Author's Rights and Publishing Contracts: More Resources
How do I find and secure usage rights for my work?
Keeping Your Copyrights
What rights would you like to retain when you publish? What does the contract the publisher sent you mean? Although we cannot act as your attorney, staff in the Scholarly Communications Office will be glad to discuss what your contract means and what your options are for retaining rights.
Here are some tools to help you retain rights when you publish:
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Author's Rights, Tout de SuiteGives journal article authors a quick introduction to key aspects of author's rights.
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Keep Your Copyrights: A Resource for CreatorsDesigned to help creators hold on to their copyrights and to license their rights on author-friendly terms. Written by legal academics at Columbia Law School.
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SHERPA/RoMEOUse this site to find a summary of permissions that are normally given as part of each publisher's copyright transfer agreement.
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Know Your CopyrightsA short infographic resource booklet for faculty and teaching assistants.
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SPARC Author AddendumSome authors handle the process of making changes in their publishing contracts by attaching an addendum. Here is a model addendum to consider.
Regaining Rights To Your Books
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Understanding Rights Reversion: When, Why, & How to Regain Copyright and Make Your Book More Available"That book you published a few years ago is no longer selling like it used to, but it still contains useful information. Why don’t you ask your publisher for your rights back? You may be surprised to know that your publisher might be quite willing to give you back your rights if you ask. In fact, your publisher might also be quite willing to work with you to increase your book’s availability.
Don’t worry if you are unsure about how to approach your publisher. A new guide created by Authors Alliance will help you through the process, each step of the way."
Determining Your Rights for Previously Published Work
If you transferred your copyright to the publisher at the time of publication, your right to re-use the content in teaching and publication may be restricted. To determine your rights, take the following steps:
- If you have it, check your original publishing agreement.
- Look for the specific publisher's policies on the SHERPA/RoMEO website.
- Contact the publisher.
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