Home - Author's Rights and Publishing Contracts - LibGuides at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

What is in this guide?

Ever wonder why you couldn't get access to your own published article from a journal page? Have you noticed you are expected to pay for extra copies of your own published book?

That's because of the Author Rights that have been established between you and your publisher (i.e. Who is the copyright owner?).

This guide will break down what Author Rights are, why you probably don't have them automatically whenever you enter into a publishing agreement with a publisher, and how you can negotiate to get the ownership rights to fit your needs.

Guide Contents:

• Why Don't I Own My Work? - Explains why you may not own your work, even though you wrote it
• Ownership Scenarios - Provides some various examples of situations determining who owns the content
• Find It In Your Contract - Shows you where to find your Author Rights, suggestions for negotiating them, and what a publishing contract overall tends to contain.
• More Resources - Provides resources for recognizing, negotiating, and regaining author rights