Rights to a character

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bluejester12

I write and I wrong
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This is one of the those things I thought would be obvious.

I've written several stories featuring a character that someday I may want to make into a novel. It's fantasy. If I sell the story, I still retain the rights to the character, don't I?

If Robert E. Howard wrote stories today, he could seel his Conan stories to more than Weird Tales, right? the magazine's website only discusses the story.


For all submissions, we are buying the following rights:
1. Non-exclusive anthology rights. We intend to publish a print edition once a year that will contain what the editors consider the best of that year's work. We don't guarantee that every item accepted for publication will be included in the anthology. Authors of items that are selected will receive a printed contributor's copy.
2. Non-exclusive rights to publish the item in the Flashing Swords quarterly digest in various formats including, but not limited to: print, .pdf, .html and other electronic or audio media. The right to retain the item in the online, public archives for a period of at least one year. We would prefer to keep it in the archives indefinitely, but after one year if you wish us to remove it, we will do so. In no case will we remove items from printed issues or anthologies.
3. The right to have Published by Flashing Swords Press (and a link to our magazine's site) included as part of the item if you submit it anywhere else after it appears in our magazine.
 

JeanneTGC

I *am* Catwoman...and Gini Koch
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I'm not a lawyer, but "non-exclusive" would seem to protect you. However, your clause #3 could be potentially problematic, because the way I read it, you might have to put "first published in XXX" somewhere on that page (cannot think of the official name) where the copyright and publisher's name and info appear. But, that might also only be if you use the exact stories, versus characters from them.
 

Birol

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That's a good question right now.
That's standard wording in most contracts I've seen. It's something that can be included in the author's bio. "Story XYZ originally appeared in Big Reputable Magazine."

Yes, Blue, according to what you posted, you still own the rights to the character. You're only selling that particular story.
 
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