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Rights reversion and republishing
Your book is published, but it is not selling, your publisher does not answer, or the company has closed. Your contract almost certainly has a clause that returns your rights when the publisher stops performing. We review it, help you invoke it, and then republish the book properly, with every right and royalty yours.
Tell us who published your book and what is happening. A specialist reviews your situation and replies within one business day. The assessment is free.
The short answer
Most publishing contracts license the book to the publisher rather than transfer ownership, and include a reversion clause that returns the rights to the author when the publisher stops performing, for example when the book goes out of print, sales fall below a set threshold, or the publisher closes. Columbia Publication reviews the contract, advises whether the reversion condition has been met, helps prepare the formal reversion notice, and republishes the book once rights are confirmed in writing, from $1,499 with 100% of rights and royalties kept. Columbia Publication is not a law firm and refers disputed cases to publishing attorneys.
Prices checked October 26, 2026 · Reviewed by Gia Kahn, Lead Editor · Next review November 2026 · How we check
Is this you?
A reversion clause does nothing until someone invokes it.
Publishers rarely remind authors that the conditions for reversion have been met. So books sit on a backlist for years, earning little or nothing, while the author assumes they are stuck. Republishing before the rights are formally back can create a dispute you do not need.
We work in the right order: read the contract, confirm where you stand, help you send the notice the contract requires, wait for the rights to be confirmed in writing, and only then republish the book properly.
Start here
The situations we see most often, and what usually happens next.
| Your situation | Usually means | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| The publisher closed | Rights often revert, but many authors never confirm it | Confirm the position in writing, then republish |
| The book sells almost nothing | May meet the contract’s out-of-print or minimum sales condition | Check the threshold and send a reversion notice |
| The publisher does not respond or pay | A documented record of non-performance matters | Document the timeline and escalate as the contract allows |
| You signed a vanity contract | Some terms may be unenforceable or open to challenge | Contract review, with an attorney referral if needed |
Not sure where you stand? Book the free rights assessment below. Bring the contract if you have it, or whatever you do have: emails, royalty statements, the publication date.
How reversion works
When you signed a publishing contract, you granted the publisher a license to publish your book. You did not give them the book. That license depends on the publisher performing: publishing, distributing, paying royalties and keeping the book available.
A reversion clause, sometimes called an out-of-print clause, sets out when that license ends and the rights come back to you: typically when the book goes out of print, sales fall below a stated threshold, the publisher closes, or the book is not published within the agreed time. The clause usually requires a written notice from you to take effect.
Have the contract to hand? We will tell you what it says.
Get My Free Rights AssessmentThe process
| Stage | What you receive | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rights assessment | A written assessment of your position and the next step | We read the contract, find the reversion clause and compare its triggers to your situation |
| 2. Reversion and confirmation | Written confirmation that rights have reverted | We help prepare the formal notice, document an unresponsive publisher and escalate; disputes go to a publishing attorney |
| 3. Republishing | A new edition live on Amazon and IngramSpark | Editing if needed, a new cover, a new interior, a new ISBN, and setup in your own accounts |
No republishing work begins until rights reversion is confirmed in writing.
What we are and are not
No. Columbia Publication is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. We read publishing contracts every day and can tell you what the reversion language says and what it usually means in practice. When a publisher disputes a reversion, or the situation needs representation, we refer you to a publishing attorney rather than advise on it ourselves. See publishing legal services.
When it is done
You have the confirmation in writing. A new edition is live under your control, with a cover that fits the genre and a clean interior, on accounts in your name. Every sale pays you directly, and nobody can sit on your book again.
Republishing
Flat fees. No royalty split, no ongoing fees.
Clean manuscript
From $1,499
New cover, new interior to current specifications, new ISBN and setup on KDP and IngramSpark.
From $1,499 your book returns under your name with a new cover, a current interior and a new ISBN, selling from accounts you own.
For books whose editing was sound
Start With the Free AssessmentNeeds editing
Custom quote
Adds a professional copy edit and metadata work to the production.
Your book gets the copy edit it should have had first time, plus metadata that helps readers find it, all quoted before any work.
Quoted to your manuscript
Start With the Free AssessmentRelaunch
Custom quote
Adds press outreach, advance readers and a bestseller campaign to bring the book back to its audience.
Your book comes back with a second launch: press outreach, advance readers and a bestseller campaign aimed at the readers it missed.
See book marketing
Start With the Free AssessmentHow you are protected while you take your book back
Paid in full upfront once you approve the written quote, and only after your rights are confirmed.
What you can count on
How it runs
We’ve started with Publishing & distribution. Add anything else your manuscript needs, and a specialist sends an itemised quote within one business day. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Written quote within one business day. Nothing is charged until you approve it. 100% of your rights stay yours.
Questions
Find the reversion language in your contract: an out-of-print clause, a minimum sales threshold or a reversion provision. If the condition has been met, send the publisher the formal written notice the contract requires. If the publisher has closed, confirm the position in writing before republishing.
Disputed reversion claims need a publishing attorney. We are not a law firm, but we refer you to attorneys who handle rights disputes.
Not in the same title and format until rights are formally reverted. Reversion first, then republishing. We do not start republishing until it is confirmed in writing.
From $1,499 for a clean manuscript that needs new production. Editorial republishing and relaunch campaigns are quoted to your book. The rights assessment is free.
Yes. A republished edition gets a new ISBN, from our block or your own.
In full upfront for the republishing, once your rights are confirmed and you approve the written quote.
Who published the book, when, and what is going on now. A specialist replies within one business day.
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