The Hidden Cost of Signing Away Your Rights

by: Jo WildsmithPublished on: 06/03/2026

When you write a book, you automatically own the intellectual property. The words, the story, the characters, the ideas – all of it. If you decide that working with a hybrid publisher is the right path for you, the key thing is to go in with your eyes open. You may be licensing or assigning some of those rights to them. Sometimes temporarily. Sometimes indefinitely.