A Deep Dive into Notoriously Confusing Clauses In this panel members of the Contracts Committee will present a primer on four of the most disorienting parts of publisher’s contracts boilerplate: Warranties and Indemnities, First Proceeds, Force Majeure, and Schedule A. Panelist will provide members with a clearer understanding of this language and its practical implications […]

The Royalties Committee will provide a refresher course in reviewing royalty statements, along with a slide deck identifying key terms to help improve your tracking of sales, earnings, and payments.

Sponsored by Literary Agents of Change, the Association of American Literary Agents’ (AALA) DEI Committee is pleased to present the second in our series of "In Conversation" events, a discussion between Jeannine Cook, owner of Harriet’s Bookshop in Philadelphia and Ida’s Bookshop in Collingswood, NJ; Malik Muhammad, founder and co-owner of Malik Books with locations […]

The Copyright Committee will present a panel featuring agents and attorneys who've filed and/or fought claims of copyright infringement. The panel will be an "ask-anything" style with pre-prepared questions about the process and laws, including how publisher's insurance works, using real-life case examples where possible.   Panelists: Wendy Strothman, Agent, Aevitas Creative Management Celia Muller, Senior […]

The Small Business Committee presents Succession: Planning for the Future, a panel for agencies considering major changes in ownership structure. Thinking long-term about your agency’s—and, importantly, your authors’—legacies means tackling important questions as you plan not only for next year but for ten, twenty, thirty years from now. Because while agents might retire, the books […]

Welcome to MDI's Data Series! As Part One of the Data-in-Publishing series, MDI presents "Behind the Acquisitions Curtain." We will hear from former editors at Big 5 publishers who answer our burning questions about the behind-the-scenes conversations during the acquisitions process and the data that influences these critical decisions: What really goes on in those […]

The Copyright Committee is throwing open our doors to any interested member who wants to come observe our next/November meeting. This is an open invitation to sit in, for anyone curious about how the AALA committees operate, and/or have any questions for us. We'll be discussing highlights from this year in copyright news, including AI […]

Come for an active discussion with fellow AALA members and Board members on recent developments and initiatives in AI & educational programming/courses for agents. All members are encouraged to attend.

As Part Two of the Data-in-Publishing series, MDI presents "Data-Driven Decision-Making in Book Campaigns." Join book marketing veteran Andrea Jo DeWerd of the future of agency for an overview of what data is available to whom in publishing and how agents might be able to leverage that data and ask the best questions in the […]

The Contracts Committee Presents: When a Publisher Goes Bankrupt, featuring panelists Jaime Wolf and Erich Buck, and hosted by Gina Maccoby. Part of an agent's responsibilities is to advocate for clients through the stressful process of a publisher's bankruptcy. Our panelists will define bankruptcy, various ways publishers can enter that process, the effect on author's […]