For a current book, I would contact either the author or the publisher by finding their web sites. The Amazon listing for the book includes the publisher name, but often these are smaller imprints of a larger publisher. You can request a sample of Kindle books, which would show you the front matter.

Authors who independently publish their books often include their web sites and/or email addresses in the front or back matter of the book. You’ll find more ideas for searches below.

If you contact a publisher, you will want to send your inquiry to the Subsidiary Rights department. This chart shows the Big 5 US print publishers and their imprints. Be aware that a single Subsidiary Rights department may manage more than one imprint.

When the book is in the backlist and/or out of print, you may need to do more research on these sites to determine the copyright status and locate the rights holder. I search the first 4 sites below for a copyright renewal. If none of them find one, I consider the book to be public domain.

Copyright Renewals:

• Stanford University US Copyright Renewal Database This database does not include every registration, so it’s possible a renewal was filed but not matched in this system.

• This NY Public Library article explains the issues with renewals. This site offers an unofficial search of the NYPL’s copyright registrations and renewal data on Github.

• Google Books Scans of Catalog of Copyright Entries has a Search box in the middle of the page and searches the 91 volumes of pre-1978 Catalog of Copyright Entries from the US Copyright Office. Steven J. Cohen’s Copyright Renewal Checker apparently searches this same data.

• United States Copyright Office Public Catalog (1978-present) and US Copyright Office Public Record Systems – Pilot   Be aware that a 2nd or later edition may have a copyright registration that only applies to the new material (NM). If the copyright on a 1929-1963 book wasn’t filed timely before the end of the 28th year, the underlying text of the first edition is public domain.

Note: I also suggest you use the Amazon “Look Inside” Feature on the hardback and paperback editions. In one case, I found no renewals in the first 4 databases and felt happy to have found a wonderful public domain book. However, I saw the copyright page in the paperback edition on Amazon and was dismayed to see it said the copyright had been timely renewed by the author’s son. I’d have to license that book if I wanted to create the audiobook.

Other useful sites:

• Online Books Page Copyright Registration and Renewal Records

• Harry Ransom Center UTA Locating US Copyright Holders
  • Has searchable database, 10 other ways to find rights holder, and other resources

• QueryTracker Literary Agents Who Reps Whom

• PublishersMarketplace.com
  • Offers free and paid accounts and contains a database of deal reports.

Other search tips:

• Indie authors usually have a web site, so simply Googling the author’s name frequently reveals their site.

• You could Google “AuthorName BookTitle” (together within the quotes) to find other sites where you might contact the author.

• If you can’t find a web site under the author’s name, Google “AuthorName pseudonym”.

• You might even get lucky by Googling “AuthorName BookName audio rights”. Using that search, I once found an article about the author that included mention of her agent’s name.

• You could look for articles that mention the author’s representatives by  Googling “AuthorName literary agent”, “AuthorName attorney”, etc.

• Go to each of these social media sites and search for the author’s name: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest.

• These searches and the following instructions work better for more famous authors. Google “AuthorName obituary” or “AuthorName literary estate”. Once you find the author’s obituary, look for names of agents, attorneys, and survivors. If you Google “AuthorName papers finding aid,” you may find the institution that maintains the collection of the author’s documents, which can include the publishing contracts, letters to their attorney or rep, etc. Repeat the Google searches for the names you uncover until you can find contact info. I once ended up creating a family tree to research the current rights holder for a title published in the 1930s. I’ve also hired a researcher at a far-away college to physically look at particular author materials that I discovered through the Finding Aid for the collection.

Once you’ve found the rights holder, this info may be helpful:

•  Jane Friedman’s blog Requesting Permissions + Sample Permissions Letter
  • Includes helpful flowchart infographic, as well as links to permissions departments for the Big 5 publishers

• PublishLawyer.com Permissions Agreement form
  • This template may help you create a licensing agreement.

 

I’ll continue to update this page as I find more related sites. If you’ve found useful sites in researching rights holders, I’d love for you to leave its URL in the comments. Also, you may want to check out the links I listed for authors in the companion article Links to Help Authors Know Their Rights.