The Second Edition of MSCD Is Now Available

The ABA Web Store now has in stock copies of the second edition of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting. Click here to go to the relevant page. And note that the ABA is offering free ground shipping through the end of August. The ABA is currently the only place you can purchase the book; it won’t be sold on Amazon and other such channels until sometime in early 2009.

It was only a couple of days ago that I had a chance to examine a copy of the book for the first time. I’m very pleased with it—I think it’s a big step up from the first edition.

I’d like to spread the word, and you can help me. You could write a review for a legal periodical, or for a blog. You could provide me with a testimonial, either by sending me an email or by posting it as a comment. Giving a testimonial involves putting your name out there, so asking for testimonials can be a little awkward. But they’re very useful, so I’m asking.

I’m particularly keen to raise awareness of the book outside the U.S. Given the sad state of the U.S. dollar, having the ABA ship the book outside the U.S. has become a cost-effective proposition. If you ship one copy of the book by UPS two-day delivery anywhere outside of the U.S. and Canada, the shipping costs would be US$50; for two to four copies, the shipping costs would be US$60; for more than four copies, the shipping costs would be 25% of the order value. You can also get UPS next-day delivery.

For this author, at least, the dynamic of book publishing is a bittersweet one. I’m hoping that the market will embrace the second edition, but at the same time I’m moving on. Hey, I have the third edition to work on! And more to the point, in my mind MSCD was never an end in itself, but rather a means to an end—putting on a rational footing the way contracts are drafted. So I’m redoubling my efforts towards that goal.

On the other hand, I’ll certainly be consulting the second edition: given all the new and revised material, I’ll routinely need to remind myself what Adams has to say about a particular issue …