Want to win a publishing contract?

[CariGransnet]

If you're an aspiring children's book writer, now's your chance to see your work in print. Over on Gransnet we're running a competition where first prize is a contract with independent publisher Bobaloo Books. Runners up will get signed books and feedback on their entries, with guidance on how to progress in their writing career. All the details are right here

A book was written by Annie Derms.
She entered a competition.
But it had quite appalling terms
As part of it's conditions.

The publishers who offered the prize
Wanted every single right.
Annie couldn't believe her eyes
When she read such grabby shite.

etc

As someone who freelances in children's publishing, I would give this competition a mile-wide berth and encourage budding authors to submit to agents.

So glad to read this thread! I'd seen the competition and had been planning to enter. I'd have got my FIL (lawyer) to read the T&Cs but at least it gave me the impetus to finish my book. I had wondered whether 'independent publisher' meant 'new' or 'self-published', and it's now more obvious what the 'publishing advice' would be - set up a company and dupe others into signing away their rights!

the more I think about this, the more cross I am. It's conniving and designed to trick eager people into signing away their rights, quite literally. It's not remotely industry standard and I think it's irresponsible of Mumsnet / Gransnet to promote it.

Will we be getting a comment from MNHQ addressing our concerns?

Wow, glad you lot pointed this out. Imagine if you wrote the next Gruffalo and didn't make a penny off the TV adaptions, soft toys, and trunki sales.

Will we be getting a comment from MNHQ addressing our concerns?

I reported the OP to draw MNHQ's attention to the concerns expressed here, but I've not had an acknowledgment.

I'm angry about it too. To give the benefit of the doubt, I could say that as a new, and small, publisher, this is a case of well-meaning naivety and lack of experience, but the less charitable side of me suspects that they know exactly how exploitative the terms of this 'competition' are.

Trying to claim that a moral rights waiver is 'industry standard' is risible

Imagine if you wrote the next Gruffalo and didn't make a penny off the TV adaptions, soft toys, and trunki sales

Yep. And somewhere in the world, Lauren Child is thanking her lucky stars that no one tried to fob her off with an industry-standard rights waiver

I am a literary agent, and second the freelance publisher comment - absolutely submit your work to an agent in the first instance. These terms are gobsmacking.

Mumsnet/Gransnet have run writing competitions before. They were promoted fully through both sites, IRRC. And although there were questions about the contracts from those thinking of entering, they were short story comps, not a whole novel. And published by a proper, big publisher (was it Walker?), which could potentially help build an aspiring writer's career. Wheras winning a competition with a publisher that no-one in the industry has ever heard of is unlikely to help someone aspiring to break through. (I'm not involved in children's publishing so assumed initially that that was why I hadn't heard of them.)

I feel bad for the people who were finishing books to enter this so I just asked a colleague who is a children's editor. She said Greenhouse funny prize is currently open, as is MSlexia children's novel comp (women entrants only) and Bath children's novel award. All legit in her opinion.

Placemarking. Amazed to see this promoted on Mumsnet.

Thanks for highlighting these points - I've found it very useful.

MNHQ have responded to my report:

"Thanks very much for getting in touch. We're passing your mail straight on to our Gransnet team to respond - hopefully you'll hear from them first thing in the morning."

I'll keep you all updated.

Interestingly, there are 3 books for sale in the online bookshop of the publisher running the competition (www.bobaloobooks.co.uk/shop/). All of these were written by the lady who set up the company. I guess they’re really keen to expand their stable of authors

And having thought about this further, if a condition of entry is the waiving of all moral rights, she could technically publish/sell the winning entry via her online shop under her own name.

I'm going to write a full and detailed complaint to GN this morning. I can't believe this 'competition' wasn't vetted more thoroughly.

The bath children's novel sounds interesting. I'm having a crisis of confidence about my book though

From the bit you've posted re the Daily Fail one Ross, that may be OK? It's talking about an advance, which is standard, (the book then has to 'earn' the advance before you make any more money) but doesn't mention revoking copyright (in that part at least)?

Thanks for pointing this out everyone. Another potentially naive sign up here and you've just stopped me.

Why is this being promoted on Mumsnet?

'Want to give away your work to an unproven new publishing house which has (apparently) only ever produced its owner's books?'

What an amazing professional opportunity! I'll get straight on it after I make my Forever Living millions.

Writers: please respect your work. Even if you want to give it away, there are better ways to achieve this, and they don't involve losing rights to your own creation. Winning a competition is good. But there are a lot of writing competitions, with various degrees of credibility. A no-name publisher adds very little; a bad contract can take everything.

I wouldn't even be concerned about a new publisher attempting to build their profile by running such a competition IF the terms were at all fair, but the fact that all rights are to be rescinded as a condition of entry is a disgrace.

Unsurprisingly, I'm still waiting for GN's response to my report of their post for promoting an exploitative competition.

Hello all
We're looking into this at the moment and talking over with the publisher. Back to you very soon!

Thanks, Lara, I look forward to hearing more from you soon (and hopefully the publisher will respond with something more than the 'industry standard' response they gave when asked previously, because this really is not standard practice).

merry you may be right. Even though the chances of actually winning it are negligible, the terms of the daily fail one are marginally better than this comp which sounds exploitative beyond belief. Thanks to the bods that pointed it out (esp Somerville's tip re society of authors-if I am ever in a position to be considering a contract-I'll be sure to run it past those lot).

Hello all,

Thanks for raising these concerns about the t&cs - we do see where you’re coming from.

First, this competition is supposed to be about helping a new writer open doors, not close them. We would hope that this could be the break that would enable the winner to go on being published in the future.

We've spoken with Bobaloo Books and the winner will be offered a contract from them to publish their book subject to usual terms and negotiations - you can obviously check these out to make sure you're 100% happy they are industry standard.

If the winner isn't happy with them, you aren't obliged to continue.

Of course, if the winner has an agent and feels more comfortable going through them, then they are more than welcome to do so.

Hope this clarifies things - we'll be amending the T&Cs shortly to reflect this more clearly.

So, its negotiable then? But I presume, if you don't like their T and C you can get on your bike and they'll offer it to the next gullible person

Also, if someone already has an agent, why would they enter the comp?

The competition seems more about this publisher getting her vanity project off the ground than it does about nurturing new talent.

Being published by a disreputable company can damage your name and limit your opportunities, not further them.

The initial terms are not remotely 'usual'. How do you expect a novice writer with no agent to back them up, and possibly no experience of contracts, to negotiate?! This shouldn't be a battle they have to fight - if it's a competition the terms should be industry standard and beneficial to the applicant. That's the lure to stop them just submitting to an agent rather than entering the competition. I feel very strongly that Mumsnet / Gransnet should not be continuing with this partnership.

Yeah, you can be told to fuck off renegotiate once someone who appears unprofessional at best, a dodgy story thief at worst, has decided your book is best and stolen your idea read your book and chosen it as the best one. Anyone going for that? No? What a surprise!