Commissioned Story Questions

[PrevertOne]

This is sort of a sequel to an earlier thread. I'm looking for advice. Somebody wants me to write a story for him. Is there anybody here who's written a commissioned story? What's the payment system? How much did you charge? I've never written a commissioned story before. Do I have to pay taxes on this?

 

[Handley_Page]

I commend you to talk to your Accountant.

 

[SamScribble]

If you are going to treat it as a ‘proper’ assignment, then, yes, you need to 1) agree a price up front; 2) make a written agreement agreeing who will do what and who ‘owns’ the finished product; and 3) you need to declare any ‘profit’ you make on the transaction – after deducting reasonable expenses. And if it is going to be a substantial fee, then HP’s suggestion of talking with an accountant is not a bad idea.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Can you sell copyright?

 

[Sammael Bard]

As far as I know, Copyright can only be 'assigned' (sold or given away) by the execution of a written document signed by the copyright owner. Provided the owner has the copyright, meaning not just putting up the symbol but also registering his product with the office of his/her respective country.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Get contract law lawyer, who will most likely also be an accountant.

As for the money aspect...

What is your time worth? Never forget about your time investment.

What is the product you produce worth? If you were to market and sell the product, what would it earn over it's lifetime?

What if the product you produce was the next 50 Shades?

 

[sr71plt]

You can track down "what to charge" on the Internet:

http://www.writersmarket.com/assets/pdf/How_Much_Should_I_Charge.pdf

 

[lovecraft68]

If you're talking about a one time thing....hiring a lawyer and accountant will negate the money you are being paid unless you are charging in the hundreds for a story.

For something like this having it in an e-mail could suffice as long as you clearly state, "This was written by me for you for your personal enjoyment. It is still my story and my intellectual property and only I may profit from it"

Or something along those lines, if their reply is they agree to that, you have some coverage.

I've done this a a few times for the same guy, but he really only wants scenes not full stories and I have used those scenes in parts of e-books afterwards. I have him pay me through paypal which for the record only supplies tax documents if you make over a certain amount of money and its a pretty high number.