Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Just got your short story accepted? Congrats! 🎉 But before you sign that contract, stop! One bad clause could cost you your rights—or worse, your future earnings. In this masterclass, author Michael La Ronn breaks down short fiction contracts in plain English.
Learn what rights you’re really licensing, how to spot red and green flags, negotiate like a pro, and protect your creative work without spending a fortune on lawyers. Whether you’re new to publishing or have a few credits under your belt, this deep dive will give you the confidence to sign smarter and write stronger.
Nothing in this video should be taken as legal advice. For specific issues, it's best to contact a lawyer.
Read Michael La Ronn’s Strange Stories series of award-winning and published short fiction: michaellaronn.com/strangestories
Buy Michael a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/michaellaronn
Read Michael’s Writing Advice: authorlevelup.com/books
Grab 150 Self-Publishing Questions Answered, written by Michael: authorlevelup.com/150
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction
2:02 Copyright Basics
12:26 Starting from Zero
13:34 Contract Overview
15:10 Grant of Rights
28:50 Payment
33:03 Warranty and Indemnification Clauses
40:00 Contracts are Like Human Bodies
41:59 Deliverables
48:41 Assignment Clauses
53:35 Archive Rights Clauses
57:22 Moral Rights
58:37 Morality Clauses
1:01:44 Marketing and Promotion Clauses
1:02:46 Author’s Copies
1:03:30 Media Liability Clauses
01:08:50 Negotiation Basics
1:12:50 Before the Negotiation
01:15:14 During the Negotiation
01:27:14 After the Negotiation
1:33:56 Recommended Resources
1:36:15 How to Help Michael Out
LINKS MENTIONED
Neil Clarke article on First Rights: neil-clarke.com/first-rights
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA): sfwa.org (search for “Pro Rate” to find the most up-to-date rate)
Payment Splitting by Draft2Digital: draft2digital.com/blog/announcing-d2d-payment-splitting
Tess Gerritsen Drops Gravity Film Rights Lawsuit: authorsguild.org/news/gerritsen-drops-gravity-film-rights-lawsuit
BOOKS MENTIONED:
The Copyright Handbook: Find the most up-to-date version at Nolo Press: https://nolo.com.
CopyrightX Lectures: ipxcourses.org/lectures
Closing the Deal on Your Teams: books2read.com/closingthedeal
Playing the Short Game: books2read.com/b/ShortGame2
Taking the Short Tack: books2read.com/ShortTack2
Like this content? Join the Author Level Up Fan Club to get your FREE Writing Craft Playbook so you can write like the top 1% of authors: authorlevelup.com/fanclub
The writing book with all my secrets (Be a Writing Machine):
authorlevelup.com/beawritingmachine
The writing book for beginners (How to Write Your First Novel):
authorlevelup.com/yourfirstnovel
Support my Channel by Shopping on Amazon!
amazon.com/shop/authorlevelup
My Writing App of Choice (Scrivener, Affiliate Links):
Scrivener for Mac: authorlevelup.com/scrivenermac
Scrivener for Windows: authorlevelup.com/scrivenerwindows
2018 My YouTube Setup (Affiliate)
authorlevelup.com/kit
Just got your short story accepted? Congrats! 🎉 But before you sign that contract, stop! One bad clause could cost you your rights—or worse, your future earnings. In this masterclass, author Michael La Ronn breaks down short fiction contracts in plain English.
Learn what rights you’re really licensing, how to spot red and green flags, negotiate like a pro, and protect your creative work without spending a fortune on lawyers. Whether you’re new to publishing or have a few credits under your belt, this deep dive will give you the confidence to sign smarter and write stronger.
Nothing in this video should be taken as legal advice. For specific issues, it's best to contact a lawyer.
Read Michael La Ronn’s Strange Stories series of award-winning and published short fiction: michaellaronn.com/strangestories
Buy Michael a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/michaellaronn
Read Michael’s Writing Advice: authorlevelup.com/books
Grab 150 Self-Publishing Questions Answered, written by Michael: authorlevelup.com/150
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction
2:02 Copyright Basics
12:26 Starting from Zero
13:34 Contract Overview
15:10 Grant of Rights
28:50 Payment
33:03 Warranty and Indemnification Clauses
40:00 Contracts are Like Human Bodies
41:59 Deliverables
48:41 Assignment Clauses
53:35 Archive Rights Clauses
57:22 Moral Rights
58:37 Morality Clauses
1:01:44 Marketing and Promotion Clauses
1:02:46 Author’s Copies
1:03:30 Media Liability Clauses
01:08:50 Negotiation Basics
1:12:50 Before the Negotiation
01:15:14 During the Negotiation
01:27:14 After the Negotiation
1:33:56 Recommended Resources
1:36:15 How to Help Michael Out
LINKS MENTIONED
Neil Clarke article on First Rights: neil-clarke.com/first-rights
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA): sfwa.org (search for “Pro Rate” to find the most up-to-date rate)
Payment Splitting by Draft2Digital: draft2digital.com/blog/announcing-d2d-payment-splitting
Tess Gerritsen Drops Gravity Film Rights Lawsuit: authorsguild.org/news/gerritsen-drops-gravity-film-rights-lawsuit
BOOKS MENTIONED:
The Copyright Handbook: Find the most up-to-date version at Nolo Press: https://nolo.com.
CopyrightX Lectures: ipxcourses.org/lectures
Closing the Deal on Your Teams: books2read.com/closingthedeal
Playing the Short Game: books2read.com/b/ShortGame2
Taking the Short Tack: books2read.com/ShortTack2
Like this content? Join the Author Level Up Fan Club to get your FREE Writing Craft Playbook so you can write like the top 1% of authors: authorlevelup.com/fanclub
The writing book with all my secrets (Be a Writing Machine):
authorlevelup.com/beawritingmachine
The writing book for beginners (How to Write Your First Novel):
authorlevelup.com/yourfirstnovel
Support my Channel by Shopping on Amazon!
amazon.com/shop/authorlevelup
My Writing App of Choice (Scrivener, Affiliate Links):
Scrivener for Mac: authorlevelup.com/scrivenermac
Scrivener for Windows: authorlevelup.com/scrivenerwindows
2018 My YouTube Setup (Affiliate)
authorlevelup.com/kit
