It’s still expensive and publishers have to draw the line somewhere. Not all books, though, are slated for the audiobook route. Depending on the book, publishers like the option to take on or oversee the production of an audiobook. Because audio rights are a hot commodity, most publishers now keep those rights. If you are traditionally published, you’ll need to read your contract. The first question to ask: Do you control your derivative rights, in particular your audio rights? If you are self-published, then chances are high you still own these rights. This includes derivative works (e.g., abridgments, translations, dramatizations, film adaptions, and sound recordings), which covers audiobooks.

Of the five rights, derivative rights are the starting point for producing an audiobook from the original content. These rights, collectively or individually, are yours to sell, license, or assign, in any manner you see fit. You, the author of creative work like your book, are automatically the owner of the copyright, which comes with a bundle of five exclusive rights-the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, or prepare derivative works.

Book rightsīook rights, obviously, are the most important. Whether you’re an audiobook producer, a publisher, or a traditionally or self-published author in the market to produce your own audiobook, here’s a breakdown of the rights needed to bring an audiobook to market. So, it makes sense that authors want to capitalize on that billion-dollar market. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s with the Internet and huge advances in mobile technologies that audiobooks sales began to boom, transforming audio rights into the Cinderella rights of many book publishing deals.Īt the end of 2019, audiobook sales were up 16 percent, marking the eighth year of double-digit growth in a row. Even with technological advances, like the Walkman, audiobooks were still a lackluster investment for publishers. If you think back to when audiobooks made their big splash in the early 1970s with audiocassettes and Books On Tape, the market was small. Today’s guest post is by intellectual property lawyer and author Matt Knight ( rights used to be the ugly stepsister of publishing rights, often thought of as throwaway rights to be included with a group of other secondary rights in a publishing deal. Photo credit: The Preiser Project on / CC BY

Acx audiobook publishing