ANTHROPIC
Publishers want a cut, and rightfully so
Some authors expecting money from Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement say publishers and agents are claiming part of their payments.
The settlement covers nearly 500,000 books, with authors due $3,000 for each pirated work.
For traditionally published books, the payment is usually split 50-50 between the author and publisher.
If the author owns the rights, they may get the full amount.
But some writers say publishers are claiming money for books they no longer hold the rights to, or taking 100% when they should only get half.
In brief:
Authors can get $3,000 per book.
Some publishers and agents are being accused of claiming too much.
The problem may be linked to poor records and settlement errors.
Cue the contract archaeology
Author groups say the issue may come down to old records and a confusing claims process rather than deliberate wrongdoing.
Some publishers have already said claims were made by mistake.
Literary agencies have also reportedly made claims, despite agents not usually owning the rights to the books they represent.
Authors can dispute the split, but to claim the full payment, the book rights must have returned to them before 10 August 2022.
Damn I wish I self-published on Amazon to claim that $3,000 - MV