IVP - Andy Unedited - Rights and Permissions Archives

Reaching the World (or Not)

With all the options and advantages for self-publishing print and ebooks, authors are weighing their options these days, wondering what traditional publishers really have to offer. One consideration is selling rights.

A book is not just a physical object or a digital file, it is intellectual property that can be developed and disseminated in a variety of forms. All or part of a book can appear in audio form, in magazines and newspapers, on websites and in blogs. Book clubs may be interested in licensing their own edition, or college professors may want to use a chapter in a custom textbook. Sometimes a book can inspire movies or ancillary products like greeting cards and t-shirts.

Many authors will have very little experience, networks or time to maximize intellectual property rights. Many publishers, on the other hand, have full-time staff devoted to just this sort of activity.

One of the most common adaptations of a book is a translation. What can a publisher offer? At IVP, by way of example, we have a mailing list of over five hundred publishers around the world who receive our catalogs. Our rights manager, Ellen Hsu, regularly attends book shows where she meets with international publishers to show them our books and make recommendations to each publisher. Every year we attend the International Christian Retail Show and the Frankfurt Book Fair where publishers from around the world meet to negotiate translation rights to suitable books. Ellen also visits our publishing partners in Brazil and South Korea every other year. She has, literally, a global reputation for service and excellence.

Based on years of corporate and personal experience, Ellen knows which publishers will do a good job for a book and an author, and which publishers we should shy away from. She is also aware of the specialties each publisher has, so she can recommend just the right book to fit in each publisher's program. As a result, she has earned their respect and trust.

While a publisher can't guarantee rights sales, it can guarantee widely promoting subsidiary rights that the self-published are unlikely to undertake. In addition a publisher will manage all of the administrative details involved, including sending complimentary reading copies, negotiating contracts, collecting royalties and following up when books are not published or royalties are not paid on time.

A few stats:

• Approximately 80 percent of the world's population lies outside the West.
• Over half of all Christians now live outside the West.
• Over 70 percent of books published in the world are in languages other than English.

So if, as an author, your main focus is on reaching your friends, family, those you speak to and those connected to your organization, self-publishing may be for you. If you have wider desires and ambitions, a traditional publisher may be your choice.

Proving a Publisher's Worth

In a comment on my recent post, Mark Denning asked what I thought about Stephen "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" Covey moving electronic rights to some of his books exclusively to Amazon, as reported in this morning's New York Times. So here are some first thoughts, Mark.

Who Will Own the Copyright?

I am neither a lawyer nor the son of a lawyer (though I am the father of a lawyer). So I am legally unqualified to give you any advice about anything (enough for the disclaimer). But I get asked questions.

Rights and Wrongs

A teacher once told me, "Just because it's a cliché doesn't mean it's not true." I've quoted that here before, but it's still true.

Our Own Worst Electronic Enemies

When it comes to the digital future of publishing, we as publishers can be our own worst enemies.

Everyone seems to agree that electronic books will be a significant part of the world ahead. The only disagreement is how fast this new publishing environment will emerge and in what form. One of the major barriers to any form of digital publishing, however, are the permissions policies of publishers themselves.