{"id":66,"date":"2026-01-06T15:44:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T20:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/chapter\/publisher-negotiations\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T13:50:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T18:50:18","slug":"publisher-negotiations","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/chapter\/publisher-negotiations\/","title":{"raw":"Publisher Negotiations","rendered":"Publisher Negotiations"},"content":{"raw":"<blockquote><strong>Why does negotiating a publisher contract matter?<\/strong><\/blockquote>\r\nOften authors think of publishers as neutral entities when it comes to questions of ownership and intellectual property. The process of signing contracts that assign publishers ownership of intellectual work is seen as just a part of the process of publishing. However, in reality, considerable control over academic knowledge is exercised by publishers that are not necessarily visible to authors. Instead of directly addressing copyright violations by authors openly sharing their work, publishers are approaching the open sharing of content at a higher level.\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.responsiblesharing.org\/\">Coalition of Responsible Sharing<\/a>\u00a0is a group of publishers who have signed a statement on the formal steps they are taking to stop platforms like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/\">Academia.edu\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/\">ResearchGate<\/a>\u00a0from allowing authors to share their publications. Additionally, the coalition released an\u00a0open letter\u00a0to the Trump administration actively discouraging the consideration of putting a zero [pb_glossary id=\"305\"]embargo[\/pb_glossary] which would allow for the open publication of federally funded research immediately upon completion. These kinds of actions by publishers make it extremely important for authors to consider how to maintain their rights over their work so decisions on where they can share and to who is not impeded by the contract they have signed.\r\n<h2>Preparing to Negotiate<\/h2>\r\nThe key to any successful negotiation is preparation. Before you begin to negotiate, consider what you hope to gain. While authors, in general, share a common goal of wanting their work to be widely read, what they hope to get out of a publishing deal may vary significantly. For example, consider the following rights you may want to retain:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Make reproductions for use in teaching, scholarship, and research;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Borrow portions of the work for use in other works;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Create [pb_glossary id=\"282\"]derivative works[\/pb_glossary];<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Alter the work, add to the work, or update the content of the work;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Maintain identity as the author of the work;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Be informed of any uses, reproductions, or distributions of the work;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Perform or display the work;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Include all or part of the work in a future thesis, dissertation, or other scholarly publication;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Develop an oral presentation of the material in any forum;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Make materials available to underdeveloped nations for humanitarian purposes;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Archive and preserve the work as part of either a personal or institutional initiative, for example, on your own web site or in an institutional repository; and<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Claim ownership in every draft and pre-print version of the work.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nWhether it is retaining certain rights to your work or making your work openly accessible, your publishing goals are personal and not necessarily reflected in a template contract.\r\n<h2>Negotiation<\/h2>\r\n<h3>Author Addendums<\/h3>\r\nAn [pb_glossary id=\"283\"]author addendum[\/pb_glossary] is a legal instrument that you can use to modify your copyright transfer agreements with non-open access (OA) journal publishers. It allows you to select which individual rights out of the bundle of copyrights you want to keep, such as distributing copies in the course of teaching and research, posting the article on a personal or institutional Web site, or creating derivative works.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/sparcopen.org\/\">SPARC<\/a> (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) has created template author addendums to use during your negotiations.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sparcopen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/SPARC_Canadian_Author_Addendum-e_0.pdf\">Download the Canadian SPARC Author Addendum in English (PDF)<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sparcopen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/SPARC_Canadian_Author_Addendum-f_0.pdf\">Download the Canadian SPARC Author Addendum in French (PDF)<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Rights Reversion<\/h3>\r\nFor book authors, re-evaluating your author agreements when the book has fallen out of print or isn\u2019t selling well is an opportunity to consider opening your work up to the public. To learn more about rights reversion in book publishing, review\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.authorsalliance.org\/resources\/rights-reversion-portal\/\">Understanding Rights Reversion: When, Why, &amp; How to Regain Copyright and Make Your Book More Available<\/a>\u00a0by the Authors Alliance.\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse;width: 100%\" border=\"0\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 82.9821%\">\r\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dig Deeper<\/h5>\r\nTo learn more about researcher understanding of copyright and transfer agreements, read the following:\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n \t<li>Lange, J. (2018). Confused about copyright? Assessing Researchers\u2019 Comprehension of Copyright Transfer Agreements.\u00a0<em>Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication<\/em>,\u00a0<em>6<\/em>(1), eP2253. DOI:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/doi.org\/10.7710\/2162-3309.2253\">http:\/\/doi.org\/10.7710\/2162-3309.2253<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 17.0179%\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-33\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2593\/2025\/11\/Dig-Deeper-2-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;","rendered":"<blockquote><p><strong>Why does negotiating a publisher contract matter?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Often authors think of publishers as neutral entities when it comes to questions of ownership and intellectual property. The process of signing contracts that assign publishers ownership of intellectual work is seen as just a part of the process of publishing. However, in reality, considerable control over academic knowledge is exercised by publishers that are not necessarily visible to authors. Instead of directly addressing copyright violations by authors openly sharing their work, publishers are approaching the open sharing of content at a higher level.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.responsiblesharing.org\/\">Coalition of Responsible Sharing<\/a>\u00a0is a group of publishers who have signed a statement on the formal steps they are taking to stop platforms like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/\">Academia.edu\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/\">ResearchGate<\/a>\u00a0from allowing authors to share their publications. Additionally, the coalition released an\u00a0open letter\u00a0to the Trump administration actively discouraging the consideration of putting a zero <a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_66_305\">embargo<\/a> which would allow for the open publication of federally funded research immediately upon completion. These kinds of actions by publishers make it extremely important for authors to consider how to maintain their rights over their work so decisions on where they can share and to who is not impeded by the contract they have signed.<\/p>\n<h2>Preparing to Negotiate<\/h2>\n<p>The key to any successful negotiation is preparation. Before you begin to negotiate, consider what you hope to gain. While authors, in general, share a common goal of wanting their work to be widely read, what they hope to get out of a publishing deal may vary significantly. For example, consider the following rights you may want to retain:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make reproductions for use in teaching, scholarship, and research;<\/li>\n<li>Borrow portions of the work for use in other works;<\/li>\n<li>Create <a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_66_282\">derivative works<\/a>;<\/li>\n<li>Alter the work, add to the work, or update the content of the work;<\/li>\n<li>Maintain identity as the author of the work;<\/li>\n<li>Be informed of any uses, reproductions, or distributions of the work;<\/li>\n<li>Perform or display the work;<\/li>\n<li>Include all or part of the work in a future thesis, dissertation, or other scholarly publication;<\/li>\n<li>Develop an oral presentation of the material in any forum;<\/li>\n<li>Make materials available to underdeveloped nations for humanitarian purposes;<\/li>\n<li>Archive and preserve the work as part of either a personal or institutional initiative, for example, on your own web site or in an institutional repository; and<\/li>\n<li>Claim ownership in every draft and pre-print version of the work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whether it is retaining certain rights to your work or making your work openly accessible, your publishing goals are personal and not necessarily reflected in a template contract.<\/p>\n<h2>Negotiation<\/h2>\n<h3>Author Addendums<\/h3>\n<p>An <a class=\"glossary-term\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-describedby=\"definition\" href=\"#term_66_283\">author addendum<\/a> is a legal instrument that you can use to modify your copyright transfer agreements with non-open access (OA) journal publishers. It allows you to select which individual rights out of the bundle of copyrights you want to keep, such as distributing copies in the course of teaching and research, posting the article on a personal or institutional Web site, or creating derivative works.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sparcopen.org\/\">SPARC<\/a> (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) has created template author addendums to use during your negotiations.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sparcopen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/SPARC_Canadian_Author_Addendum-e_0.pdf\">Download the Canadian SPARC Author Addendum in English (PDF)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sparcopen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/SPARC_Canadian_Author_Addendum-f_0.pdf\">Download the Canadian SPARC Author Addendum in French (PDF)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Rights Reversion<\/h3>\n<p>For book authors, re-evaluating your author agreements when the book has fallen out of print or isn\u2019t selling well is an opportunity to consider opening your work up to the public. To learn more about rights reversion in book publishing, review\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.authorsalliance.org\/resources\/rights-reversion-portal\/\">Understanding Rights Reversion: When, Why, &amp; How to Regain Copyright and Make Your Book More Available<\/a>\u00a0by the Authors Alliance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse;width: 100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 82.9821%\">\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dig Deeper<\/h5>\n<p>To learn more about researcher understanding of copyright and transfer agreements, read the following:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lange, J. (2018). Confused about copyright? Assessing Researchers\u2019 Comprehension of Copyright Transfer Agreements.\u00a0<em>Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication<\/em>,\u00a0<em>6<\/em>(1), eP2253. DOI:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/doi.org\/10.7710\/2162-3309.2253\">http:\/\/doi.org\/10.7710\/2162-3309.2253<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 17.0179%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-33\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2593\/2025\/11\/Dig-Deeper-2-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2593\/2025\/11\/Dig-Deeper-2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2593\/2025\/11\/Dig-Deeper-2-65x64.png 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"glossary\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\" id=\"definition\">definition<\/span><template id=\"term_66_305\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_66_305\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>An agreed upon delays for the public release of research.<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><template id=\"term_66_282\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_66_282\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>A derivative work is a work based on or derived from one or more already existing works. Common derivative works include translations, musical arrangements, motion picture versions of literary material or plays, art reproductions, abridgments, and condensations of preexisting works. (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Derivative_work\">Wikipedia<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><template id=\"term_66_283\"><div class=\"glossary__definition\" role=\"dialog\" data-id=\"term_66_283\"><div tabindex=\"-1\"><p>Additional language and agreements added to a publishing agreement by an author.<\/p>\n<\/div><button><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Close definition<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/template><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1076,"menu_order":4,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-66","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":59,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/66","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1076"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/66\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":416,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/66\/revisions\/416"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/59"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/66\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=66"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=66"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/openscholarship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=66"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}