Blog Tag Archives: copyright permissions
What to put on your book copyright page
One question we hear a lot from our authors is about copyrights. We’ve written several articles about copyrighting books, fair use and permissions, and other legal matters when it comes to publishing, but we thought it would be helpful to talk about the copyright page in your book. The copyright page is found at the front of the book, usually right after the title page. The format can be varied as there is no single accepted template for copyright pages. Just do a quick Google for copyright page samples and you’ll see. Generally, they will contain things like: copyright notice, ISBN, publisher information, contact information, rights and permissions, country book is printed in, author website, credits and disclaimers. Let’s review a few of these in more detail. Copyright notice This is one absolute requirement of a copyright page. The copyright notice includes: The copyright symbol (©) or the word “copyright” The year of copyright The copyright holder’s name or identifier A typical copyright notice will look like this: © 2020 Cindy Tyler Copyrights can have multiple years listed if there are multiple editions: © 2016, 2018, 2020 Cindy Tyler ISBN The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 13-digit number used worldwide by the publishing industry and retailers to identify your book. If you plan to sell your book in stores or online, you must have an ISBN. (You can buy your own at bowker.com or purchase one at a low cost from Vervante. If you purchase your ISBN through Vervante, you are the sole owner of that number and Vervante retains no rights to it.) Rights and permissions This is optional, but useful. Technically, your copyright serves to let people know that this is your protected work, however it can help with “fair use” issues to state limitations of how people can use your book’s content. A very simple statement can be: “All rights reserved.” But a lot of people choose to include copy similar to this: “All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact (NAME / EMAIL /ADDRESS / ETC). Disclaimer Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, disclaimers are often included by authors on advice from their agents, publishers or lawyers as a way to add a layer of protection if the book’s characters resemble real-life people or situations, or if someone says the book’s content damaged their business, relationship, etc. For fiction, you could write something like this: “This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.” For a nonfiction advice, how-to or educational book, you could write something like this: “Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.” For books that provide health, wellness, medical, fitness or similar content: “This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.” [[For the record: We are not lawyers and we are not offering legal advice here — any legal concerns and specific language should be directed to a copyright attorney.]] More information Other information we often see on copyright pages includes: Author website and contact information Name of publisher and publisher address Country in which the book was printed Credits for things like photos, design, illustrations, graphics, editing, etc. If you have any questions about your book copyright page or any other step of the process – from editing to design to printing, production and sales, we’re here to help. Just send us an email at [email protected]. We’re here for you!
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Free ebooks and resources for authors
We know how important it is for authors to have access to resources and guides that they trust. That's why we're excited to share with you the new Expert Guide Resource Library on our website. Think of this as your own personal publishing library, filled with a wide range of FREE ebooks to inspire, educate and support your journey creating, sharing and selling books and other printed products with Vervante. There are currently 24 ebooks in the library with plans for more coming soon. Here's a few highlights of our most popular ebooks: Bleed and Crop Marks Guide: What you need to know when formatting print files Word Count Conversion: How many words does it take to make a book? Copyright Permissions & Fair Use guide: Answers to one of the most common issues all authors face How to Create Audiobooks: When you want to give your book a voice. How to Self-Publish: The complete guide for authors & entrepreneurs Helpful Hints for Retail Distribution: Understanding the sales and fulfillment process From Retail Sales to Royalties: How authors get paid Book Publishing Checklist: Keeping you on track from the first draft to the finish line. How to Create Custom Card Decks: One of the hottest products in publishing today. And so many more... We hope you bookmark this page and come back to visit often as we're constantly adding new ebooks to provide the support and resources our authors and clients need. For questions, free quotes, or more information please email or schedule a phone call with one of our publishing pros via the Contact Us page.
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Can I quote someone in my book? (What authors need to know about fair use and permissions)
“Can I use song lyrics in my book without getting permission?” “What about quoting someone? Is that allowed?” This and other fair use/permission issues are frequent questions we hear from authors wondering what the legalities are for using things like quotes, poems, lyrics, song titles, scriptures, and more in the books and products they are creating. These are good questions and something every writer should have a basic familiarity with. Whenever you want to directly quote, excerpt, or reproduce someone else’s work in something you are writing, you should consider whether or not you need legal permission to protect yourself and your business from potential future problems. Some of the things you may want to quote or reuse will fall under the “Fair Use” umbrella, which means you don’t need permission as long as the way you’re using it does not impede on the owner’s rights. Other things, however, are legally protected by copyright and should only be used after acquiring permission. Q: Can I quote a celebrity or influential person like Oprah or Richard Branson in my book? A: This is one of the most common questions we get. The answer depends on how you are using the quote. A quote used within a book, article or social media post to support the topic in a positive or neutral way is usually OK. Creating something that entirely depends on quotes from other people is NOT OK. Here’s an example: DON’T NEED PERMISSION If you use a few brief quotes by Steve Jobs, Richard Branson and Tony Robbins in a book discussing entrepreneurship, that would fall under fair use. If you are creating a planner or journal that contains quotes as a small part of the product, but it is filled with a lot of other information created by you such as instructions, motivations, education, art, etc., you are probably safe as well. **But be sure to provide attribution – it’s just the right thing to do. More about that below. NEED PERMISSION However, if you write a book of quotes, or create a deck of cards or other merchandise that contains nothing but quotes from celebrities, influencers or other famous people, that would NOT fall under fair use and you DO need permission. The following is a quick roundup of common issues we get asked about and whether they need permission or not. Please note that this is not a full list and we are not copyright lawyers, so it’s best to do further research if you are unsure. This article by attorney Howard Zaharoff in Writer’s Digest magazine called “A Writers’ Guide to Fair Use” is a good resource. Another good one is How to Legally Use Quotations. You can also check out The Library of Congress online search engine for copyrighted works at the Copyright Office website. You DO need permission to use: Song lyrics or poems (even partial ones). Songwriters are very protective of their rights—and permissions can be very expensive and difficult to obtain. There are a couple of exceptions, though: If you’re quoting a song from before 1923 you don’t need permission. All works before then are in the public domain. Hymns that are in the public domain fall under fair use. Not ALL hymns are free to use, though, so be sure to check. If you’re writing song lyrics as part of a scholarly work or a critical review, you may have permission under fair use. Art or photography that is copyrighted. Best practice is to use photos or images that are public domain, licensed creative commons, stock images, or belong to you. Quotes from famous people if they are used as a book title or as a majority of the book contents. Quotes from "new" versions of the Bible published after 1923 (see section below) You DON’T need permission: To use quotes from famous people as long as they are used in a brief and positive or neutral way to support your independent work - and with proper attribution. To quote or reference the title or author of a work such as books, poems, movies, TV shows or songs. To link to something online from your website, blog, book or other publication. To quote books or other works published before 1923 For news stories or scientific studies. Shorter quotes, references and paraphrasing is usually ok without permission. Copying large amounts of a story or study, however, may require permission from the writer or publisher. Most sites have a policies/procedures page that will note their preferences. Recipes (although this falls into a bit of a gray area – for more info read this article by attorney Sara F. Hawkins.) To quote scriptures from Bibles published before 1923 (see section below). Quoting from the Bible Any work published prior to 1923 is in the public domain and falls under fair use. This includes older translations of the Bible including: King James Version Revised Standard Version (but not the NRSV) Duoay-Rheims Young’s Literal Darby JPS Bible (but not the New JPS nor the Jerusalem Bible) However, “newer” versions of the Bible have some pretty strict copyright guidelines and should be researched. Here are a few examples: NIV: https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#copy ESV (English Standard Version): https://www.crossway.org/permissions/ GNT (Good News Translation): https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/copyright-and-permissions/ All Thomas Nelson Bible translations: New King James Version (NKJV), New Century Version (NCV), International Children’s Bible (ICB), Expanded Bible, or The Voice: https://www.harpercollinschristian.com/sales-and-rights/permissions/ As you can see, permissions vary from translation to translation. For example the ESV allows for the use of 1,000 verses without permission as long as those verses are not a complete book of the Bible or the entire text of the book you are creating. But the NIV allows for only 500 verses. If you plan on quoting from the Bible in your next published work, be sure to research the copyright and permissions guidelines for the specific version you are using. Best practice: Attribution A good rule of thumb, no matter what, is to always include proper attribution when quoting or paraphrasing someone else’s work within your own. Acknowledge the original source of the material, who and where it came from, links to websites if applicable, and your reason for using it. When in doubt When it comes to fair use and permissions, most experts agree: When in doubt, leave it out. Want song lyrics? Make some up that fit what you’re writing. Need an inspirational quote? We’re sure you can think of a great one – and now you’re the quotable person and people will want to quote you in the future! The books and products you’re creating are full of your creativity, passion and ideas. And that’s what people want to hear the most. ** Please note, this article is for informational purposes only and is not to be considered legal advice.
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