Your book is published. Your publisher is failing it. You can get your rights back.
Thousands of authors are locked in publishing contracts with companies that are producing no sales, providing no support, and holding rights the author could exercise far more effectively independently. Most of these authors do not know their contract gives them the right to ask for those rights back — and in many cases, the right to demand reversion. Columbia Publication reviews your contract, identifies your reversion options, and republishes your book professionally once rights are confirmed as yours. Free rights assessment consultation.
What book rights reversion means and when you are entitled to it.
When you signed a publishing contract, you granted the publisher a licence to publish your book. You did not give them ownership of it. That licence was contingent on the publisher performing — publishing the book, distributing it, paying royalties, and keeping it available to the market. When the publisher stops performing, in most contracts, the licence reverts to you.
This principle is embodied in the reversion clause that exists in nearly every publishing contract, whether it is called a reversion clause, an out-of-print clause, or a rights reversion provision. The clause typically specifies the conditions under which you can demand your rights back. Common triggers include the book going out of print for a specified period — often six to twelve months — sales falling below a minimum annual threshold, the publisher failing to publish within the contracted deadline, or the publisher ceasing operations.
The problem is that most authors never read their reversion clause, do not know what threshold triggers it, and have never formally invoked it. Publishers certainly do not remind them. The result is thousands of authors whose books are sitting on a publisher's backlist, generating minimal or no sales, with the author unable to take the book anywhere else because the rights are technically still held by the publisher.
Columbia Publication reviews publishing contracts and advises authors on whether the reversion condition has been met, what notice is required to formally invoke reversion, and what to do if the publisher disputes the reversion claim. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice — for disputed rights claims, we refer to publishing attorneys who specialise in this work. But for the large proportion of cases where the reversion condition has simply been met and never invoked, the process is straightforward and does not require litigation.
The situations we see most frequently.
The publisher closed and the author never reclaimed the rights.
When a publisher closes — as Tate Publishing did in 2017, as CreateSpace was retired in 2019, as dozens of smaller vanity and hybrid publishers have done over the past decade — the rights revert to the author. Many authors do not know this happened or do not know how to act on it. The book sits with no active publisher, no active distribution, and no sales while the author waits for a situation that resolved itself the day the publisher closed. Columbia Publication handles the reversion documentation and gets the book back on sale.
The publisher is active but the book is selling nothing.
A book selling fewer than 25 copies per year — a common threshold in publishing contracts — may qualify for reversion even while the publisher remains active. If your book has been selling below the minimum sales threshold for a defined period, you may be entitled to send a reversion notice today. The publisher is unlikely to fight the reversion of a book that is not generating meaningful revenue for them — the dispute cases tend to involve books with meaningful sales that the publisher wants to continue holding.
The publisher is unresponsive and providing no support.
A publisher who does not respond to author communications, does not pay royalties, does not update distribution, and does not provide any active support is in functional breach of the publishing agreement regardless of what the contract says about reversion. Documenting this breach and escalating through formal written notice, attorney demand letters if necessary, and ultimately through the publishing dispute process are all options available to the author. Columbia Publication provides guidance on the documentation path and referral to publishing attorneys where the dispute requires legal intervention.
The author signed a vanity publishing contract that was never legitimate.
Some contracts — particularly from companies identified on Writer Beware, SFWA, and the Alliance of Independent Authors' watchdog lists — contain rights-grabbing provisions that are unenforceable or that represent fraudulent misrepresentation. Authors who signed under misrepresented terms may have grounds for contract rescission rather than the slower rights reversion path. These cases require a publishing attorney. Columbia Publication can refer to attorneys who have handled rescission cases against known bad actors in the industry.
From rights confirmed to book live on Amazon.
Three stages from assessment to active sales. Each stage requires clear completion before the next begins. No work proceeds until rights position is confirmed.
Rights Assessment
We review your original publishing contract, identify the reversion clause and its specific triggers, compare the triggers to your current situation, and advise on whether reversion has already occurred, whether you are entitled to send a reversion notice, or whether the situation requires a publishing attorney. This assessment is free and is completed during or immediately after the consultation call. No work proceeds and no fees are incurred until the rights path is clear.
DELIVERABLE: Written assessment of your rights position and the recommended next step.
Rights Reversion and Confirmation
Where the reversion condition has been met, Columbia Publication assists with the formal reversion notice — the specific written demand that triggers the contractual reversion process. Where the publisher is unresponsive, we document the timeline and assist with escalation. Where the situation requires an attorney, we provide referrals to publishing lawyers who handle rights disputes. No republishing work begins until written confirmation of rights reversion is in the author's possession.
DELIVERABLE: Written rights reversion confirmation before republishing begins.
Professional Republishing
With rights confirmed, Columbia Publication handles the complete republishing process: manuscript assessment and editing if needed, new cover design, interior formatting to current platform specifications, new ISBN registration in the author's name, simultaneous Amazon KDP and IngramSpark submission, metadata optimisation, and global distribution activation to 40+ retail channels. The old edition remains on Amazon as an out-of-print listing — the new edition is positioned as the active, authoritative current version. Timeline from rights confirmation to new edition live: four to eight weeks depending on scope.
DELIVERABLE: New edition live on Amazon and IngramSpark, 100% rights retained by author, 100% royalties to author permanently.
What republishing costs after rights recovery.
All Columbia Publication republishing packages are flat-fee. No royalty split. No ongoing fees. You retain 100% of your rights and 100% of your royalties permanently after the one-time production fee.
From $1,500 — Clean manuscript republishing
For books with a clean, editorially sound manuscript that needs new production work — reformatting, a new cover, new ISBN, and platform setup. Appropriate for authors whose original publisher had poor production quality but whose editorial work was acceptable. Timeline: four to six weeks.
From $3,500 — Full editorial republishing
For books that need a professional copy edit in addition to production work. Covers editorial review, cover redesign, full interior layout, ISBN, platform setup, metadata optimisation, and Amazon bestseller positioning. Timeline: six to eight weeks.
From $5,500 — Relaunch with marketing campaign
For authors who want to treat the republication as a proper book launch — press outreach, advance reader campaign, Amazon category bestseller positioning, and a structured social media and podcast booking campaign. Appropriate for books with existing audiences who need to be recaptured and new markets to be built. Timeline: eight to twelve weeks.
Frequently asked about book rights recovery.
How do I get my book rights back from a publisher?
Review your contract for reversion language — an out-of-print clause, a minimum sales threshold, or a reversion provision. If the reversion condition has been met, you send a formal written notice to the publisher. If the publisher has closed, rights typically revert automatically. Columbia Publication reviews your contract and advises on the correct path during the free consultation.
What is a rights reversion clause?
A contract provision that returns publishing rights to the author when specified conditions occur — typically the book going out of print, sales falling below a threshold, the publisher ceasing operations, or the publisher failing to publish within the contracted period.
What if my publisher refuses to revert my rights?
Disputed reversion claims require a publishing attorney. Columbia Publication is not a law firm, but we refer to publishing attorneys who specialise in rights disputes and can advise on the strength of your reversion claim.
Can I republish while my original publisher still has it listed?
Not under the same title and in the same format, unless rights have been formally reverted. The correct path is reversion first, then republishing. Columbia Publication does not begin any republishing work until rights reversion is confirmed in writing.
How much does it cost to republish after rights recovery?
Packages start at $1,500 for clean manuscripts needing production work. Full-service republishing including editorial work and a relaunch campaign ranges from $3,500 to $8,000. The rights assessment consultation is free.
Your book should be working for you. If it is not, find out why in a free call.
The free rights assessment consultation takes forty-five minutes. Bring your publishing contract if you have it. If you do not have it, bring whatever you do have — correspondence with the publisher, your royalty statements, the publication date. Columbia Publication will review your situation and tell you exactly where you stand and what your options are.
If your rights have already reverted and you did not know it, you may be able to begin republishing within weeks. If your rights are still technically held but the reversion condition has been met, the process of reclaiming them is often simpler than authors expect.
Get Your Free Rights AssessmentOr call (703) 997-9787 · Reviewed by Jaweriya Baig, Book Production Manager · Columbia Publication, Arlington VA