You’ve written a book and own the rights. This may change when you publish a book. You are encouraged to read the fine print before ever signing a contract with a publisher. Everything you need to know about publishing rights is summarized below.
What Are Publishing Rights?
Publishing rights give a party ownership to content as spelled out by the particulars of the agreement. I will explain below in summary what each of the publication rights are and what they entail. Violating these rights could create legal problems for you. Please be sure to adhere to the contract agreement you make with your publisher.
First Rights
The publisher retains the right to be the first entity to publish your content in either print or digital media, or both. This means that you may not share your book or content with anyone else prior to the publisher having distributed the content first. If you do, you might get sued by the publisher.
First Electronic Rights
The publisher retains the right to be the first entity to publish your content in digital form. This applies to blogs, websites, mobile apps or other electronic storage devices.
Single-Use Electronic Rights
This is also known as One-Time Electronic Rights. The publisher retains the rights to publish your content one-time in only electronic format. This applies even if you have published your content previously elsewhere in digital format.
First Language Rights
The publisher retains the right to be the first to publish your content in the specified language. For example, a publisher may request first English language rights which would enable them to be the first to publish your content in the English language.
All Electronic Rights
The publisher retains all of the rights to publish your content in electronic format. You give up your right to do so.
Internet Rights
The publisher retains the rights to publish your content on the Internet, on a website, an e-zine, an e-mail, etc.
Serial Rights
These rights typically are restricted to a particular geographic area such as North America or Europe. The publisher is the first entity to publish your content in print form in the specified geographical market. This prohibits other publishers from having access to your content in the specified market. Newspapers and magazines often use this type of publication right.
All Rights
The publisher retains all rights to your content. You give up your rights to the content. The publisher may use the content indefinitely in any manner they wish.
Reprint Rights
The publisher has the right to reprint your content which has been previously printed by another publisher. This is often used when switching publishers.
Excerpt Rights
The publisher retains the rights to publish a portion of your content but not the entire book. The publisher will often reference you as the source author of the content.
Exclusive Rights
The publisher requires you to give them exclusivity to your content. No one else other than the publisher may publish your content during the terms of the agreement.
One-Time Rights
Similar to the single-use electronic rights except for print. The publisher has the right to publish your content in print format once.
Simultaneous Rights
Unless you are famous, good luck finding a publisher to accept this. It basically gives more than one publisher the right to publish your content.
Anthology Rights
The publisher has the right to print your content as part of an anthology or compilation.
Non-Exclusive Rights
This enables the author to sell their content to any publisher so long as none retain exclusivity.
Archive Rights
The publisher has the right to archive your work so that it may be accessed indefinitely. Once archived, you may not sell it anywhere else.
International Rights
Enables a publisher outside of your country to publish your content. They may also have the content translated into another language for their audience.
Subsidiary Rights
This applies only to books. It allows a publisher to publish your book in other formats other than paperback and hardcover.
Global Rights
The publisher retains the right to publish your content in other languages in any country. It gives them worldwide rights to your content.
First Serial Rights
This applies to books. The publisher retains the right to publish excerpts from your book prior to your book’s release date. It works like a promotional teaser.
Work For Hire
The publisher hires you as an employee to write content for them. As the employer, the publisher retains all rights to the content produced by you while in the employ of the publisher. Most companies have this as part of their hiring policies and is often inside the employee handbook given out at the time of hire.
To learn more about copyrights, click this link.
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