Writers Rights

Having trouble understanding your publishing contract?

The NZSA Consultancy Service, is set up to give assistance if you need help understanding and negotiating fair and reasonable contracts with publishers.

We receive hundreds of queries each year covering a range of writing and publishing issues. These include copyright protection, non-payment of royalties, non-publication of work accepted, subsidiary rights, royalty clauses in contracts, unauthorised use of copyright material and more recently the growing development of digital publishing and concerns around AI.

We also advise members on steps they can take when a publisher does not honour the terms of a contract or someone has illegally copied their work.

We assess contracts before you sign. Do review all our resources, advice and model contracts across various kinds of publishing.

Send a copy of the contract together with comments stating which clauses you wish to have assessed and your membership number to director@nzauthors.org.nz. After reviewing your contract we will provide comments for your consideration.

If you suspect you are being exploited, contact us about protecting your author’s rights.

This covers the unauthorised use of your copyright material, moral rights, AI training without permission et al. You can also contact Copyright Licensing NZ directly about copyright infringement.

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