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Frequently Asked Questions
Questions in Contract and Agreements
Do I own the rights to my book or do you, the publisher?
Who owns the film, television, theater and other media rights?
Does my contract renew automatically?
Paragraph 12 in your contract says that iUniverse has full discretion as to price, production, appearance and formats of the work. Does this mean I don't have any control or input?
When I originally published my book with iUniverse, I didn't publish it in e-book format. Can I publish it as an e-book elsewhere?
Do I have the right to reprint the cover of my book for my advertising campaigns?
When others would like to print my cover or the graphics in my book do they need my permission?
Is there an annual fee to renew my contract?
What happens if I want to cancel my contract with iUniverse?
Do I own rights to the cover of my book?
Who owns the printable (native) files?
When I publish through iUniverse, have I purchased the rights to the cover images?
Do I own the rights to my book or do you, the publisher?
The author retains the rights to all of his or her book. By utilizing iUniverse's services, you are simply granting us a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute the work for you.
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Who owns the film, television, theater and other media rights?
With iUniverse, the author retains all rights to a book, including the film, television and theater rights.
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Does my contract renew automatically?
Yes. The license of the work shall extend for three years after the date that iUniverse first releases it for publication. The license will automatically renew for consecutive one year terms if neither party (iUniverse or the author) gives at least 30 days advance written notice prior to the end of the current term, that it desires to terminate.
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Paragraph 12 in your contract says that iUniverse has full discretion as to price, production, appearance and formats of the work. Does this mean I don't have any control or input?
With iUniverse, the author exercises a great deal of control over the design of both the cover and the book block. The clause included in Paragraph 12 only exists to prevent an unending cycle of changes. It is enforced very rarely.
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When I originally published my book with iUniverse, I didn't publish it in e-book format. Can I publish it as an e-book elsewhere?
Yes, you can produce your own e-book if it is not currently published with iUniverse.
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Do I have the right to reprint the cover of my book for my advertising campaigns?
iUniverse encourages authors to market their books aggressively. You do not need to seek the publisher’s permission to use the cover in your advertising.
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When others would like to print my cover or the graphics in my book do they need my permission?
Generally speaking, others should ask you, the copyright holder, for permission to reproduce the material. You may grant this permission at your discretion.
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Is there an annual fee to renew my contract?
No, there is no fee to renew your contract. iUniverse does reserve the right to charge a fee to continue to keep your book in distribution. Paragraph 6 in Schedule A of the contract states that iUniverse has the right to charge an annual title maintenance fee of no more than $25 for each version of the book, excluding e-books. iUniverse has never charged this fee. The clause exists to protect iUniverse should the economics of publishing change.
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What happens if I want to cancel my contract with iUniverse?
The author has the right to cancel the contract at anytime with a 30-day advance written notice to the publisher. If the author chooses to cancel, all rights to the work will revert to the author at the end of the 30-day period.
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Do I own rights to the cover of my book?
If iUniverse creates the cover based on your suggestions or a “mock-up”, then iUniverse owns the rights to the cover.
If you’ve submitted a piece of cover art and have iUniverse finish out the cover, you retain the rights to the art you’ve submitted, but iUniverse retains the rights to the completed cover.
If you’ve submitted a completed cover, you retain the rights to that cover.
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Who owns the printable (native) files?
iUniverse owns the original printable files for the book, and we do not distribute them.
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When I publish through iUniverse, have I purchased the rights to the cover images?
When you request iUniverse to design a book cover for you, we use multiple techniques to achieve the effect that will be just right for your book. If images are not provided by you, the author, then we often use royalty-free images.
One example of a royalty-free provider is Getty Images. You can find specific licensing information on their Web site. At the time of this FAQ entry, the following license excerpt dictates their fair use:
Royalty-free products may be used by you multiple times for multiple projects without incurring additional fees. Royalty-free pricing is based solely on the file size of the product you need and the number of people entitled to use it (maximum 10), not the specific use. You don't have to pay any additional royalties on a use-by-use basis. However, as with all Getty Images licenses, the rights granted are non-transferable and are personal to you. This means that if you license an RF product to be used in a derivative work by your client or any other person, they may not use the licensed product separately from the derivative work. Royalty-free licenses are always non-exclusive. All licenses of royalty-free products are subject to Getty Images' Royalty-Free License Agreement.
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