35+ SAMPLE Author Agreement 

What is an Author Agreement?

An author agreement is a document that has the agreement that has been made by a publishing company and an author. When an author wrote a good story that can be bought by the publishing company to be made into books or movies, the author has to enter an agreement with the company to give it the right to publish his or her story. The agreement has all the terms and conditions of the deal between the two parties. It contains the price for the manuscript and things about copyright. It gives complete rights to the publication to use the story for commercial purposes.

Being a contributor to publications means that the author has to enter a contributing author agreement. This states how long will the author will work for the publication. It also states the number of stories that the author has to deliver. The agreement dictates the royalties that can be given to the author. It contains the deadlines for every manuscript. It also contains the standards that the author should follow for all the works that he or she will write. If there is a specific way that the manuscript should be delivered, it will be written in the agreement. The publication will relay the procedures for the production of movies in the agreement. This is to let the author permit any use of the work.

A publisher-author agreement is important for every author because this is the only way how authors can secure that the copyright for their works will be paid. They can protect their right as an author, ensuring that they can get the benefits that they should have. Through the agreement, they will also have the right to have their name published with the work, recognizing that they are the sole creator of the story. If there are co-authors, a co-author agreement should be made. This is the author agreement for works that have been done by more than one writer.

It is common for any journal publishing, book publishing, or any publication to have an author agreement with its author. They have to secure that they will have the copyright transfer. Authors have to give legal rights to them to use their stories. A good publisher-author relationship is needed in author agreements. You have to negotiate first the terms that you should write in the agreement. Be sure that both parties perfectly agree on common things. This will avoid any dispute that may happen in the future. You can be sure that both parties will get the most out of the agreement.

Elements of an Author Agreement

If you are going to have an author agreement and publication rights form, you may want to know first the components of an author agreement. Knowing them can make you protect your interest. Read and consider the following elements of an author agreement:

Grant of Rights: This is the section where you will give the rights to publish to the publication. It means that the publication can use your story for the media that they are going to have. Just be sure that you will not give your copyright to the publication. Be sure that you still own your story and you will only give rights to them to publish it and use it for any purpose that they may have. Make sure that you are still in control of everything. If you will assign the book to the publisher, they can do anything with it and you will lose your right.Representation and Warranties: This will give the promise of the author that the representation and warranties of the story will remain true. The story will not be anything that can cause damage to the readers. It is not libelous nor injurious. You have to profess that your story is a good thing to be presented to the public. As an author, you have the responsibility for this. So, you have to assert in the agreement that your story will not harm any reader.Employment Status: This will be the section where you will identify the relationship that you will have with the publication. Are you going to be a contributing writer? Will you work freelance? Do you have to submit regular contributions? Both parties should be definite about the relationship that they have. If you will be an employee of the publication, then the agreement should go together with an employment contract. Though, most authors are freelancers who are free to work for different publications.Form of Work: This is the service that authors have to give to the publication. It can state the number of the manuscripts that authors have to deliver in a month or year. It dictates the kind of manuscript that authors have to write. Are they going to create a script, narrative, or screenplay? It details the form of work that the authors have to deliver. This is important so that authors will know the type of work that they have to submit to the publication. The publication will also get its expectation if it will detail the service that they want from the author.Use of Work: This will be the section about how the publication will use the manuscript. It will state the kind of media where they will publish the story. It also states the right of the publication to edit, add, or delete something from the story for whatever purpose that may suit them. Authors have the right to know about it and they should permit this thing. The publication cannot alter, add, or delete anything from their stories unless they permit it. So, this section is necessary for the publication to work for the best of the story.Delivery Time: This is the timeline for every manuscript. The deadline for every project should be given so that authors will know when to deliver manuscripts. Give a good timeline for authors because it is not easy to create a story. Be clear about the timeline and deadlines for each project.Performance Standards: Every company has its own standards. It is also true with publications. Authors must pass the standards of the publication with the manuscripts. They must be sure that their stories keep the standards of the publication. To be sure with standards, the publication may include revision terms in the agreement. This way, the authors can revise and edit the manuscript until it reaches the standards of the company. Be clear about how many revisions should be made. But before putting anything about revisions, be sure that the author agrees with the terms.Compensation: The price that the publication is going to pay the authors should be written in the agreement. There should be an amount for all the services that authors will render to the publication. You must put a fixed price for every manuscript that the publication can receive. Be clear in writing the compensation. The author will sign the agreement according to the compensation that the company can offer. You must also be clear about royalties. Write the percentage that the authors can get from every sale of the story or from how you can compute the royalties.Indemnity: Authors must hold the publication harmless from any damage that can be caused by their stories. This states that the publication is not responsible for any bad things that can be derived from the story, including libelous things. Authors can pay a particular amount to the company if ever this kind of thing happens. The publication is not to be blamed for any damage.Credit: This part makes clear if authors will have the privilege to have their names published with their works. This is something that the publication should state. Every author wants their name to be published with their stories. The publication should not own the rights for this. It is the right of authors to have their names with their works. It is illegal to not recognize their names.Subsidiary Rights: This will state if the publication has the right to sell your work internationally. Will it have the foreign rights of your work? This is should be clear. You must negotiate with the publication whether you can give it the right to sell in a foreign country. But of course, the publication must pay you with this kind of privilege.Author Copies: This is the section where you will know the number of copies of the published work that can be given to you. The standard author copy is 5-10 copies. But it is also possible for a carton or have 50 copies. This is something that should be given to the authors because they deserve to see the published copy of their works.

How to Write an Author Agreement

Do you need an author agreement template? Do you need it because you are about to create an author agreement? Well, we can help you with writing. We can provide you with some steps that you can apply. Here are the following steps:

1. Format the Document

Be sure that your agreement will be easy to understand. Use a typeface that will be comfortable for you. It will be best if you will use a Times New Roman font. Use point 12. Be sure that the style will be legible if you will use other fonts. Put a letterhead on the top of the page.

2. Title the Agreement

After that, you should title the agreement. Choose the best title for your agreement. Be sure that it will be the best representation for your contract. Use a few words that can describe your whole agreement. If you are out of ideas, you can refer to any author agreement sample or co-author agreement sample.

3. Write the Information of Parties

The first section of the agreement will be the information of the parties involved. You must write the business name of the publication. Opposite the business name, write its address and contact information. Then, write the name of the author or the names of the authors. Also, write their address and contact information.

4. Give the Rights to Publish

You must give the basic rights to the publication to publish and distribute your books or use your story for movies. Give it the exclusive rights for it. Discuss electronic versions if there are any. You can negotiate non-exclusive rights for eBooks. Be clear in stating the clause for this provision.

5. Define Territorial Scope

The next thing is you have to be clear about the territorial scope. Does the publisher have the right to sell your story to foreign countries? You have to be clear on international rights. If you can give foreign rights, you can ask for an extra payment.

6. Calculate Royalties

After the things about the rights, you must deal with royalties. You must get a percentage from all the sales of your work. Negotiate for a certain percentage that you like. You are the author. You deserve royalties from all your works.

7. Add Requirement for Delivery

The publication should give a requirement on how the authors will deliver the manuscript. The authors have to follow a strict standard for all their works. They should keep to this standard and do revisions if needed. The timeframe for the manuscript should also be included. This is to ensure that authors will deliver works in time.

8. Permission to Use Artwork

An illustrator is involved in the process of book publishing. Because artworks are involved, the authors should permit to use the artwork for their works. Sometimes, you can let the author choose an illustrator to partner with them in the job.

9. Finalize the Agreement

You must know how you will deal with termination. Both parties have the right to terminate the agreement. You should also put clauses about indemnification and severability. When you are done with all the provisions, you can put signature blocks at the end of the agreement. When the agreement is finished, both parties can sign the document.

FAQs

Why is an author agreement important?

An agreement is important when publications are going to buy the works of authors. It has to ensure that it will have the rights for the work. Everything has to be legal so an agreement is necessary.

Can I sell my work to other publications, too?

The agreement will define the number of copies that can be done with your story. If the said number has been finished, then you can sell your work to other publications. You own the right to sell your work.

As an author, you need an author agreement to ensure that you can protect your interest in your works. You can be sure that you can still retain your rights to your stories. So, when you sell your manuscript, ask for an author agreement from publications. Well, do you need a template for an author agreement? This post has 35+ SAMPLE Author Agreement in PDF. These templates will surely help you as an author. Download now!