the london book fair
10–12 March 2026
Olympia London
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Introduction to Rights

Monday, 17 April 2023 | Chelsea Old Town Hall

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12.00 - 12.05

Welcome speech  

Lynette Owen, Copyright and Rights Consultant

12.05 - 12.15

Why sell rights?  

  • Why licensing should be a key part of your publishing strategy
  • Uncovering new streams of income
  • Benefits of effective rights selling for authors and publishers

 

Lynette Owen, Copyright and Rights Consultant

12.15 - 13.00

You Can't Sell What You Don't Own! It's All in the Head Contract

  • The fundamentals of copyright that you need to be aware of
  • Ensuring you are granting licences within the confines of the law
  • Common problems and pitfalls for beginners

 

Duncan Calow, Partner, DLA Piper

13.00 - 13.45

Panel: What Rights CAN You Sell?

  • Introducing the wide range of licensing opportunities
  • Which types of books are suitable?
  • Identifying priorities by market sector

Diane Spivey, Rights and Contracts Consultant

Stephanie Purcell, Group Rights Director, Bloomsbury Publishing

Lynette Owen, Copyright and Rights Consultant

 

13.45 - 14.15

Networking Coffee Break

14.15 - 15.15

The Essentials of Rights Selling: A Step-by-Step Guide

Stephanie Purcell, Group Rights Director, Bloomsbury Publishing

15.15 - 16.00

The Complete Contract and Rights Deal Checklist

  • The basics to consider when negotiating a rights sale
  • Checklist of questions to ask when finalising a deal
  • Fundamentals of a sub-licensing contract
  • Checklist and explanation of key clause

 

Diane Spivey, Rights and Contracts Consultant

16.00 - 17.00

Ask the Experts session and Networking Reception

Speaker Information

Lynette Owen

Copyright and Rights Consultant

Duncan Calow

Partner,

DLA Piper

Stephanie Purcell

Group Rights Director,

Bloomsbury Publishing

Diane Spivey

Rights and Contracts Consultant

LYNETTE OWEN is a freelance copyright and rights consultant.  She previously worked at Cambridge University Press, Pitman Publishing and Pearson Education, latterly as Copyright Director.  She regularly runs training courses on rights both in the UK and abroad.  She is the author of Selling Rights (8/e, Routledge, 2019) and is the General Editor of and a contributor to Clark’s Publishing Agreements: A Book of Precedents (11/e, Bloomsbury Professional, 2022).  In 2009 she was awarded an OBE for services to publishing and international trade and in 2018 she received the IPG award for services to independent publishers. 

Duncan Calow has a comprehensive publishing practice which covers traditional, e-book and online content rights and distribution issues. 

He also advises on commercial and contractual legal issues in copyright, data and branding; advertising and consumer law; video games and sports.

Diane Spivey is a publishing Rights and Contracts Consultant and also works as a writing coach. She was previously Group Contracts Director of Hachette UK, a role from which she retired in 2020, following a lifetime of working in the areas of rights selling, copyright and publishing contracts.  She worked primarily in consumer publishing for publishers including Little, Brown, Simon & Schuster and Hodder & Stoughton.  She is a contributor to Clark’s Publishing Agreements and a regular trainer and lecturer on rights selling and contracts.