they want as long as it's, like, safe sane and consensual, you know? but there's something encouraging about thinking that open ai hired some big casting agency to get their foot into the voice acting door and people didn't come running

#ai #entertainment industry #lauren takes too long to say things #I am not anti-AI #mostly because I can tell when I've lost a war and need to figure out how to live with my new overlords lol #but also bc chat has genuinely been helpful for writing research!#(more in the sense that it helps me narrow down what I need to do real research on)#(bc the information it gives is often wrong)#but I am of COURSE concerned about how it's going to affect my industry #and if you've been following me for a while you probably saw my sag posting last summer during the strike #and given the contract sag got around AI #actors disinterest is THEE cudgel with which we will beat this stuff down #so the fact that the most popular AI company in the world had 400 people to choose from #is nice to my ears!!!!#(assuming of course that I'm correct about their process)#plus I'm just so RELIEVED that they actually hired people to do this #that's all that really matters - consent #if you're an actor and you give your voice to an AI company that will use it forever #as long as you KNOW that #and you have someone looking over a contract for you #more power to you!

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