By Sierra Pawlak

Making sure you’re getting a good textbook publishing contract can be stressful and confusing, but these ten tips from Brenda Ulrich, an intellectual property attorney at Archstone Law Group, PC, should help you feel more confident to negotiate a contract that’s right for you. Ulrich shared this advice in her 2024 Conference presentation “Top 10 Tips for Publishing Contract Negotiations.”

“No two contract negotiations are the same, no two publishers are identical, and no two authors are alike,” says Ulrich. Knowing what’s important to you dictates how your contract can be best suited to you and your needs, depending on where you are in your career, why you’re writing your book, and what your long-term plans are with your publisher. “There are a lot of things potentially at play in a contract negotiation” she says, so focusing on what’s most important to you is essential.