Licensing
You paid for the map, so the map is yours. That is very nearly the whole page, but here it is written out in case you or your publisher want it on paper.
What you can do
- Put it in your book. Any format, any print run, any number of editions, anywhere.
- Put it on the cover.
- Use it to sell the book. Your site, social posts, newsletters, ads, launch graphics.
- Print it, frame it, put it on a mug or a t-shirt, sell those if you want to.
- Keep using it forever. No expiry, no royalties, no ongoing fees, nothing to renew.
What you can’t
- Resell or relicense the map on its own as stock art, a template, or an asset pack.
- Claim you drew it.
- Use it to train a generative AI model.
The three things people mean by “rights”
Commission terms are confusing mostly because three different things get called the same word. They are priced separately across this market, so it is worth knowing which one you are being quoted for, whoever you hire.
- Exclusive useNobody else gets this map.
- The map was drawn for your world and is not resold, relicensed or added to an asset pack. Most commissioned work includes this. Stock and pre-made maps do not, which is why they are cheaper.
- Commercial reproductionYou can sell things with it on them.
- The right to publish and profit. This is the one that is most often sold separately, and the one authors most often assume is included. Without it you have a map you are not allowed to put in a book you sell.
- Copyright transferYou become the legal owner of the artwork.
- The strongest and rarest, usually priced as a large percentage on top. In practice most authors never need it: it matters for reselling the artwork itself, not for publishing a novel with a map in it.
All three are included here, in the price on the commissions page. There is no second invoice, and there is no version of this where your book selling well costs you more.
How the rest of the market prices it
Published terms from other cartographers taking author work, as they stood on October 29, 2026. None of this is a criticism. Pricing rights separately is ordinary practice in illustration, and several of these are excellent cartographers. It is here because the headline price of an illustration is not comparable between vendors unless you read what it includes, and most authors find that out late.
| Cartographer | Commercial terms |
|---|---|
| Mountain & Myth | Commercial license costs an extra 75% |
| Dewi Hargreaves | Copyright transfer costs an extra 20 to 30% |
| Feed the Multiverse | A re-licensing fee applies to reuse a map in another project |
| Fantasy Map Shop | Commercial use needs the €200 package; full copyright costs more |
| Pivots Cartography | Full commercial rights included in the price |
Terms change. If you are comparing quotes, ask all three questions in writing: can I sell books with this map in them, can I use it in marketing and on the cover, and does anything change if the book does well.
No credit line required
You don’t have to credit me anywhere. I’d be glad if you did, because a line on the copyright page is how a lot of authors find a cartographer. It’s a favor, not a condition.
Who owns what
Your world is yours. The place names, the geography, the lore. None of that becomes mine because I drew it. What you get is a permanent, exclusive right to use the finished map however you like.
I keep the right to show the map in my portfolio and say that I made it. If your book isn’t announced yet, tell me and it stays off the site until you say otherwise.
If your publisher needs paperwork
Small presses usually want the terms on something with a number and a date rather than a link. Ask and I’ll put the grant above into an invoice or a one-page agreement in whatever wording their contracts team needs. If your contract covers artwork, I can bill the press directly instead of you.
About the software
Every map is composed by hand in Inkarnate, coastline by coastline, range by range. No generative AI, ever. No presets, no reused templates.
I hold the commercial license that covers client work, and your map stays private on the platform. To answer the question that goes around author groups: no, Inkarnate does not own your map, and you are not licensing it from them. The rights above are the rights you have.
If anything here is unclear, or your publisher needs different wording, ask me at Mattpivots@gmail.com and I’ll put it in writing.
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