Review: Business and Legal Forms for Illustrators by Tad Crawford
Business and Legal Forms for Illustrators cover from Amazon.
In my quest to expand my knowledge about illustration contract law, I found myself looking for books about it. Much to my dismay there are very few specifically geared for illustration rather than the arts in general. However, I did come across one, Business and Legal Forms for Illustrators by Tad Crawford. So I pulled out my credit card, placed an order and waited for my new book to arrive.
What’s in the Book?
The book is in a traditional textbook format and at first glance I found it intimidating. The book is full of large walls of text and equally wordy contract examples. I was pleasantly surprised reading through the introduction. Tad goes over some basic contract terminology but also touches on the importance of prep in negotiation. He also breaks down a couple of general contract terms that you might see on a contract and skillfully explains them. The book is from the perspective of a US lawyer but Tad is sure to remind you of that and insist you consult with a professional from your country. The biggest chunk of the book is the documents, each type designated to a chapter. The chapters start with an explanation about the kind of document and what situations it can be used for along with tips on how to fill them out. The checklists however are by far the most valuable part of this book. Each document comes with a negotiation checklist, to help you not only write your version of the contract but to guide you through contracts given to you by the client. The checklists are designed to help you make sure you are not being screwed over and are getting what you deserve. They are easily my favourite part of this book. The chapter also concludes with an example contract. These contracts can be downloaded online with a code from the book so you can edit and modify them to your needs. The forms covered in this book include common ones like quotes and leasing contracts but also cover ones you might see occasionally like gallery contracts, agent contracts, studio leasing and registering trademarks. It also has a nice little glossary to help you find pages about specific subjects.
How Easy is it to Read?
The book can be a bit difficult to read at times. Tad’s a lawyer so I expected big legal terminology, but to his credit, he does a good job explaining things in layman's terms. I did find myself having to re-read some sections but it's far from the most difficult piece of literature I’ve had to read. I did find that the majority of the documents were for specific situations, the kind of things you might come across a handful of times in your career. Useful if they pop up but you’re probably only going to continuously reference a few chapters of the book. I also find the contracts very wordy. I’m a big advocate for making legal documents easy to understand for everyone so I don’t think I’ll be downloading the documents and directly using them in my business practice. The book is a reference book and I plan to use it to help improve the contracts I already have rather than taking the ones directly in the book.
Do I Recommend It?
So, do I recommend this book? Well, I’d have to say it depends. It's a good reference book that I can see myself referencing throughout my career. However, with the amount of situational contracts, I’m not sure it's necessary to invest in it when you're just starting your career. I can see new illustrators using one or two of these forms frequently but the rest of the book is for things that come later in your career. If you buy it you certainly won’t be at a loss, but I don’t think the book's usefulness will shine until you’ve become more established as an illustrator. If you believe you are at a stage in your career where you have a good variety of clients then I’d recommend buying it. However, if you're just starting there are free resources that are just as valuable and give you the basic contract knowledge you need.