Rightsworld.com is the newest entry in the race to convince publishers, agents and authors to offer and acquire rights to literary properties online.
Launched in April of this year, Rightsworld.com (www.rightsworld.com) was cofounded by Eric Miller, rightsworld.com CEO and a former technology developer for Apple, and Nick Bogarty, rightsworld.com president and formerly with iUniverse.com.
Bogarty told PW after first joining iUniverse, "I didn't know anything about publishing, agents or who owned rights." His experience at iUniverse led him to believe that the industry would embrace a convenient platform that listed all available rights and who to contact. "Our marketing pitch is that we're easy to use, like E-bay," he said. Bogarty added that the site is perfect for small publishers "that don't have a sub-rights department or can't go to trade shows." The site is after primary rights as well as sub-rights sales, and Bogarty also encourages authors to post their manuscripts.
Much like such sites as Rightscenter.com, Subrights.com and Goodstory.com, rightsworld.com allows those registered to list or upload properties to the site along with the rights available. The site charges $19.95 per title listed, along with a 5% charge per rights sale. Bogarty emphasized that you only pay the $19.95 charge once, no matter how many rights are sold. Visitors to the site must register. Anyone can list titles, but in order to buy and sell, users must open an account on the site and undergo a review. "Buyers and sellers are independently screened," Bogarty continued.
Bogarty acknowledged the crowd of new online marketplaces, but he noted, "It's a $9-billion market, and it's got to go digital. It's a big market, maybe not big enough for five players, but it's big enough for more than one."
