AGREEMENT BETWEEN PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR
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About this template
What is this template?
This is a book publishing contract that grants exclusive print rights while leaving the copyright title with the author. It contains specific provisions for the creation of indices, table of cases, and table of statutes by the author. It is not an assignment of copyright, as the author retains ownership throughout the term.
When should you use it?
Use this document when a publisher is taking on a manuscript for worldwide book distribution under a royalty-based payment model. Use a Copyright Assignment Agreement instead if the publisher is buying the copyright entirely rather than licensing rights.
What's inside
| Clause | Name | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant of Rights | The Author grants the Publishers sole and exclusive global rights to print and publish the work in book form. |
| 4 | New Editions | The Publishers decide the timing of reprinted editions, and the Author must prepare the press materials or pay revision charges. |
| 8 | Notice of Assignment | The Author must provide at least one year's notice before selling or assigning the copyright to a third party. |
| 9 | Competing Works | The Author is prohibited from writing or revising any competing or similar book for other publishers. |
| 10 | Royalties | The Publishers pay tiered percentage royalties based on the first several hundred copies sold in India and international sales. |
| 12 | Indemnity | The Author indemnifies the Publishers against losses resulting from defamatory, libellous, obscene, or copyright-infringing content within the work. |
| 13 | Copyright Ownership | The document explicitly states that the copyright in the work remains the property of the Author. |
| 18 | Arbitration | Any disputes regarding the agreement's meaning or party responsibilities are referred to arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996. |
Who it's for
- an author granting exclusive global printing rights to an Indian publishing company
- a publisher acquiring rights to a work while the author retains underlying copyright
- parties establishing tiered royalty structures for domestic Indian and international book sales
How long it runs and how it's signed
Law it's drafted under
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