What is a publishing contract?
- Legal agreement between author and publisher.
- Specifies licensed rights, royalty rates, payment terms.
- Includes manuscript delivery and rights-reversion clauses.
- Most contracts run 8-20 pages.
- Should be reviewed by an attorney or agent before signing.
A publishing contract is the legal agreement between an author and a publisher specifying which rights are licensed (print, ebook, audiobook, foreign-language by territory), royalty rates per format, payment schedule, manuscript delivery terms, rights-reversion conditions, and termination provisions. Most contracts run 8-20 pages and should be reviewed by an attorney or agent.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Publishing contracts are the most consequential business documents in a writing career. A 20-minute oversight in clause review can cost decades of royalty income or rights. Authors who sign without review (or with only their own review) routinely miss reversion clauses, sub-rights provisions, or option-on-next-work terms that cost them later.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A list of rights licensed per format and territory.
- Royalty rates per format with calculation base (gross vs net).
- Advance amount, payment schedule, earn-out math.
- Manuscript delivery terms and acceptance clause.
- Rights-reversion conditions (out-of-print, sales thresholds).
- Termination provisions, option clauses, audit rights.
Chapter iii·Example
A debut author signs an 18-page contract with a small press: World English print + ebook, 12% print / 18% ebook royalties on net receipts, $3,500 advance against royalties, biannual statements, 7-year initial term with reversion if annual sales drop below 250 copies, option on her next novel. Her attorney finds and removes a non-compete clause before she signs.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom holds contracts alongside the book and royalty data per author — three documents, one workspace.
See WriteLoom for teams