Kurt A. Hollingshead
Rights Manager, Translation licensing
Boston, MA · (913) 555 0137 · name@example.com · linkedin.com/in/kurtahollingshead
Key Qualifications
EXPERIENCE
Eleven years in subsidiary and translation rights, the last five running a department of three
MARKETS
Trade nonfiction and fiction, translation markets across Europe, Asia and Latin America
SPECIALTIES
Translation licensing, audio and serial rights, book club and large print, reversion management
SYSTEMS
Klopotek, Biblio, Rightsline, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Acrobat
CREDENTIALS
Member of the Association of American Publishers rights committee
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in comparative literature, Boston College
Results at a Glance
96
Translation deals
40
Backlist titles
28
Print titles
Executive Summary
Rights manager running subsidiary and translation rights for a trade publisher of 60 titles a year. Sells translation, audio, serial and book club rights, works two international book fairs a season, and turns a backlist that was sitting still into a reliable line of licensing income. Eleven years in rights.
Signature Achievements
- Grew subsidiary rights income from 410,000 dollars to 1.2 million dollars a year across five years without adding headcount.
- Closed 96 translation deals in 22 languages over three seasons, with Spanish, German and Korean the strongest markets.
- Licensed audio rights on 40 backlist titles in one year, an income line the house had never worked before.
- Sold first serial to three national magazines on a reported title, which the publicity department credited with the preorder curve.
- Reclaimed 28 out of print titles through reversion clauses and relicensed 19 of them within two seasons.
- Built the rights guide and the fair appointment schedule that the house now runs at Frankfurt and Guadalajara every year.
Professional Experience
Rights Manager
Back Bay Quill Publishers, Boston, MA 2019 to present
Independent trade publisher of 60 titles a year; leads a rights department of three covering translation, audio, serial and club rights.
- Sells translation rights into 30 territories, working directly with publishers and through six coagents.
- Prepares the rights guide, the fair schedule and the appointment list for two international book fairs a year.
- Negotiates advances, royalty rates and territory and term language, then drafts the license for legal review.
- Tracks option deadlines, reversion triggers and sublicense royalty statements and reports income to the publisher monthly.
- Manages two rights associates, sets their territory lists and reviews every deal above 10,000 dollars.
Rights Associate
Charles River Trade Books, Cambridge, MA 2015 to 2019
Trade house publishing 35 titles a year, mainly narrative nonfiction.
- Handled permissions requests and reprint licenses and cleared quoted material for new titles.
- Prepared submission packets and sample material for translation prospects.
- Kept the rights database current and reconciled sublicense income against royalty statements.
Contracts Assistant
Fenway Literary Group, Boston, MA 2014 to 2015
Literary agency representing 40 authors.
- Logged contracts, payment schedules and delivery dates for the agency list.
- Chased signature pages and advance payments from publishers.
- Assembled royalty statement summaries for agents before author calls.
Licensure and Certification
Member, Association of American Publishers
Member, Independent Book Publishers Association
Education
Bachelor of Arts in comparative literature, Boston College, 2014
Certificate in publishing, Columbia Publishing Course, 2014
Core Skills
Translation rights · Audio and serial licensing · Contract negotiation · Book fair selling · Reversion management · Royalty statements · Klopotek · Rights guides · Coagent management · Team leadership