Author’s Commissioning Agreement

This Author’s Commissioning Agreement is designed for publishers commissioning an author to write an original literary work.

Under the agreement, copyright and other rights in the work are licensed to the publisher on an exclusive basis. The licence may apply within a defined territory or worldwide, and either for the full period of copyright or for a defined period.

Commissioning, editing and publication milestones

The template covers the development process for the work, from the initial outline through to submission of the typescript, editing and final publication.

It also addresses promotion, author’s credit, acceptance and rejection, remainder sales and notice to recapture.

Advance, royalties and subsidiary publishing rights

Payment to the author is structured as an advance payable in three stages, followed by royalties.

Royalty provisions are set at multiple levels and percentages, depending on factors such as:

• the form in which the work is sold;
• the number of copies sold;
• where the work is sold; and
• any discounts applying to those sales.

The agreement also refers to additional or subsidiary rights, with a schedule for those rights.

Copyright infringement and author protections

Copyright infringement may be dealt with exclusively by the publisher or, at the author’s option, jointly by the author and publisher.

The parties may wish to enter into a separate written agreement or understanding on how infringement matters will be handled.

The template also includes detailed provisions on author’s warranties, royalty accounting, dispute resolution and termination.

Author’s Commissioning Agreement is part of Business . Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Business for 1 year.