Writing A Book Under The O-a Retirement Visa

[T_Dog]

I am gratefully in Thailand under a O-A (Retirement) visa with 800K in the bank, and I want to write a book published by a Thai Publisher. (I have already published one in the USA and the Thai publisher is interested in a work here.) I don't get any compensation until it starts to sell, so do I need to have a work permit before anything transpires between the publisher and myself? All help appreciatted!

[terryp]

To be 100% correct Yes you do,

as the work input will be for gain at the end (factually speaking work does not have to be for monetary gain…work without gain also requires a work permit for a foreigner; As the Tsunami volunteers found out ) …now if you dictate to a Thai who types up the manuscript that could be viewed differently

Edited July 18, 2007 by terryp

[tablewater]

I see it this way: Journalists need a work permit because by selling their daily work, they do business with other people. If you are a writer, you may write for yourself. What about a workpermit for poets? Deportation for illegal writing of a diary? Seriously, as long as you write, whatever you want, without business relations with other people, there shouldn't be a problem. Going public with something already done, shouldn't be a problem eighter.

[rychrde]

mmm.... if it is a Thai publisher then surely they are the best people to ask first. How large is the publisher? Do they publish other foreigners? I can understand you not wishing to jeopardize your publication, but this should all be laid out in your contract with them. As they are not paying you an advance you may have little idea of how much income may be derived, and therefore going down the work permit route may be expensive and pointless. You say you have already published - did you have an agent?

Sorry, all fairly obvious remarks, but don't let it become a problem for your current visa.

Ultimately, what you are selling are your copyrights to the publisher so they can exploit them by printing marketing and selling your book. Might in the end be simplest to have your copyright owned by a little company, even back in the USA, and let the company sell the rights to the publisher.

good luck. have you written the book already?

rgds

Rych

[T_Dog]

Thanks All for the comments. And yes, it is best not to risk the current visa. The book is 80 percent done and I'll see what the publisher recommends. (The publisher is a large one with lots of foreign and Thai authors.) My fall-back is to have my original publisher do the book and then sell the rights here as suggested. Thanks again!