For literary agencies and rights teams
A rights database for literary agencies
One searchable source of truth for every title you represent: which rights are sold, optioned, under offer or free, in every territory and language, with the deals, contracts, deadlines and royalties attached. Built from the spreadsheet and files you already have, then kept current for you.
The spreadsheet was never the problem
Every agency has a rights spreadsheet, and it is usually a serious piece of work. The problem is the shape of the job: rights availability connects to submissions, contracts, option windows, royalty statements and money owed, and a spreadsheet can only hold the first layer. The rest scatters into inboxes and folders, and the spreadsheet slowly stops being true. A rights database holds all the layers in one place, which is what keeps it accurate.
We wrote about where that quietly costs agencies money in the hidden cost of running foreign rights on spreadsheets, and about the whole discipline in our field guide to literary rights management.
What the database holds
Availability you can query
Sold, optioned, under offer, reverted or free, by title, territory and language. The answer in seconds, not an afternoon in filter view.
Every deal attached to its title
Submissions, offers, contracts, option windows and reversion dates live on the record they belong to, not in a separate tab or inbox.
The money in the same place
Advances, royalty statements, splits and invoices connect to the same deal record, so the financial picture is part of the database, not a reconciliation job.
Built from the files you have
Send the spreadsheet, the contract folder and the statement pile. The database is built from your own records and checked by a person before it goes live.
Kept current for you
New deals, statements and correspondence update the records as they arrive. The database stays live instead of drifting out of date between clean-ups.
Watching the dates
Options, expiries and payment deadlines surface before they lapse. A database that raises its hand beats one that waits to be asked.
More than a database when you need it
The database is the foundation. On top of it, RightsRoom runs the working desks when you want them: contracts, royalties, rights marketing and the assistant. Start with the source of truth; switch the rest on when it earns its place. The full picture of the category is on our literary rights management software page.
Frequently asked questions
What is a rights database?
A rights database records, for every title an agency represents, which rights exist (translation, foreign territory, audio, film and others), which are sold, optioned, under offer or available, in which territories and languages, and on what terms. A good one also connects the deals, contracts, deadlines and royalties attached to each right, so availability and obligations can be answered from one place.
Can it replace our rights spreadsheet?
Yes, that is the point. The spreadsheet usually holds the availability grid and nothing else. RightsRoom holds the grid plus the deals, contracts, dates and money attached to it, stays searchable, and is kept current as new records arrive. You can still export to a spreadsheet whenever you want a familiar list.
How does our existing data get in?
You send the records you already have: spreadsheets, contract folders, royalty statements, Word files and notes, in any format. They are read, structured and checked before anything lands in your workspace, so the database starts from your real archive rather than empty forms.
Is a rights database different from rights management software?
The database is the foundation: the single source of truth about titles, rights and availability. Rights management software is the working layer on top, running submissions, contracts, royalties and follow-ups against those records. RightsRoom is both, which is why the database stays accurate: the daily work and the records are the same system.
Who can see our data?
Your workspace is yours alone. Data is stored in the EU, isolated per agency, never used to train AI models, and deletable on request.
Your database, built from your files
Send the spreadsheet, the contract folder or the statement pile. It comes back as one live, searchable rights database.