Hi, I am in the process of hiring an outsourced writer/researcher for a book project I am doing. I was wondering what kind of forms I should have him or her sign when he or she starts working for me. I am thinking about a non-disclosure agreement and some document about all copyrights belonging to me, and possibly a non-compete agreement? Do these cover it, and how do I get sample contracts I can use? Thanks a lot. I'm a complete noob on these things.
Being a complete noob, you might not want to outsource all on your own. Not yet. Use the protections available to you through an outsourcing service at first until you feel comfortable enough with the process to go it alone. Using vWorker (RentACoder), you'll get all necessary copyrights, guarantees, plus free arbitration should you run into trouble. You will need to include your own non-disclosure agreement, however. Fortunately, you can find a sample anywhere online. There's one at my site, here: http://www.justoutsourcing.com/wp/2010/01/sample-nda-agreement/
So you think it's best to bring the outsourcer I've found to vWorker? Any other opinions on what documents I need if I want to deal directly with the outsourcer? Thanks.
Well... you certainly don't have to use vWorker. I just recommend it because it's the best choice of them all. If you want to deal with the outsourcer all on your own, legal assistance (if the cost warrants it), escrow protection, a signed contract, and a signed NDA should be sufficient. You might also want to look into some low cost arbitration services if your chosen escrow service doesn't provide it.