Giving exclusive rights to an anthology?

jennyfish

Registered
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I've just had a short story accepted by a very small indie press. In the contract they ask for "sole and exclusive" rights, so they'll be the only ones who can ever publish it.

I've read that this is a bit of a red flag, but I'm very new to this. Will most publishers request sole and exclusive rights to a short story, and I should just get over it? I don't have plans to publish it anywhere else, but I guess this would stop me sending it to somewhere that accepts reprints or even publishing it myself if I ever get to that stage!

But again maybe this is pretty normal, at least for small presses? Thank you!
 

CameronJohnston

Great Old One
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 7, 2017
Messages
1,201
Reaction score
119
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
Website
www.cameronjohnston.net
No, this is really not normal. It's excessive.

Usually they request First Publication Rights, and many want it exclusively for 6-12 months after they print it, after which time you are free to do whatever you want with it, reprint, publish on your website etc. They tend to retain rights to print it, archive it etc still.

It's up to you what you do of course and I *might* be OK with it if I didn't want to do anything else with the story, ever again in my lifetime, or if they paid quite a lot. Most likely I would go back and ask if they are having a laugh with that sole and exclusive right in perpetuity.
 

Ari Meermans

MacAllister's Official Minion & Greeter
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 24, 2011
Messages
12,853
Reaction score
3,051
Location
Not where you last saw me.
If you assign "sole and exclusive rights", the press will be the only ones who can ever publish your story in any format, which includes not only the first publication rights and any reprint rights, but also electronic and audio, internet, film, and even foreign (translation) rights, among others. You'll also give up the right to distribute, market, and perform that story, and also publish derivative work (use the characters in subsequent works, for instance). That's quite a bit of potential to give up for a single anthology payment, whether you end up ever using those rights or not. (Since I don't own a crystal ball, I wouldn't do it.)


ETA: Also what Cameron said.
 
Last edited:

Dennis E. Taylor

Get it off! It burns!
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Messages
2,602
Reaction score
365
Location
Beautiful downtown Mordor
Yeah, six months' exclusivity should be enough. More than that isn't required for purposes of the anthology, so it's just a grab.