Do I own the rights to my book if I publish with a publisher?

First of all, there are many rights to discuss when it comes to publishing books. These include the various format rights, design and distribution rights, and, of course, the copyright of the content itself.

As an author, it is imperative you know before signing any contract who owns what. If the book wins awards, who collects the awards? If literary prizes are awarded, who receives them? Translation rights, merchandising and serialisation of your book into film, stage and radio formats also need discussing.

If you publish with a traditional publisher, the publisher normally holds the majority of the rights and the royalties received from sales made. As the author, once you have the ‘advanced royalties’ handed to you, you lose certain rights – and creative direction.

Advanced royalties are a payment for the ownership of the manuscript and rights to decide on how the book will be marketed.

In some cases, publishers have been known to buy a manuscript from an author and then ‘can the book’. Why? Because they have invested heavily in another author with a similar story. Sounds harsh, but this is the world we live in.

When it comes to publishing and distributing your book, you need to get familiar with contract law terminology. When it comes to reviewing your contract with your chosen publisher, you must fully understand the terms and conditions.

This may sound obvious, but far too many people trust that the publisher has the author’s best interest at heart.

WRONG.

They have their profits at heart.

Our advice is to always have your contracts checked by a legal professional – including the ones we share with you if you choose to work with us.

Every contract is up for negotiation, so if your publisher is not willing to negotiate, then you may want to think twice about working with them.

If you would like to discuss the opportunity of publishing with us, book a call with us and we will do our best to serve you at the highest level.