Author Contract
This Author Contract outlines the agreement between an author and a publisher for the publication of a literary work. It details the author's warranties regarding originality and ownership, the publisher's rights to publish and promote the work, and the terms for manuscript submission, acceptance, and royalty payments. The contract also covers copyright protection and indemnification clauses.
Author Contract
[name of author](hereafter “Author”) and [name of publisher] (hereafter “Publisher”), hereby agree to the following regarding [work] (hereafter “the Work”), a book of approximately [number] [pages/words]:
The Author hereby verifies and attests that they are the sole author and owner of the Work, that no other parties have any interests, rights, or claims to the Work, and that they have the ability to grant the rights to the Work to the Publisher.
The Author verifies and attests that the book is completely original, previously unpublished, and is not part of the public domain. They further verify that no part is libelous, plagiarized, or in violation of rights of privacy of other parties. Any copyrighted material used in the manuscript has been approved in writing by the copyright holder before the submission of the manuscript to the Publisher.
The Author shall indemnify and hold harmless the Publisher and all if its agents, officers, directors, and employees harmless from any claims, suits, demands, prosecutions, or proceedings that are made on the grounds that the Work violates the privacy of other parties or is libelous, plagiarized, or unlawful in any manner. The Publisher shall not be held responsible for any damages, costs, or expenses from such proceedings.
The Author shall present the manuscript of the Work to the Publisher by [date] as a [hard copy/file type]. The Publisher will have [amount of time] to determine whether they consider the Work to be publishable in its given form. If not, the Author will have [amount of time 1]to implement changes at the Publisher’s request or withdraw the manuscript from consideration.
Once the Work has been accepted, the Publisher will have [amount of time 3] to present the Author with copyedits for approval.
The [author/publisher] will provide the [isbn, cover art, pagination, book design etc.]
The Author grants the Publisher the right to publish the Work under the following conditions:
The Publisher shall have the exclusive rights to print, publish, and sell the work in [country/language] in the following format(s): [paper, cloth, e-book].
The Publisher shall have the exclusive rights to license other sellers, publishers, distributors, book clubs, marketers, and media to print, publish, sell, distribute, or promote the Work.
The Publisher shall have the exclusive rights to license selections of the Work to outside parties; to license complete, condensed, or adapted versions of the Work; to reprint the Work; and to grant copyright permission for selected use.
The Publisher shall have the right to use the Author’s personality and likeness in promoting and selling the Work.
The Publisher shall apply for copyright protections on behalf of the Author and renew such applications as necessary.
The Publisher agrees to publish the Work in a reasonable amount of time. If the Work has not been printed, published, and distributed within [amount of time 4] of the manuscript’s submission, all rights revert back to the Author.
This is a preview. The full template is free on GitLaw.
5.0 out of 5 on Google
Read reviewsAs seen in
Frequently asked questions
A template isn't binding on its own - like any contract, it becomes binding once it's properly completed and signed. Templates in our curated library are professionally drafted for US or UK law; review any template before you sign it.
Yes. Chat with GitLaw to edit any section, or make changes directly in the editor.
Yes, read about team plans here.
Describe what you need in the chat and GitLaw will draft it for you.
Templates in our curated library are professionally drafted for US or UK law. The wider library comes from the GitLaw community and public sources - a solid starting point, but check any template fits your situation before you rely on it.
Mostly US and UK law. Some templates use general commercial terms that work across jurisdictions, and many note which law they're written for.
It depends on the situation. Templates work well for routine business agreements. For anything involving significant money, complex IP, employment, or areas you're unsure about, it's worth getting professional advice before you sign. GitLaw provides templates and tools, not legal advice.
Open any template in GitLaw and describe the change you want in the chat — 'make clause 4 mutual' or 'add a 30-day notice period', for example. GitLaw drafts the revised language and shows it as a suggested edit. You accept, reject, or keep editing from there.
Yes. Upload a Word, PDF, or Markdown file and GitLaw will open it in the editor. You can review, edit, or chat with GitLaw about it the same way you would with any template from the library.
Trusted by 5,000+ businesses
From template to signed, in one place
Every template opens in an editor with an AI agent alongside it.
Open
Pick a template and open it. Nothing to download, and no credit card to start.
Free to open
Edit with AI
Describe your situation in chat and the agent adapts the wording, clause by clause.
Tracked changes you can review
Send and sign
Share it for negotiation, then collect signatures without leaving GitLaw.
eSign included
Built for your legal work,
with practicing lawyers
Trained on 5,500+ clauses and specialist areas of law. Built with a standards committee of independent lawyers.
As seen in
Ready to get started?
No sales calls, no credit card. Just chat with GitLaw.
GitLaw provides templates and tools, not legal advice. Templates are a starting point, not a substitute for advice on your situation - for anything significant, speak to a qualified lawyer.