Deciphering Publishing Contracts: Books

If you are like most scholars, you have signed contracts when publishing journal articles. Although these documents are complex, they pale in comparison to most book publishing contracts. In this workshop, we will review copyright basics and spend time looking at examples of book contracts. You will come away with an improved understanding of common terms and conditions in these contracts and a greater sense of what you might be able to negotiate as well as when it may be advisable to seek legal counsel. 

Jody Bailey, Head of the Scholarly Communications Office at Emory University Libraries, leads a team of librarians and library specialists who are responsible for services surrounding copyright, open access and publishing, research data management, and open educational resources. The team also manages two scholarly repositories that publish works by Emory faculty and students. Jody is a member of the Board of Directors for the Library Publishing Coalition, and her scholarly interests include open-access publishing, open educational resources, user-centered library services, and outreach activities. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals, presented at numerous conferences, and has a master of arts in linguistics from Louisiana State University and a master of library and information science from Wayne State University.