The Bobaloo Books Competition Con.

[TiggyD]

The thread

A competition hosted by Gransnet and plugged by them on here has such terrible terms and conditions that only somebody who doesn't read fine print would enter. It's a children's book writing competition where the winner will get published by Bobaloo Books...If they give the company all their rights.

The company say the deal is "Industry Standard". Posters say it's not and is very dodgy indeed and could even lead to the book company printing your book under a different person's name.

A literary agent posting says the terms are "gobsmacking".

I don't think Mumsnet should be aiding this sort of shady activity.

Agreed.

I work in publishing, and I know many other people who do too. Not one person I have spoken to about this deems this the 'good opportunity' we're repeatedly being told it is.

In fact, the unanimous response is 'run a mile!'

I've put this on the original thread, but it might be more likely to be seen be those concerned over here.

We're sorry some of you feel this way

What kind of condescending claptrap is that? The issue isn't a feeling. It is a fact. Or rather, several facts, about the t&c (even now slightly amended) and the independent publisher concerned.

if the writer has an agent
No lit agent would let a client lose a novel (on average, what, a year's work, at least?) to a vanity publisher with no route to market with dodgy t&c.