Author contracts no longer conform to a standard as alternative forms of publishing create new models of compensation.

By James Sturdivant

Formulas for royalty payments no longer follow tried-and-true standards, confirms Jonathan Kirsch, a Los Angeles-based attorney specializing in publishing, copyright and trademark law who represents book, magazine, newspaper and electronic publishers, as well as authors and agents. He is the author of “Kirsch’s Guide to the Book Contract.”