The first step in reverting rights to previously published work is to initiate a conversation with the rightsholder—usually a publisher. This process is not always straightforward, so Authors Alliance has created a concise collection of templates and sample language that may be used as a starting point. The Authors Alliance Guide to Crafting a Rights Reversion Letter (including letter templates) is intended to help authors take the all-important initial step in the rights reversion process. We’d like to thank Nicole Cabrera, Jordyn Ostroff, and Brianna Schofield of the Samuelson Law, Technology, and Public Policy Clinic at UC Berkeley Law for their work in creating this guide, which is a companion to their primer on Understanding Rights Reversion.

A collection of rights management tools is available on our Resources page. Check back often for updates and new information!