Oct. 11th, 2009

gillpolack: (Default)
I need to start today again. Of all the things going wrong, the only one I can actually discuss (unless you need a breakdown of my viral symptoms) is me withdrawing an article from a rather nice publication.

What happened was that I got a reminder to sign something I hadn't sighted before: the agreement to use my work. It was the standard form that this particular publisher uses for encyclopedias, where the writer retains no rights. I've seen it before and I've signed it before - but only for encyclopedia entries. Simply, my writing is regarded as work for hire.

I'll do this for an encyclopedia article, because I get paid for them and because the copy I get as a contributor is often worth several hundred dollars. It means I get a good reference book for my shelves and a week's grocery money. And because the work is non-fiction, I'd have to rewrite the thing anyway two years after publication, because there's always new research to take into account.

This wasn't an encyclopedia. In fact, the story was one of those that I'm very likely to be asked for again and again and again. It's also one of those tales that have only a limited number of ways to rewrite. I would run into copyright troubles eventually, however much care I took, and my family would not be happy at me signing away the rights to this particular tale. It's that kind of story. There is a kind of moral ownership involved.

The compensation for me signing away the rights would have been a single copy of the book and a discount on others. Discounts aren't so very useful from the other side of the world. There was no money. I wouldn't have retained even the right to object to changes. No payment, no control: no good.

The big thing is the family issue. Giving away the rights to the particular way the family tells an important story is not something I would do lightly.

I have had to pull out of the volume. I apologised profusely. If I had seen the agreement earlier, it would have been much easier for the editor. Now it's nothing but a mess for all of us.
gillpolack: (Default)
My Sunday needs a facelift. Please feel free to add all sorts of bad jokes and evil anecdotes as comments to this post. In return, tomorrow I'll do one of those "Questions will be answered" things.

Does that sound like fair recompense?
gillpolack: (Default)
I forgot to say that one of the things going wrong was a weather change coming. A nice little storm. I didn't say it because I lost all confidence in my capacity to predict a storm that the Weather Bureau did not see.

I was right. It doesn't make me more cheerful when I'm right. Alan was right - I needed to start the day again to get the mood sorted. Basically, if I'm a walking misery then misery walks with me. Misery is like a Siamese cat - doesn't know when to stop vocalising. Should I add any more silly descriptions? Probably not.

I have two books to read today. That should help give me teh right kind of moodswing. Also, I've finally caught up with all that linen produced by Conflux. Three last sheets to dry and go away and it's done. And I've succumbed to pain relievers. That only leaves the inflammation to deal with: I'm an old hand at dealing with inflammation. In other words, all is not yet good, but it will be.

This means that tomorrow you will get less doom and gloom and can approach my blog with confidence and maybe even joy. Also with questions.

Food book

Oct. 11th, 2009 05:16 pm
gillpolack: (Default)
How could I forget? I've been working on something since Conflux and didn't tell you. I don't think I told you? This last two hours I've made significant progress on it. It has restored my temper and I'm singing "Drink to me only with thine eyes" for no good reason.

I've been persuaded that the world needs another food book. Karen Herkes has convinced me of this. Nick Stathopoulos has convinced me that he should be the food stylist. Expect a book of all the Conflux banquets, sometime between now and 2011. If it comes out in 2011, it will include the next (and possibly last) banquet menu. If it comes out in 2010, it won't.

Karen announced it at the banquet last Sunday and everyone cheered. Then the launch of Life through Cellophane (which a reader has just assured me is 'funny as all hell') and In Bad Dreams 2 happened and I forgot that some of you weren't at the banquet.

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