Scholars Should be Sure to Read the Fine Print When Signing Book Contracts

By Kenneth T. Henson

It's happening everywhere, it's exciting, and it isn't even illegal. Authors on campuses around the country are joyfully signing book contracts with commercial publishers. But by this time next year, the joy of some of these authors will have faded when they realize that they have signed away many of the advantages that attracted them to writing in the first place.

When I recently received in the mail a contract for a forthcoming textbook, I realized that my reaction was