Sample Copyright Agreement
I. Amending Publisher Agreement

Sometimes changing a few words (exclusive to non-exclusive, for example) or substituting language for a particular section may be all that is needed. In many instances, publishers will accept the changes.

Grant a license to the Publisher (Option 1):

Many publishers offer authors the option of retaining copyright. All they require is a licence in order to publish the work. If a licence is not available, you can try creating one:

The original contract may read:

The author transfers exclusively to the publisher copyright (including all rights thereunder) in the work for the duration of copyright and all extensions and renewals thereof, in all languages, throughout the world, and in any form or medium now known or hereafter developed.

Cross out the above and substitute the following language:

The author grants to the Publisher exclusive first publication rights in the Work, and further grants a non-exclusive license for other uses of the Work for the duration of its copyright in all languages, throughout the world, in all media. The Publisher shall include a notice in the Work saying "© [Author's Name]. Readers of this article may copy it without the copyright owner's permission, if the author and publisher are acknowledged in the copy and copy is used for educational, not-for-profit purposes."

You might want to include other elements important to you, such as a deadline by which the publication must appear.

Transfer copyright but reserve some rights (Option 2)

If you decide you are willing to transfer your copyright but wish to retain certain rights for yourself, strikeout or modify any language that grants exclusive rights to the publisher. Alternatively, a simple solution is to use the Scholars Copyright Addendum Engine. The Engine gives you several options from which to select and then will generate a PDF contract addendum that you can print out and submit to the publisher.