Negotiating contracts
If a journal's publication agreement does not allow you to use your work in the ways that you would like, you can talk with the publisher about changing the terms of the agreement before you sign it.
It may seem somewhat intimidating to approach a publisher about negotiating your contract, but remember: you are the copyright holder for your work. As the copyright holder, you have the right to negotiate your contract. You do not need to transfer all your rights to the publisher you are considering publishing with.
Tips for negotiating your contract:
- Read your contract carefully! Pay attention to the language in your contract to identify what rights you are transferring to the publisher and what rights you are retaining as an author.
- Consider what rights you want to keep. You don't have to transfer all of your rights to the publisher, but you may not need to keep all of them either. Consider what rights you want to keep, and negotiate for those rights in particular (distribution rights, republishing data in another work, etc). This will make your case more secure than if you are asking for complete retention of your copyrights.
- Save a copy of your contract! By keeping a copy of your contract, you can ensure that, if the publisher questions your use of their publication, you can refer to the language of your amended contract to settle any disputes.
