When Steinbeck died, he bequeathed his interest in the copyrights to his widow while his two sons each received $50,000 in trust funds. In 1994, Elaine Steinbeck and Penguin signed a new agreement adding several other early Steinbeck works and some of his posthumous works. It also improved the economic terms, providing a larger annual guaranteed advance and royalties of between 10 and 15 percent of retail sales.
When she died, Elaine Steinbeck left her copyright interests to heirs including her children and grandchildren from a previous marriage but she excluded Steinbeck's two sons and their heirs.
