What is a book publishing agreement?
A publishing agreement is the contract under which an author licenses a publisher to publish their book. The author keeps the copyright; the publisher gets the exclusive right to publish in the formats, languages and territories agreed, and in return pays an advance (sometimes) and royalties on sales. It is the document every small press, university press or independent publisher needs before it starts editing a manuscript.
This template is written for small and independent publishers. It covers the work and the rights granted (print, ebook, audiobook, or a combination, with territory and language), the author's share of any licensing income, delivery and acceptance of the manuscript, editing and the author's approval of material changes, a publication deadline, the advance and how it is paid, royalty rates on net receipts for each format, royalty statements and an audit right, author copies and discount, the author's promises about the text, an out-of-print definition that works for ebooks and print-on-demand, and reversion of rights.
- Best for
- Small presses, independent and academic publishers, first-time authors
- Signed by
- The publisher (an authorised person) and the author
- Royalties
- You set print, ebook and audiobook rates as a % of net receipts
- Length
- 3 pages, initialled on every page
When to Use a book publishing agreement
- A small press acquiring a debut novel or short-story collection
- An independent non-fiction publisher commissioning a book from a proposal
- A publisher commissioning an illustrated or photo-led non-fiction title
- An ebook-first publisher that wants clear digital out-of-print terms
- An author wanting a fair contract to propose to a small publisher
What You Fill In
26 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: publisher, author.
1 The parties and the work
- Date of the agreement*
- Publisher's legal name*
- Publisher's address
- Author's legal name*
- Name the book is published under
- Author's address
- Working title of the book*
- Description of the book*
2 Rights
- Formats licensed to the Publisher* print and ebook · print, ebook and audiobook · ebook only · print only
- Territory*
- Language*
- Author's share of licensing income
3 Money
- Currency*
- Advance against royalties
- How the advance is paid in full on signing · half on signing and half on acceptance of the manuscript · one third on signing, one third on acceptance and one third on publication
- Print royalty (% of net receipts)
- Ebook royalty (% of net receipts)
- Audiobook royalty (% of net receipts)
- Royalty statements* every quarter · twice a year · once a year
4 Manuscript and publication
- Manuscript delivery date*
- Publish within (months of acceptance)*
- Free copies for the author*
- Author's discount on further copies (%)
5 Rights reversion
- Out of print after (months unavailable)*
- Also out of print if fewer than this many copies sell in a year
6 Other terms
- Governing law*
7 Who signs
- Publisher signature and date, job title, initials on every page · An authorised person at the publishing company.
- Author signature and date, initials on every page · The writer of the work. For co-authors, prepare one agreement per author or have a lawyer adapt it.
What the book publishing agreement Covers
- The Work
- Rights granted
- Delivery and acceptance
- Editing and publication
- Advance
- Advance
- Royalties
- Statements and payment
- Author's copies
- Author's promises
- Out of print and reversion of rights
- Ending the agreement
- General
Using the book publishing agreement, step by step
1 Describe the work
Give the working title and a description with the expected length and any illustrations. If the author writes under a pen name, add it so the book is published under that name.
2 Choose the rights granted
Pick the formats — print and ebook, print, ebook and audiobook, ebook only or print only — plus the territory and language. Everything not granted stays with the author, including film, TV and translation rights. If the publisher may sub-license (for example to a book club or large-print publisher), set the author's share of that income.
3 Set the money
Enter any advance and how it is paid (on signing, split with acceptance, or thirds). Then set royalty rates for each format you license; leave a format's rate empty if you are not licensing it. Royalties are a percentage of the publisher's net receipts, and statements go out quarterly, twice a year or yearly.
4 Agree the dates
Set the manuscript delivery date and how many months after acceptance the book must be published. The publisher has 60 days to accept or ask for revisions.
5 Define out of print
Choose how many months of unavailability count as out of print, and optionally a minimum yearly sales figure so the definition also works for ebooks and print-on-demand. When the book is out of print, the author can ask for the rights back.
Tips Before You Send It
- Be clear about what "net receipts" means to you — the template defines it as money actually received after discounts, returns and sales taxes.
- A sales threshold in the out-of-print clause matters: without it, an ebook can stay "in print" forever while selling nothing.
- If the book includes photos, song lyrics or long quotations, agree early who pays for permissions.
- For co-authored books, prepare one agreement per author or have a lawyer adapt the template to split royalties between them.
Sign It Online In Minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. VergeHR builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in Files and emailed to everyone.
Book publishing agreement: frequently asked questions
Does the author keep the copyright?
Yes. Under this template the author owns the copyright and grants the publisher an exclusive licence to publish in the agreed formats, territory and language. Rights not granted stay with the author.
Does the author have to repay the advance?
Only if they fail to deliver an acceptable manuscript. Otherwise the advance is simply recovered from future royalties — if the book never earns it back, the author keeps it.
When do the rights revert to the author?
When the book has been unavailable for the number of months you set (or, if you add a sales threshold, sells fewer copies than that for two years running) and the publisher doesn't reissue it within 6 months of the author's written request. Rights also revert if the publisher doesn't publish on time or becomes insolvent.
Is a publishing contract signed electronically valid?
In most countries, including the US (ESIGN Act and UETA), the UK, the EU (eIDAS) and Canada, an electronic signature is generally valid for an ordinary commercial contract like this one. VergeHR keeps an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion with the signed PDF as evidence of who signed and when.
Is this template free?
Yes. The template is free to use with the eSignature app in VergeHR, and the people you send it to don't need a VergeHR login to sign.