The Rights Factory

What The Rights Factory does

The Rights Factory Inc. is a privately held editorial literary agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, founded in 2004 by Sam Hiyate, who continues to lead the firm as Founder and CEO. The agency represents authors from debut to bestseller status across fiction, nonfiction, and children's literature, with stated genre coverage spanning literary, commercial, and genre fiction (crime, mystery, horror), middle-grade, YA, picture books, and nonfiction categories including history, politics, women's issues, true crime, biography, food and lifestyle, and art and culture. Core services include author representation, manuscript development, deal negotiation with publishers, and management of subsidiary rights including foreign rights (led by Foreign Rights Manager Claire Cavanagh) and film/TV rights (with dedicated agents including Alexandra D'Amico).

The business model is commission-based and traditional for the industry: the agency earns a percentage of advances and royalties earned by represented authors on book deals, with no fees charged to authors at any stage of representation. The firm states it 'does not charge fees for any reason, referral, or representation.' Authors query agents directly via the website or the QueryManager platform; the agency's stated go-to-market is relationship-driven, emphasizing internal mentorship and long-term author career development from manuscript creation through publication. The firm operates as a bootstrapped, privately held entity with no disclosed external investors, no funding rounds, and no parent company.

Operationally, The Rights Factory maintains a roster of approximately 14 literary agents and ~9 support staff (royalty and editorial assistants, agency assistants, social media and content managers) distributed globally despite the Toronto headquarters. The agency's stated mission is to 'champion storytellers from creation through publication,' with an explicit commitment to amplifying marginalized and BIPOC voices. Active publisher relationships documented in the input data include Dundurn Press, Owlkids Books, Gibbs Smith, and Unsolicited Press. The firm maintains a Wix-hosted website, an active blog/news section for deal announcements, and social media presence across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Name

The Rights Factory

Legal name

The Rights Factory Inc.

Website

https://therightsfactory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Rights Factory is a Toronto-based editorial literary agency founded in 2004 that represents authors from debut to bestseller across fiction, nonfiction, and children's literature, earning commission on book deals, foreign rights, and film/TV rights managed by ~14 agents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Agency Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Rights, ISBN & Publishing Administration Services (Identifiers, Metadata, Royalties) (MPAJAJAK)

Keywords

• Literary agency services
• Author representation
• Foreign rights sales
• Book deal negotiation
• Manuscript editorial development

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Author Representation and Book Deal Commissions: Literary agency earns revenue through commissions on book deals, typically a percentage of advances and royalties earned by represented authors. Agency champions storytellers from creation through publication.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Rights Factory is a Toronto-based literary agency founded in 2004 that represents authors from debut to bestselling status. The agency provides editorial guidance, manuscript development, and negotiates book deals, foreign rights, and film/TV rights on behalf of its author clients.

Product overview

The Rights Factory is an editorial literary agency based in Toronto since 2004. Rather than offering a software platform, it provides comprehensive literary agency services including author representation across fiction, nonfiction, and children's literature; foreign rights management for international publishing; film and TV rights development; and editorial guidance from query through publication. The agency positions itself as a relationship-based, mentorship-focused practice that supports authors from debut through bestselling careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Author Representation Full-service literary representation including editorial guidance, manuscript development, and deal negotiation for individual authors ranging from debut writers to bestselling authors.
• Foreign Rights Management International rights sales through a global co-agent network, securing foreign publishing deals for represented authors' works in markets worldwide.
• Film and TV Rights Management Negotiation and sale of screen adaptation rights for represented authors' literary works to film and television producers.
• Editorial Services Manuscript development and editorial guidance provided to authors as part of the agency's representation, helping refine works before submission to publishers.

Named customers15 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dundurn PresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2024Publisher that has acquired multiple books from TRF-represented authors, including Paulo Da Costa's 'BETWEEN NIGHT AND DARKNESS' represented by Wayne Arthurson, and 'Celestina's House' by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez. Ongoing relationship with multiple book deals.
• Owlkids BookscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2024Publisher that acquired 'BOO! THE SPINE-TINGLING STORY OF WHY WE LIKE TO BE SCARED' by Megan Clendenan, represented by Stacey Kondla (formerly at TRF) for the author.
• Unsolicited PressminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2024Independent publisher that acquired 'DAVE, THE SPACE PET' by Rory Forrest, represented by Stacey Kondla while at The Rights Factory (world English rights).
• Gibbs SmithcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2024Publisher that acquired 'MUSHROOM ALCHEMY' by Krista Towns, represented by Kathryn Willms at The Rights Factory (world English rights) for publication in fall 2027.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Folio Literary Management: Mid-sized editorial literary agency with comparable agent-roster structure across fiction and nonfiction. Similar mentorship-focused positioning and traditional commission model make it a close functional peer.
• Writers House: Established full-service literary agency with strong fiction and nonfiction rosters. Similar mid-size structure, commission-only model, and breadth of genre coverage, making it a direct operational comparable to The Rights Factory.
• InkWell Management: Full-service literary agency with active foreign rights and film/TV rights packaging. Closely comparable multi-rights model to The Rights Factory, particularly in managing subsidiary rights for represented authors.
• Trident Media Group: Mid-to-large independent literary agency offering traditional book deal representation, foreign rights, and film/TV rights packaging. Most comparable to The Rights Factory in terms of full-service, multi-rights business model and roster of genre-diverse agents.
• BookEnds Literary Agency: Mid-sized literary agency with strong romance, mystery, and genre fiction presence. Overlapping category coverage with The Rights Factory, particularly in genre fiction and women's fiction verticals.
• Sterling Lord Literistic: Long-established independent literary agency (decades-old brand) with broad fiction/nonfiction representation. Comparable to The Rights Factory in editorial-mentorship orientation and bootstrapped, founder-led operating model.
• Foundry Literary + Media: Independent literary agency with strong editorial development focus and broad fiction/nonfiction coverage. Directly comparable in agent-driven, commission-based author representation model.
• Maria Carvainis Agency: Independent literary agency with comparable size and editorial-driven approach. Similar operating structure, agent roster, and traditional commission-only model make it a direct functional peer.
• Kimberley Cameron & Associates: Toronto/North America-based independent literary agency with fiction and nonfiction focus. Strongest geographic comparable to The Rights Factory given shared Toronto base and similar North American publishing-industry positioning.

Broad incumbents

• William Morris Endeavor (WME): Large global entertainment and talent agency whose Books division represents authors alongside broader entertainment clients. Operates at significantly larger scale than The Rights Factory and bundles literary representation with film/TV/packaging capabilities, making it an incumbent competitor rather than a direct comparable.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TRFNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheRightsFactory
• Instagraminstagram.com/therightsfactory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/therightsfactory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Rights Factory