Short story contracts

This arrested my attention, not because I'm about to sign any contract, but because I thought it might be a useful read for us all:

Dan Perez short story contract advice

... when you sell a short story to a magazine or short story anthology, you will be asked to sign a contract, which is a legally binding written agreement between you and the publisher about how your story will be used, and which outlines the rights and responsibilities of both parties.

Your initial temptation, especially if you're a newer writer, will be to excitedly sign the contract after a quick read and send it back off to the publisher, unchanged. But wait! Take a deep breath and realize that short story contracts, like novel contracts, are often written to the publisher's advantage, and not to the writer's. It's up to you, upon receiving the contract, to balance things out so your interests are provided for. It's vitally important to read the contract carefully, understand what the individual clauses mean, and change any clauses which can be detrimental to you.

There's a lot more, and it all seems useful to keep in mind

2010 Brisbane Writers Festival

It is almost that time of year again when readers, writers, innovators and provocateurs come from around the world to share, debate and celebrate within the cultural precinct in the heart of the city for the Brisbane Writers Festival.  Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) has been celebrating reading, writing and ideas with the people of Queensland and showcasing our own talent to the world for almost fifty years and this year will be no exception.  BWF 2010 will continue to reach beyond the 'traditional' genres incorporating the broader arts; food writing; music and lyric composition; art analysis and other non-fiction studies, making for a truly accessible program. To check out this years program, please click here.