Hey there, chummers! Here’s the template contract we’ll be using. We’re open to negotiating specifics, but really, we just want limited exclusivity and the ability to do a Chummer collection down the road.
CHUMMER MAGAZINE PUBLISHING CONTRACT
AGREEMENT made this <MONTH, DAY> day of <YEAR>, by and between Chummer Magazine, with its principal offices at (Chummer address) (hereinafter referred to as “The Publisher”), its successors and assigns; And <NAME>, (hereinafter referred to as “The Writer”), his or her heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns;
Concerning a story of approximately <XXXX> words, presently titled: <STORY TITLE> (hereinafter referred to as “The Story”).
WHEREAS:
In consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the parties agree as follows:
1. Rights
Publisher shall be entitled to First World Rights for a period of (6) six months after publication and non-exclusive worldwide print and electronic publication rights thereafter. The Story is to be included in CHUMMER MAGAZINE, Issue One. The Publisher retains the right to offer issues of the publication containing The Story for sale for as long as they choose across all forms of media, existing and future, in perpetuity and across the universe. The Publisher may also post excerpts of The Story electronically or in marketing media of all types for promotion purposes.
The Publisher retains the right to republish The Story in future anthologies of Chummer Magazine. The Publisher also retains the right to bundle individual issues of the magazine or anthologies into single-file product offerings, and also to produce alternate versions of a given magazine issue or anthology or product in order to meet the requirements of specific distributors, without additional payment to The Writer.
All other rights remain with The Writer.
2. Payment
It is understood that The Writer’s fee for The Story shall be six center per word, for a total of $XX.XX USD, payable within thirty (30) days of acceptance.
3. Publication and Reversion
The Publisher agrees to make every attempt to publish The Story within twelve (12) months of the execution of this Agreement. If The Publisher is not able to publish the Story within twelve months, The Writer may declare this Agreement invalid by providing The Publisher notification in writing, at which time, all rights will revert to The Writer. The Publisher may withdraw the offer to publish at any time, for any reason, prior to publication with a written notice to The Writer, at which time all rights will revert to The Writer.
If The Writer has received payment for The Story and declares this Agreement invalid, The Writer agrees to refund payment to The Publisher within sixty (60) days.
4. Warranty
The Writer represents and warrants that s/he is the sole author of the Work, that the Work is original, and that no one has reserved the rights granted in this agreement. The Writer also represents, to the best of his/her knowledge, that the Work does not contain any libelous material.
5. Proofreading
The Publisher retains the right to edit The Story for errors, formatting, clarity and length. If edits or revisions for content are required by the Publisher, The Writer agrees to work with The Publisher to address those requirements and to complete agreed upon revisions in a timely fashion.