All this week I’ve been examining the top ten funniest self-publishing contractual clauses from competitors and dissecting what the legalese means and why it’s “funny.” I’ve already done #10 and #9…
#8 Funniest Clause from the Competitor’s Contract – We may, in our sole discretion, at any time, and without notice to you remove, or refuse to list or distribute any Content on or from any sales channel, but you will remain liable for all fees and other amounts that you may owe under this Agreement in connection with any Title or Promotional Clip we remove because of a violation of this Agreement or our Content Guidelines.
What it means: They can remove your book from their store or from distribution at any time (or elect never to sell it in the first place) but you still have to pay them.
Why it’s funny: This clause is funny for two different reasons. For one, it’s kind of absurd to ask customers/clients/authors to pay for something that isn’t delivered. But, this clause is funny for another reason, too, since it recognizes that this particular publisher does not review books before publishing them — therefore, this clause allows them to terminate books after-the-fact when a self-published book’s subject matter causes their customers to want to boycott their company entirely.
Next time, #7…
President of Outskirts Press 