PaperbackWriter
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Author is in TX; publisher in NY, contract governed by NYS law.
Under the contract I have with my book's publisher, it says that I will be paid the remaining advance monies due upon publisher's acceptance of the submitted manuscript.
The problem is, the contract does not specify any given time period the publisher has to accept or reject, and notify me.
Here's my situation: I turned in the manuscript as contracted a week ahead of the contracted deadline of Jan. 31.
Since submitting the MS on Jan. 23, I have not heard a word from the publisher. Nothing! Not an email, phone call, letter, smoke signal...just silence.
As a published author for more than 15 years, I have not encountered this situtation before. It's very strange to submit a MS and not hear anything from the publisher for 3 weeks!
This despite my repeated attempts to contact the publisher asking if they want any changes or corrections made to the manuscript. I've made every effort to contact them and get no response?
Still, nothing. Just...crickets.
What can I do now? Certified letter? Where do I go next?
If there is no time period for the publisher to accept or reject the manuscript, can they just sit on it for years and never tell me or pay me for any of my work?
If I never hear from the publisher again (maybe they suddenly went out of business? In this economy, who knows?), or if they do not respond to my attempts at contact, can I charge them with default breach of contract?
When do the rights revert back to me so I can place the book with another publisher? (These terms are not spelled out in the book contract.)
This is most unusual! Any advice?
Under the contract I have with my book's publisher, it says that I will be paid the remaining advance monies due upon publisher's acceptance of the submitted manuscript.
The problem is, the contract does not specify any given time period the publisher has to accept or reject, and notify me.
Here's my situation: I turned in the manuscript as contracted a week ahead of the contracted deadline of Jan. 31.
Since submitting the MS on Jan. 23, I have not heard a word from the publisher. Nothing! Not an email, phone call, letter, smoke signal...just silence.
As a published author for more than 15 years, I have not encountered this situtation before. It's very strange to submit a MS and not hear anything from the publisher for 3 weeks!
This despite my repeated attempts to contact the publisher asking if they want any changes or corrections made to the manuscript. I've made every effort to contact them and get no response?
Still, nothing. Just...crickets.
What can I do now? Certified letter? Where do I go next?
If there is no time period for the publisher to accept or reject the manuscript, can they just sit on it for years and never tell me or pay me for any of my work?
If I never hear from the publisher again (maybe they suddenly went out of business? In this economy, who knows?), or if they do not respond to my attempts at contact, can I charge them with default breach of contract?
When do the rights revert back to me so I can place the book with another publisher? (These terms are not spelled out in the book contract.)
This is most unusual! Any advice?