Our country’s recent economic troubles have had a direct effect on the publishing industry. Publishing houses are trimming staff, holding off on acquiring new works, and consolidating or eliminating imprints. Some have even been forced to close their doors. As a result, authors and illustrators are vulnerable.

This fall, in the span of a few short weeks, several of my clients experienced the industry’s economic troubles first hand: two saw their editors laid off; one had her contract canceled when her Publisher broke off negotiations mid stream in a “belt tightening” measure; one held her breath as the Publisher she had just signed with announced a freeze on acquisitions; one stood by helplessly as her Publisher was purchased by another with little interest in promoting the back list it was acquiring; and one lost the opportunity to capitalize on a subsidiary rights deal because her Publisher had gone bankrupt without making provision for the reversion of author and illustrator rights.

The industry’s economic woes won’t last forever, but authors and illustrators need to understand how industry problems affect them. They need to work to protect their interests. What should they do? Here are some suggestions: