David Marlin is the President and Co-Founder of MetaComet® Systems, a prominent provider of royalty automation tools. Since founding the company in 2000, David has spearheaded the development of a suite of best-in-class systems that effectively facilitate royalty processes for nearly 200 publishers. David has also served as the chair for The Book Industry Study Group’s Rights Committee and Digital Sales Committee.
Before establishing MetaComet Systems, David served as a technology consultant for renowned publishers, collaborating with notable companies such as Random House, Penguin, HarperCollins, Holtzbrinck, Macmillan, Scholastic, Time Warner, and many others. David holds both an MBA and a BA from Columbia University in New York.
Royalty payments are a key instrument in book publishing, biotechnology, and other industries that rely on the licensing and transfer of intellectual property. If your business is paying royalties to more than a handful of recipients in each royalty period, you may benefit from a software system that automates that process for you.
A November 21 article from The Bookseller reports on the publishing industry’s “hidden epidemic” of chaotic royalty management, payments, and communication. (Heloise Wood, “Royalties survey sparks calls for change as Society of Authors reveals ‘increased reliance on hardship grants.’”)
In this video we look at exactly how automated royalty management systems work, walking through real-world royalty processing scenarios. We demonstrate how to use an automated system to record contract terms, process disparate sales files, perform calculations, and generate and transmit royalty statements, reports, and payment files. We also review the implementation process and discuss best practices for a smooth and painless transition to automation.
Authors, illustrators, inventors, and developers — these diverse types of professionals are among the many who create intellectual property and rely on royalty payments to support their work.
In royalty-based industries such as publishing, gaming, and pharmaceuticals, one of the most crucial yet complex aspects of financial management is royalty reporting. Ensuring that licensors and other stakeholders receive accurate, timely payments is essential for maintaining trust and fostering long-term relationships.
Accounting for Royalty Payments: Carrying Balances ForwardA common request from our customers is for an explanation of how balances are carried forward when accounting for royalty payments in Royalty Tracker. In this article, we’ll explore the reasons that balances...
Book publishers tend to enter the business because of a love for books, not a love for royalty accounting. But royalties can be complex, and consume a disproportionate amount of the time spent on the business.
Royalty Accounting 101: How Royalties Impact Your Business Royalty accounting can be a complex business. Numerous sources of sales, intricate contract clauses, complex calculations and multiple payments mean it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Don’t worry; you’re not...
An Introduction to Royalty Systems The system of paying royalties is a method of sharing the costs and sharing the profits of marketing and selling something. This article dives into how royalty systems work, and the best ways to calculate and track royalties....
