The importance of the phrase "Officially Licensed" in the world of Book Merch

One of the coolest things for a bookish small business is the opportunity to pay homage to our favorite books and celebrate the authors who built the fictional worlds we all love. 

But as much as we want to take every book that has ever made us cry, laugh or scream to life through a Charlie & Fox collection, there are a few steps in the process to make sure that we are doing so with the best interest of the author at heart. 

What does the label “officially licensed” mean when I see it on merch?

At its simplest - official licensing means you have permission from the original creator of the intellectual property (IP) to use said IP for your business. In our case, an author gives us permission to use a book’s title, character names, quotes etc, in a design that will be put on Charlie & Fox products. 

Now, when it comes to obtaining said permission to utilize an author’s IP, that’s where things can go a few different ways. Some authors handle their own merchandise contracts, others have representation through agencies. There is no “correct” way - it’s just what works best for that author and how their team is structured. 

As for us on the business end - this typically means researching the best way to get in touch with an author/author’s team and for lack of a better phrase… shoot our shot. 

What comes after contacting the author?

Sometimes? Nothing. Every team has their own plans or sometimes self-made merchandise, and what we propose as a small business doesn’t fit into their current planning.  Which is completely their right - an author’s IP is something that they built with their own two hands and therefore they ultimately should be the one who chooses when and where that IP is used. 

The best case scenario? A team or author asks for more information and opens the door to discussing what partnering on a collection with Charlie & Fox would look like. We share details about timelines, artists we think would be best suited for the book, which pieces of merchandise they would be most interested in - anything and everything that would let an author know how we would best honor their work. 

How long does this all take?

Depending on the agreement, the artist’s availability, or a pile of other factors - we can sign a contract with an author anywhere within a few months to a couple of years.

The reality of officially licensed collections is that they aim to be a collaborative effort, with the author’s approval at its heart. After all, it’s their own IP that is being utilized to create and ultimately market the collection. So unlike the collections where Jess, myself or Taylor have an idea and we commission an artist for the work - we loop in the author and their team on most if not all the steps in our merchandise production.

But the big thing to consider when it comes to the timeline of building an officially licensed design - a book going viral means that if a company didn’t already have a license, they are starting at the beginning in terms of getting approval to make merch.

Which is why when a fandom has a massive boom overnight, it can be rare that officially licensed merchandise can be immediately available from small businesses like Charlie & Fox. 

Why is the label “officially licensed" so important to look out for?

Ultimately, using an author’s IP without permission can lead to violations of trademark and/or copyright law, and come with varying levels of legal action. 

Having a formal licensing agreement means that an author has knowledge of what their IP is associated with, and how it’s being utilized to generate sales.

And that is one of the most important parts of the ‘officially licensed’ discussion - licensing agreements are vital as they involve the sales of a product. A fan making their own t-shirt in their craft room, a pair of earrings, a sticker - if it’s for personal use, then it falls into the same category as fanart - an individual's way of celebrating a story they love. 

But as soon as revenue is being generated - licensing agreements are vital as those sales would not be possible without the use of the author’s IP. 

Many licensing contracts involve a percentage of sales generated going back to the author. Some authors may choose to waive this, or negotiate in some other section. But regardless - it should be up to an author to determine how they receive dividends from the use of their own IP.

How can readers best support authors through merch sales?

Find the “officially licensed” label! 

Making sure that when you’re going to purchase through a small business, on Etsy, or in store, you look for the wording “officially licensed” on products that are for a specific book or fandom.

These words are a direct signal that an artist/small business has worked to make sure the author has knowledge of what their IP has been used for, and that they can feel your support through your purchase.

This also can be a great signal for knowing if what you are purchasing is from the original artist, and not a copycat design. Copycats online or in store will not be able to claim an “officially licensed” label as they did not negotiate the contract with the author or author’s team.

Why do we care so much about official licensing at Charlie & Fox?

The answer is pretty simple - we adore authors.

And the easiest way for us to show them how much we care is to ensure we are utilizing the best practices with their IP.

Look, we’d love to be releasing a new design every month for a specific fandom, and we note every single one of your requests (the spreadsheet is truly a marvel at this point) when it comes to what you all want to see on Charlie & Fox products. 

The reality is, the turn around and approvals for fandom specific designs require following rules that ultimately mean we are showing care and respect to our favorite authors. Contracts take time to talk through, and sometimes it’s a “yay!” for some items like book sleeves, and a “not now” for others like PJs or socks. Ultimately, all these discussions have the best interest of the author at their core, but mean that our officially licensed collections can look different from author to author.

Now please never stop giving us your recommendations as it tells us exactly who we want to start reaching out to to get those conversations started - and there’s nothing we love more than yapping with you all about our favorite books. 

Because at the end of the day, that’s what we are: Massive fans of books and the authors who created them.

Xoxo

Jenna