Rights & Licensing

Discuss a project

We welcome enquiries about licensing original material from The Spiral Accord. A proposal can cover one work, selected characters or a defined collection of rights. Available rights, the authorised licensor and any existing commitments must be checked for the specific material before an agreement is offered.

Enquire about rights →

This page is an invitation to discuss terms, not a licence, reservation of rights or binding offer. The structures below are available for negotiation where the relevant rights are controlled and available. No rights are granted by submitting an enquiry, receiving a manuscript, paying an unsolicited amount or viewing material online. Commercial use requires a written agreement signed by the authorised parties.

Rights that can be discussed

Print and digital publishing

Paperback, hardcover, collector’s and illustrated editions, ebooks, serialisation, anthologies and book-club editions. A grant can be limited to named books, formats, language and territory. Digital subscriptions, library supply and educational editions should be identified separately.

Translation and international editions

Language-specific publishing rights, with agreed territories, formats, translation standards, approval procedure and publication deadline. A translation licence does not automatically include film, audio or merchandising.

Audio

Unabridged or abridged audiobooks, full-cast audio drama and scripted podcasts. The agreement can distinguish adaptation rights, narration, recording ownership, distribution platforms and subscription access. Music and performer permissions require their own clearance where relevant.

Film, television and animation

Options and adaptation licences for feature films, series, limited series or animation. Scope may address selected source books, characters and settings, with separate treatment of sequels, prequels, remakes, spin-offs and promotional use. An option provides only the expressly agreed development and acquisition opportunity; production rights arise only as the contract provides.

Stage and live experiences

Theatrical adaptations, readings, touring productions, exhibitions and immersive experiences. Discussion covers the adaptation, venues, performance count, tour territory, ticketing, recording and any livestream or later distribution.

Games and interactive works

Video games, tabletop and role-playing games, interactive fiction and other expressly defined experiences. Platforms, downloadable additions, updates, recurring services, in-game goods and use of story continuity are negotiated individually.

Comics and graphic adaptations

Graphic novels, comics and illustrated serials, including translation and digital publication. Script, character design, artwork approvals and ownership of newly commissioned contributions should be settled before production.

Merchandise and brand collaborations

Defined product categories such as apparel, prints, collectibles and licensed accessories. Use of the series name and spiral-hourglass mark requires express brand permission, approved artwork and quality controls. No general right to apply the marks to any product is implied.

Music

Enquiries may cover original compositions or recordings owned or administered by Regan Andrews, including synchronisation with film, trailers, games or advertising and agreed uses of master recordings. Composition and master-recording rights are distinct. Public-performance, mechanical or other collective licences may also be required; the exact track, recording and intended use must be identified.

Excerpts, editorial and educational permissions

Requests for extracts, readings, teaching packs, reproductions, publicity materials and exhibitions can be considered by use, audience, duration and distribution. Statutory exceptions remain unaffected. There is no blanket promise that every educational or non-commercial use is free.

Scope and exclusivity

A licence can be exclusive, sole or non-exclusive, with the precise meaning written into the agreement. It can be limited by medium, work, product category, language, territory, platform and duration. Worldwide or multiple-language rights can be discussed where available; they are not the default. Rights not expressly granted remain reserved. A licence is distinct from an assignment of ownership; an assignment would require separate express agreement.

Territorial restrictions, translations, accessibility versions, promotional extracts, archival availability and cross-border digital sales should be addressed explicitly. Bundled rights can be negotiated, but obtaining one format does not automatically acquire every other use.

Commercial structures

• Fixed fee: a defined payment for a specified use and term.
• Advance against royalties: an upfront amount credited against the particular royalties described in the contract.
• Royalty or revenue share: an agreed percentage or per-unit amount, with the revenue base, deductions, bundles, discounts and returns clearly defined.
• Minimum guarantee: an agreed minimum payment, with any additional royalties calculated under the contract.
• Option and exercise payments: a fee for a time-limited option, with the acquisition or production payment, exercise conditions and any extensions agreed separately.
• Milestone or hybrid arrangements: payments linked to delivery, publication, production or other measurable milestones, potentially combined with royalties.

There is no published standard rate card or automatic free licence. Price depends on scope, exclusivity, reach, duration, commercial scale and rights availability. Currency, taxes, invoicing, payment dates, permitted deductions and any recoupment are negotiated. The website’s at-cost print-sales principle does not set the price of commercial intellectual-property licences.

Development, approvals and creative control

Agreements can specify the materials requiring approval: scripts, translations, character designs, covers, product samples, casting proposals, advertising and use of the marks. The review timetable, revision process and consequences of missed deadlines should be explicit. Approval rights and consultation rights are different; neither is assumed merely from this page.

Projects should identify their intended audience and relationship to the established series. Changes to character history, setting or continuity, and whether a work is presented as canonical, require agreement. A licence does not by itself make a new story part of the official continuity. Credit wording, prominence, copyright notices and trademark acknowledgements are specified per project.

Delivery and publication obligations

Discussion can cover manuscript or asset delivery, file specifications, source editions, production schedules, launch dates, minimum distribution or print commitments and marketing responsibilities. Any updated material or future books must be expressly included; they do not automatically follow an earlier grant. Unpublished drafts and supplied source files must be handled under their agreed access and confidentiality conditions.

Reporting, audit and rights returning

Royalty arrangements can include regular statements, payment schedules, records retention and proportionate audit rights. Agreements should define how sales, sublicensing income, subscriptions and returns are reported. Audit procedures, costs and remedies are contractual matters.

Term, renewal, termination, cure periods, insolvency, failure to publish and out-of-print or inactivity provisions can be negotiated. On expiry or termination, rights can return under the agreed conditions. Any sell-off period, customer access to existing digital purchases, removal of marks and continued archival availability must be specified; none is unlimited by default.

Partners, sublicensing and additional clearances

Sublicensing, assignment and transfer to affiliates or a purchaser are permitted only to the extent the agreement allows. Distributors, manufacturers, studios and other production partners should be identified, with responsibility for their work and rights use made clear.

A licence covers only rights the signing licensor is entitled to grant. The copyright notice identifies Regan Andrews; the trademark notice identifies The Spiral Accord Limited (NZBN 942905405148). The proper party and authority for each grant will be confirmed during rights review. Public display of an image, video, music player or archive item does not establish that every component is available for sublicensing. Performer likenesses, third-party contributions, music, archive material and other embedded rights may require separate permission. Any exclusions and clearance responsibilities belong in the agreement.

Contract protections

Project-specific discussions may include ownership and authority assurances, moral rights and credits, confidentiality, warranties, indemnities, liability limits, insurance, dispute resolution and governing law. These must suit the transaction and applicable law. No guarantee of commercial success, universal rights availability or clearance of every asset is made by this page. Each party should obtain appropriate advice on its final agreement.

What to include in an enquiry

1. Your name, organisation, role and reliable contact details.
2. The books, characters, marks, tracks or specific assets requested.
3. The medium, project summary, intended audience and planned distribution.
4. Requested territories, languages, term and exclusivity.
5. Expected launch or production schedule, budget range and proposed commercial structure.
6. Any partners, funding status, relevant prior work and deadline for a decision.
7. Whether you need an option, a direct licence or limited permission for a particular use.

Send an initial non-confidential summary to regan@thespiralaccord.com with “Rights enquiry” in the subject. Request an NDA before sending confidential scripts or business plans. We will assess the proposal and the relevant rights, then discuss a term sheet and agreement if there is a fit. An acknowledgement or discussion is not a grant or reservation, and there is no guaranteed response or acceptance.

Useful distinction for readers

You can share a link to the public site without seeking a commercial licence. Downloading, copying, adapting or distributing the work is a different use: refer to the Terms of Use, any applicable statutory exception and the permissions for the particular material. For concerns about an existing use, visit Contact.