Narrow licence (prefer)
English language, listed formats, listed territory, 7–15 years or life of copyright plus a real reversion trigger. Everything else reserved.
Rights
What you are actually selling
A book deal is a bundle of permissions. Print in Britain is not film in America, is not a German translation, is not the right to feed the sentences to a model. The grant of rights is where the rest of the contract is decided in advance.
World English volume
Sensible only if the house (or its sister) can actually distribute on both sides of the Atlantic. Otherwise you have given away a market for a sublicence you may never see.
World all languages, all media
A debut novel is not a studio option. This shape is for when they have paid world-rights money, or for when nobody is looking. Make them pay, or cut it down.
The map
Primary, subsidiary, and keep
Everything not expressly granted is yours. Drafting that says ‘including without limitation’ is trying to reverse that rule. Make them list the rights.
Primary — they need these to publish
Volume (print)
Royalty on list/RRP
They wantHardcover, paperback, reprint, large-format, POD
You askThe editions they will actually publish, in a defined territory
This is the book. Without it there is no deal.
Electronic book
25% of net (trade); 50% (some small presses)
They wantAll electronic text editions, apps, enhanced
You askEbook as a format, 25% net, no training rights smuggled in
Treated as a primary right since the 2010s. Define it so it cannot expand into audio or AI.
Audio
25% net in-house (US); 50–80% if licensed out
They wantIn-house production and/or exclusive sublicence
You askInclude only with a production deadline; otherwise reserve
One of the few rights that still grows. Do not warehouse it.
Subsidiary — licensed onward, proceeds split
Serial (first & second)
75–90% author
They wantNewspaper and magazine extracts
You askFirst serial often reserved to the agent
A pre-publication extract can launch a book. Who places it matters.
Translation
75–80% agented; 50% is an opening bid
They wantWorld all languages, often at 50/50
You askReserve, or 80% author with reversion of unsold languages
Frankfurt and Bologna are not staffed by your editor. An agent’s foreign network usually beats a quiet rights department.
The other English-language market
80% of a sublicence, or a separate deal
They wantWorld English, for convenience
You askGrant the market they can distribute into; reserve the rest
A London house with no New York distribution should not sit on the US. The reverse is also true.
Book club & special editions
50–80%
They wantClub, mail-order, premium, large print
You ask50–80% of proceeds; no remaindering by the back door
Low value individually, easy to give away in a bundle. Watch the royalty base.
Anthology & quotation
50–75%
They wantPermission to license extracts and inclusions
You askShort quotation is fine; whole-chapter anthologies need a split
Ordinary permissions should not become a hidden reprint right.
Usually keep — or price as if they were buying a studio
Film, TV, stage, radio
90%+ or reserved
They want‘All dramatic rights in all media’
You askReserve. If they must have a share, 90%+ author, no approval
A book contract is a terrible film contract. Use a specialist.
Graphic novel / illustrated adaptation
Separate deal
They wantSometimes bundled with ‘all editions’
You askReserve unless they have a comics list
A different book, a different skill, a different market.
Merchandising & games
Reserved, or 90%+
They wantCharacters, titles, settings, interactive
You askReserve, especially children’s and SFF
Irrelevant until it is not. Cheap to keep.
AI training & generative use
Separate fee if ever licensed
They want‘Hereafter devised’, text-and-data mining, training
You askInternal tools only; no third-party training; no substitute edition
New, valuable, and still being argued. Do not give it away as boilerplate.
A note on AI language
Since 2023, ‘hereafter devised’ has grown a new vocabulary: machine learning, text and data mining, generative systems. A publisher may reasonably use automated tools to typeset, proof, index, and market the book. That is production. Licensing the text to train a third-party model, or generating a competing edition by machine, is a new exploitation and needs a new fee — or a refusal.
If the clause is silent, do not assume you are safe. Silence plus ‘all media’ is how training rights sneak in. Write the prohibition down.
This is a practical guide, not legal advice. The sample contracts are composites drawn from typical UK and US trade terms in the mid-2020s, not copies of any one publisher’s agreement. Always have an agent or a publishing solicitor read a deal before you sign it.