Jargon buster: what is an MTA?

July 30, 2009 by Jo Herbert (Editor, Writers' & Artists' Yearbook)
Filed under: Authors and Books 

Jo work picOver the past few weeks I’ve started a series of posts helping to demystify the jargon of publishing. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like jargon to me, but when you’re starting out who’s there to explain what an MS or MSS is, or even what PLR is all about (actually, that one definitely is worth knowing about as it could earn you precious pounds in years to come).

Anyway, next up is MTA, which stands for Minimum Terms Agreement.

Publishers’ agreements are usually complex with lots of clauses. Agreements vary from publisher to publisher, author to author, and book to book.

Lots of authors rely on their agents to check and go through the legal nitty-gritty with them, while members of the Society of Authors or the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain will use those organisations to vet it on their behalf.

But what if you’re starting out, and on your own? If this sounds like you, it’s a good idea to compare the contract, clause by clause, with an MTA (you’ll find some essential clauses listed in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook).

An MTA is a royalty agreement, laying down the minimum acceptable royalties on sales of a book. It also covers the size of an advance and recommends the split between the publisher and the author of money from the sale of subsidiary rights.

Developed jointly between the Society of Authors and the Writers’ Guild back in 1980, an MTA is signed by these two organisations and a publisher (not between an author and a publisher). It commits the publisher to offering the author terms which are at least as good as those in an MTA.

However, signing an MTA is not compulsory for a publisher; there is no ’standard’ MTA; and most publishers have insisted on particular variations in the agreement.

In practice, not that many publishers have signed up, but nonetheless MTA has been a success. Why? Because almost all non-signatory publishers have adopted some or all of its provisions, and overall terms for authors have improved.

Authors are now in a stronger position to argue their case that their contracts should meet certain standards, and when to a lot of first time authors every penny counts, then it’s good to know that there is help at hand.

Warm wishes, Jo

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Comments

5 Comments on Jargon buster: what is an MTA?

  1. Jeff Rainsden on Aug 2, 2009 at 17:58pm

    2. I’m new to the website and learning lots. I have some childrens stories that I think would be better served with illustrations and so would like to team up with someone who fancies a go. How could I/they get in touch on such a project?

  2. Jeff Rainsden on Aug 2, 2009 at 18:01pm

    3. C’mon aspiring artists and illustrators, I forgot to mention the stories are based on countryside/animals…I’m looking for something similar to Beattrix Potter style/ Pooh books etc contact me jeffrainsden@live.co.uk

  3. Claire Fogg (Publisher, Yearbooks) on Aug 3, 2009 at 09:41am

    4. Dear Jeff,

    A good way of contacting others is via our user profiles. So long as you are registered on this site yourself, you can browse the profiles (see the User Profiles link on the left of the site) for artists, or indeed writers, who share your interests and get in contact with them via the ‘Contact Me’ box on their profile page.

    Hope that helps,
    Claire

  4. Jane Sumerset on Aug 5, 2009 at 20:32pm

    5. I was working as a writer for several years an never signed an MTA. Maybe time changes… We will see

  5. Anne Rooney on Aug 8, 2009 at 08:24am

    6. Jeff, most publishers will NOT want you to approach with your stories already illustrated. Publishers prefer to match a story to an illustrator they know, or have chosen specificially. You can include notes on any elements of the pictures that are absolutely essential, but you really don’t need to work with an illustrator at this point. G

    Good luck finding a publisher for your stories.

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