How to Copyright a Book in 5 Minutes [Examples]

YOU ARE READING: How to Copyright a Book in 5 Minutes [Examples] AT PhebinhvanhocEN

Knowing how to copyright a book, the right way, is something most authors are terrified of! it’s part of the publishing process and usually you get an isbn number.

after all, if you get the copyright wrong, someone could steal your work and pass it off as their own. It’s pretty much an author’s worst nightmare, and for good reason.

You are reading: Copyright for books example

many of us get caught up in a confusing haze of copyright law, infringement, and wondering how to stay out of hot water with the law and angry lawyers (okay, maybe not that dramatic) while protecting our children. book babies. . learning how to copyright a book can help alleviate all of those worries.

With the explosion of desktop publishing, authors need to be aware of what they can and cannot do when it comes to quoting, borrowing, and publishing other authors’ works.

We’ll give you all the information and resources you need to protect yourself and your own work from misuse or theft, and prevent you from committing the same crimes against your fellow authors.

Here’s how to copyright a book:

steps to copyright your books
create your copyright page
add disclaimers to your book copyright
fiction copyright registration
nonfiction copyright
memoir copyright
legal copyright terms author
common questions about book copyright

We’ll also look at the most frequently asked questions authors ask when it comes to copyright issues, both for their own work and those they borrow from other sources.

It all starts with creating the copyright page in your book.

how to copyright a book

every author must register the copyright of his book. This process shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes and it’s very easy with our steps.

these are the steps to obtain the copyright of a book:

go to the copyright.gov portal
scroll down to “types of works” and select “literary works”
navigate to “register a literary work” on the left sidebar
select “new user” or sign in with your account
if you are a new user, please fill in your information
navigate to “copyright registration” and select “register a new claim”
select “start registration”
fill out the copyright form
pay your $85 copyright fee to complete registration
ship your finished manuscript to the us uu. copyright office

That’s it!

copying your book is much easier than it seems.

create your copyright page

The copyright page will appear in your book just after the title page and just before the table of contents. the copyright page should include essential information to register the copyright of your book.

The main components of your copyright page are:

the copyright notice. this has the little © symbol or you can use the word “copyright”. then it would look like this: ©2018 jane doe
the year the book was published
the name of the owner of the works, which is usually the author or the name of the publisher
ordering information
reservation of rights
copyright notice
book editions
isbn number
your website (you need a place where they can learn more about you, your other books and other opportunities).
book credits (cover designer of the book, publisher)
disclaimer

copyright disclaimers for your book (by genre)

You may not think you really need a disclaimer, but it is essential to protect yourself and potentially others.

so how does a simple sentence or two do this?

If you’re writing a book about health and fitness, success as an entrepreneur, providing financial advice, anything readers can fail on, an extended disclaimer is something to consider.

If you give advice on how to make a million dollars this year and the reader ends up losing money, you could blame yourself for their misfortune because of a promise you made to them. Consider including an extended disclaimer in your book that comes after the copyright jargon to protect your opinions, advice, and information.

In other words, tell readers that they are reading your book and applying its advice at their own risk. The thing to keep in mind that most authors don’t realize is that these don’t have to be boring.

on the contrary, the more personality they have, the more likely they are to be read.

A disclaimer is meant to protect you, but it can’t hurt if your audience actually reads it.

helen sedwick did a great job collecting examples of authors who were creative with their disclaimers and improved their work.

Let’s look at some specific examples of different types of disclaimers for different types of books.

#1 – fiction copyright disclaimer

The typical disclaimer you’d find in a novel?

“The characters in this book are completely fictitious. any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.”

How could this be “animated”? look like thomas wolf in a man in full , recognize that parts of his story are from real life:

“The story and characters in this novel are fictitious. Certain long-standing institutions, agencies, and public offices are mentioned, but the characters involved are wholly imaginary.“

or margaret atwood in cat’s eye attempts to dispel readers’ assumption that the book is the writer’s alter ego:

“This is a work of fiction. although its form is that of an autobiography, it is not. space and time have been rearranged to suit the convenience of the book and, with the exception of public figures, any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental. opinions expressed are those of the characters and should not be confused with those of the author.“

if you’ve written about a prominent figure people might be familiar with and you don’t want them to be confused as to whether you’re now writing history or sticking with fiction, you can approach it similarly to d. meter. thomas grappled with the use of freud as a character in the white hotel:

“the role played by freud in this narrative is completely fictitious. My imaginary Freud, however, sticks to the generally known facts of the life of the real Freud, and I have sometimes quoted his works and letters, passim. letters . . . and all passages relating to psychoanalysis. . . they have no factual basis.“

Here’s an example of what your book copyright page might look like for a fiction book.

#2 – nonfiction copyright disclaimer

The typical disclaimer you’ll find in non-fiction works?

“The tips and strategies found here may not be suitable for all situations. This work is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor the publisher is responsible for the cumulative results of the advice in this book.“

however, the immortal life of henrietta lacks rebecca skloot found a way to make her disclaimer speak to the honesty of the text:

“This is a work of non-fiction. no names have been changed, no characters have been invented, no events have been invented.“

The copyright page of a non-fiction book looks like this:

#3 – Memoir Copyright Disclaimer

The typical disclaimer you’ll find in memoirs?

“This book is a memoir. reflects the author’s current memories of experiences over time. Some names and features have been changed, some events have been compressed, and some dialogs have been recreated.”

but in tobias wolf’s child’s life, he buries his disclaimer in his acknowledgments. As she thanks those who read drafts of the book, she says:

“I have been corrected on some points, mainly chronology. also my mother claims that a dog I describe as ugly was actually quite handsome. I have allowed some of these points to stand, because this is a book of memory, and memory has its own story to tell. but I’ve done my best to make it tell a true story.“

this is what a copyright page from our own student nadine blase psareas memoir hope merchants looks like, which you can emulate if you’re writing a memoir:

Common Legal Terms All Writers & Authors Should Know

I know, I know… we’d rather write books, make money, and sign autographs than worry about technical legal jargon.

I understand. It may sound boring, but the better you understand how copyright law works, the more you know, the more time you can spend writing without wondering, “is this legal?”

Here are some legal terms to keep you informed about your rights as a self-publisher and protect your works:

copyright infringement: is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission, infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner. copyright, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display, or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works. The copyright holder is usually the creator of the work, or a publisher or other company to which the copyright has been assigned. copyright owners routinely invoke legal and technological measures to prevent and punish copyright infringement.
intellectual property (or “ip” ): is a category of property that includes the intangible creations of the human intellect and mainly includes copyrights, patents and trademarks. it also includes other types of rights, such as trade secrets, publicity rights, moral rights, and rights against unfair competition. artistic works such as music and literature, as well as some discoveries, inventions, words, phrases, symbols, and designs may be protected as intellectual property.
public domain work: refers to works whose exclusive intellectual property rights have expired, been forfeited, expressly relinquished, or are otherwise unenforceable. for example, the works of shakespeare and beethoven, and most early silent films are in the public domain either by virtue of being created before copyright existed or because the copyright term had expired. Some works are not covered by copyright and are therefore in the public domain, including Newtonian physics formulas, cooking recipes, and all computer software created before 1974. Other works are actively dedicated by their authors to the public domain; Some examples include reference implementations of cryptographic algorithms, ImageJ image processing software created by the National Institutes of Health, and the CIA’s World Factbook. the term public domain does not normally apply to situations where the creator of a work retains residual rights, in which case the use of the work is called “licensed” or “with permission”.
plagiarism: is the “misappropriation” and “theft and publication” of the “language, thoughts, ideas or expressions” of another author and the representation as own original work.
first amendment (amendment i): to the united states constitution prevents congress from enacting any law with regarding the establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise of religion, or restricting freedom of expression, freedom of the press, the right to peacefully assemble, or seek government redress of grievances. it was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the bill of rights.
fair use: in its most Generally speaking, a fair use is any copy of copyrighted material made for a limited, “transformative” purpose, such as commenting on, criticizing, or parodying a copyrighted work. such uses may be made without permission of the copyright owner. In other words, fair use is a defense against a claim of copyright infringement. if your use qualifies as fair use, then it would not be considered infringing.
Defamatory writing: can be personal defamation or commercial defamation, which is also Known as “product neglect”. Product disparagement can include a product, a service, or the entire company. defamatory statements, whether against people or products, are published statements that are false and harmful. slander is the same as libel in most states, but in spoken rather than written form. the terms “libel” and “slander” are often subsumed under the broader term “defamation”. it is a tort (an unlawful act) to damage another person’s reputation by defaming them.

Before you publish your next book, please take a few minutes to read this “brief” report from the United States Copyright Office.

You can also check out this helpful guide for authors from wiley on what needs permission and what you can use without asking.

When in doubt, consult legal counsel or take the time to research the material you are protecting or planning to borrow from another source. the time invested could save you an embarrassing or costly situation in the future.

Knowing what you can and shouldn’t do is a critical part of the publishing business.

When you write and publish your own work, you are now in business for yourself, and business owners protect their property by learning how to copyright a book the right way. don’t make things harder for yourself!

the 9 most common questions about the copyright of a book

Today, with the massive expansion of desktop publishing, it is more important than ever for authors, artists, and creatives to publish their work to ensure it is fully protected.

When we borrow work from other authors, living or dead, we have to consider:

what can I actually use?
when is permission needed?

Here’s the golden rule when it comes to copyright law: Never assume something is free!

everything that exists, even on the internet, has been created by someone. Here are common questions authors have about how to protect themselves, their works, and others they may have quoted in their books:

#1 – do I have to register my book before it’s copyrighted?

Your book is legally copyrighted as soon as it is written.

but, to extend your legal rights and protect your material to the fullest, register your book with the federal copyright office.

In case someone tries to pirate your book or parts of it, register with the us copyright office. uu. will give you more leverage if it comes to taking action.

#2 – how many words can I quote from another book or source?

Generally speaking, there are no set rules for how much you can “borrow” from existing works. but it’s best to exercise common sense here and be brief, as a rule of thumb, under 300 words.

paul rapp, an intellectual property rights attorney, says that, “if the citation drives your narrative, if you’re using an author’s citation in your argument, or if you’re giving an opinion on an author’s quote, then that’s considered fair use.”

what is fair use? a legal concept that allows the reproduction of copyrighted material for certain purposes without obtaining permission and without paying a fee or royalties. purposes that allow fair use application generally include reviews, news reporting, teaching, or academic research.

If you use something posted by someone else for the sole purpose of monetary gain, this is not fair use.

#3 – can I write about real people?

Especially in works of non-fiction, real people are often mentioned to express an opinion or as an example to clarify the fact or the writer’s opinion. Generally, you may use the names of real people as long as the material is not reputable or defamatory.

stick to the facts and write about what is true based on your research.

#4 – can I borrow song lyrics?

stephen king often used song lyrics for his books, including christine and the stand. he obtained permission for these works. King says, “The lyric quotes in this book [Christine] are assigned to the singer most commonly associated with them. this can offend the purist who feels that the lyrics of a song belong more to the writer than to the singer.”

Basically, song lyrics are subject to strict copyright, even if only one line is used. try to get permission if you use a song.

You can contact the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) or Broadcast Music, Inc. (bmi). once you find the copyright owner, you must request permission in writing.

#5 – do I need permission to borrow material from a book that is over 100 years old?

Once the copyright on a book or material has expired, or the author has been dead for seventy years, the work enters the public domain and you may use it without permission or license.

but this varies from country to country. you can consult the copyright office in the us. uu. here.

#6 – are authors responsible for the content used in a book?

yes.

Even with traditional publishers, the author remains responsible for the content written and used in the book.

In fact, traditionally published authors generally have to sign a waiver that releases the publisher from any liability related to material the author used if the writer included that material without permission.

And you know, as a self-published author, you’re on your own.

#7 – if I use an inspirational quote from another writer or famous person, do I need permission?

You don’t need permission to use quotes in a book, as long as you credit the person who created it and/or delivered the quote.

for example: “is all we see or seem but a dream within a dream” – edgar allan poe

#8 – what is the best way to protect my work from being stolen?

Your work is copyrighted as soon as it is written.

but you can register your work with the united states copyright office. if you have a blog where you also post content, you must have a terms & privacy disclaimer on their page.

This should preferably be at the top where it’s easy to see, although many writers and bloggers include it at the bottom of every page.

You must also include your copyrights on your blog which protect your content from being “copy and pasted” onto another site without permission or acknowledgement.

#9: A royalty-free stock photo means I can use it for free and I don’t have to get permission, right?

wrong.

Most stock photos are copyrighted even if they appear on search engines and we can easily download or copy them.

if you get a picture off the net and you think you can put it on a book cover or use it for free in your book, think again.

It is recommended to buy photos through sites like shutterstock or depositphotos.

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