By thoroughly examining more than a dozen publishing industry contracts, this how-to guide answers the most common questions writers ask about publishing, agency, coauthoring, working-for-hire, and other agreements. This reference breaks down the complex legalese in each contract and provides a clause-by-clause explanation of their contents. Commentary on negotiation points and the consequences related to the absence or presence of critical verbiage will help those—from the most seasoned author signing with a major publishing firm to an author who aspires to publish or is thinking of working with a collaborator on a project—who seek to demystify the process of signing important agreements operate from a more knowledgeable position. Â
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Tonya M. Evans-Walls, Esq., is the managing attorney of a Philadelphia-based law firm that concentrates in the areas of entertainment law (literary, music and film), intellectual property (copyright and trademark), estate planning, and municipal finance. She is the co-chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Sports, Entertainment and Art Law Committee, and an adjunct professor at York College of Pennsylvania. She is also a nationally recognized speaker who presents to various audiences regularly on publishing and intellectual property law and estate planning issues.
Tonya is also a performance poet and writer, and the author of numerous books, including Copyright Companion for Writers, Literary Law Guide for Authors: Copyright, Trademark, and Contracts in Plain Language, Seasons of Her and SHINE! Forthcoming titles include Contracts Companion for Writers and And Then One Day She Knew. Her short story, Not Tonight appears in an anthology titled Proverbs for the People, published by Kensington.
Tonya attended Northwestern University on a four-year tennis scholarship, and thereafter she competed on the women's professional tennis circuit and played most notably in the US Open, Virginia Slims of Philadelphia, and Lipton in 1993. Thereafter, she attended Howard University on an academic scholarship, graduated with honors, and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Howard Law Journal.
Tonya now lives in Philadelphia with her husband, O. Russel Walls, III, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
