All Questions
334 questions
2
votes
1
answer
217
views
Mafia name usage in writing
Is it safe to include names of mafia organizations in your fiction or will they read your work and come after you?
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- 1
4
votes
4
answers
427
views
Disclaimer when writing about governmental entities
I've read many novels involving characters working at the NASA, Vatican, Secret Police, high government officers (Dan Brown, Stieg Larsson for example) and doing stuff that I wouldn't like being made ...
- 32.4k
7
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Outsourcing people to make a cover [closed]
I need some very specific art for my book cover and will probably not be able to find a generic one on a website, so do I hire someone for it and what's the average hourly wage for hiring one? How do ...
- 104k
13
votes
6
answers
30k
views
Are music lyrics copyrighted?
I tried to find copyright information about music lyrics, but it is too confusing, because it is related to the usage.
There are lots of websites providing lyrics, but it seems they are somehow ...
- 32.4k
0
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Fan works... are they allowed?
I've been - quite passionately - writing a lot of Pokémon fan-fiction. However, in contrast to Fan Fiction: a crutch or a good start?, I've been using it to build an entire world extending from canon. ...
- 32.4k
2
votes
2
answers
266
views
What kinds of legal clearances do you need to produce "fiction" that's "based on a true story?"
The "Sound of Music" comes to mind. The Captain and Maria von Trapp were real people, although names and ages of the seven children were fictionalized in the movie.
One factor is that the von Trapps ...
- 13.5k
3
votes
1
answer
171
views
Republishing public domain work by family ancestors
Both my husband's great grandfather and, on my side, my own great-great grandfather were published authors. Their books appear on the Bibliobazaar/Open Source sites. Although we are direct ...
- 32.4k
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
My ex-husband's wife self-published a nonfiction book naming my kids in the story
My ex-husband's wife self-published a non fiction book and put my kids in the story as well. She did not change their names. Neither she nor my ex-husband told me about this or asked me (or the ...
- 32.4k
3
votes
1
answer
103
views
Copywriting question, error by publisher
I had a friend "publisher" help with organizing and publishing my children's book through a self publishing company. We have no written contract. He was to help me for gratis as he learned the process ...
- 32.4k
8
votes
1
answer
487
views
Illustrations for a children's book to be republished
I illustrated a book 20 years ago. No royalties: one-time use. Did not sign a contract for copyright. It is considered an orphan. Now the author wants a new publisher to print the same illustrations. ...
- 32.4k
4
votes
2
answers
500
views
Do I need to get people to sign a waiver to include their content in my book?
I am working on a book that will be based on the results of ten interview questions that I am asking of multiple well-known-in-their-field people.
Do I need to get these folks to sign a waiver or ...
- 32.4k
0
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Would an Australian need an ABN for self-publishing a book?
I know that generally businesses in Australia need an Australian Business Number (ABN) for tax reasons. I recall reading somewhere (not sure if it was here or another site) that by self-publishing you'...
- 32.4k
3
votes
2
answers
306
views
Can I reference something used in another medium, like names, play titles, or song titles?
I'm having a hard time finding information on this so let me explain the idea:
I'm writing a story that takes place in a small town high school in 1986. And I want to give the characters all nicknames ...
- 301
3
votes
2
answers
526
views
Song quote for an 'in memoriam'
I would like to quote a few lines of a lyric from St. Vincent's song "New York", for an 'in memoriam' I want to put in a newspaper on the anniversary day of my friend's death. Do I need to get ...
CommunityBot
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0
votes
2
answers
147
views
I am an author that wrote a biography on a singer. Do I need to get permission to turn the book into a screenplay?
I am an author who wrote a biography on a singer. I want to turn the book into a screenplay. Do I have to get permission from the singer to do this?
- 32.4k
2
votes
3
answers
251
views
Unfair Motivation for a Judge to Dislike an Accused [closed]
I have a scene where a character is applying to be released from prison pending trial. I want an arbitrary / unfair reason for the judge to dislike him. It has to be something that is not justified to ...
- 1,152
-3
votes
3
answers
135
views
Pop star names and other famous people or characters
If I write a page about a current pop star that talks about what they're doing, that is a fact such as dedicating themselves to Satan or involved in witchcraft, can I be sued by them even though it's ...
6
votes
3
answers
489
views
Enigma Book with a money prize
The idea is simple: we intend to publish a puzzle book that contains a difficult enigma. The first one to solve this enigma will win a prize (i.e., $10.000). Some obvious rules:
The solution needs to ...
- 32.4k
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Is my book legal? Is my story too similiar to Harry Potter
I have been creating a story in my mind from early childhood. Now, I am very talented in writing, so I decided to give it a try one day. It was awesome! The book I imagine in my head was being written,...
- 4,198
4
votes
2
answers
777
views
Can I publish a book based on the Library of Babel?
So I want to write a fictional book based on Borges' Library of Babel idea. The only thing I would preserve is the setting.
However, I am unsure of the legality of it. Is the setting copyrightable? ...
- 32.4k
0
votes
1
answer
107
views
Do I need Permission for Acknowledgements or Reprinting Articles?
I can not recall the book, but one of Isaac Asimov's novels ends with an article on muon-catalyzed fusion. I remember that because it was so impressive to find out that such a thing was real.
I've ...
- 32.4k
3
votes
3
answers
871
views
Write a book with "protected" characters/ideas without copyright?
I want to write a book about an idea/story I've had for many years that I find many will truly enjoy when furnished out; however, I don't want this to be "open-source"; I don't want anyone to be able ...
11
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Who is responsible for copyrighted materials (publisher or writer)?
Imagine that Writer A's book includes copyrighted material created by Creator B, and Creator B sues for copyright infringement. Will Writer A be held liable, or will the book publisher?
I think the ...
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
134
views
Universe similar to Transformers
I have in mind a story that would be about a transforming robots like Transformers, but with slightly different origins of their creation and what they're really are.
I'm a bit afraid of using ...
- 364
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Authorship implications of presenting one’s manuscript as an older one in the prologue
Umberto Eco, E. T. A. Hoffmann and others have pretended (in the introduction to the story) to have found and edited obscure old manuscripts. In my view this added to the charm of their writings.
If ...
2
votes
3
answers
509
views
At what point is permission needed to reference meta-characters and works in my own?
In this question it is mentioned that you can't use a character from another novel in your own novel.
But if characters in my book talk about fictional characters in other books, that seems to be ok. ...
- 56.5k
0
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Intellectual Property Rights & Reuse of the Written Material
Many times a client asks that the content delivered should be his/her Property and me ( the original writer) won't have any right on that written material once I deliver it and get paid.
So my ...
- 119
1
vote
1
answer
135
views
Is permission needed to use a fictitious character from another novel in my story as a point of reference?
I am writing a novel and I would like to introduce characters from other published works as time travelers. Is this a bad idea or even legal? Copyright infringement comes to mind... Is there a legal ...
CommunityBot
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2
votes
1
answer
234
views
Could I use obsolete brand name in fiction book
I am currently working on a fiction book and my characters work for a company that in real life has been out of business for 30 years, but in my fiction book there is an alternate scenario and it ...
- 5,292
12
votes
1
answer
23k
views
Can I Copyright My FaceBook Status Post?
Can I copyright my Facebook status updates? In the terms and agreements I didn't see a clear statement stating that Facebook owns my material.
Secondly, if I can't copyright the material I post on ...
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2
votes
2
answers
179
views
If one provides inspiration for a story that gets published, and is named, do you get royalties for that?
If you were the inspiration to a story and it gets written in a book and published and they use your name do you get any royalties from that
CommunityBot
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1
vote
1
answer
162
views
Will I be in trouble if I publish (on Amazon) my story mentioning my exboyfriend?
My ex-partner lives in LA, California and I live in Madrid, Spain. Two years ago, we decided to write a book of our story. We announced it on Facebook and other social sites. Four months ago, he broke ...
- 650
6
votes
1
answer
126
views
Mentioning famous person in autobiography
I've been writing an autobiography about sexual abuse that happened to me throughout my childhood. The abuser was the dad of a famous singer. Once I was old enough (18) to leave home and file charges (...
- 811
1
vote
1
answer
122
views
In a book about political activism, can the author recommend illegal acts--or is that a crime, too? [closed]
We are writing a short book on how activists can fight against destructive governance...something like Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals.
But this book does recommend some specific illegal acts, ...
- 1,554
7
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Accusing private figures of crime in print
I am the editor of a small college magazine. In an article that was recently submitted to me, as part of the story, the author named two people who ragged him (harassed him). I have sufficient proof ...
CommunityBot
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8
votes
1
answer
142
views
Repository of My Academic Writing - Which License to Use?
I'm adding a repository containing selected academic papers I wrote. I'd like to add a license to this repository that works similarly to the MIT license (but for writing and not code), where others ...
- 1,499
5
votes
1
answer
547
views
Release for book of interviews
I would like to write an ebook in which I ask people to share their experiences in a specific topic. Where can I find a good release for these people to sign? Do I have to pay the interviewee? ...
- 7,763
5
votes
1
answer
277
views
What is the best way to copyright my manuscript?
I wanted to ask what is fastest and safest way to register a manuscript? There are a lot of Websites that offer registering books. I'm really confused and don't know which one to trust, besides ...
- 1,900
5
votes
2
answers
140
views
In a business novel can characters read real books?
I’m considering writing a piece of business fiction to discuss some agile and testing principles. Given the wide number of books in this area it seems most appropriate to have characters discover the ...
CommunityBot
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7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is mild sexualization of minors allowed in writing?
Her clothes screamed bohemia, with a prominent cleavage, leather bands running up her arms and nails painted black.
In my book there is a romance between two 15-year-olds, and the book is from one of ...
- 2,621
6
votes
2
answers
149
views
Writing a novel for a charitable cause for free?
I am an aspiring author who wants to write a novel and have it published. Problem is that I am disabled and receive benefits, so I can't receive royalties because the income stream is unpredictable ...
CommunityBot
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7
votes
1
answer
397
views
Can I publish a book containing content licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License version 1.2?
I'm writing a book and I'd like to include text that I found under the GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2
I have no problems attributing the content to the source, but I don't understand the ...
CommunityBot
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3
votes
1
answer
221
views
Pitching an RPG to a publisher: what to bring and how to safeguard the work
I'm not sure how different it would be to pitch an RPG (Role Playing Game) manual to a publisher compared to pitching a novel, but I don't have any experience so it's all the same for me.
Let's say I ...
- 176
4
votes
1
answer
402
views
Are tweets copyrighted?
I am writing a book which tells the story of a year in a particular niche. I want to include some tweets in the book as images like you see embedded in web pages all the time. Do I need to ask for ...
- 168
4
votes
1
answer
217
views
Required Notices On Publishing A Public Domain Works
I am in the process of editing works in the Public Domain. I want them to be as clean as possible, so they are more like works of art. No Introductions, no foot-notes, no prefaces, etc..
I really ...
CommunityBot
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2
votes
2
answers
90
views
If a software project has a permissive open source license is it plagarism to copy text to a paper without attribution?
Many open source software projects have licenses that allow freely copying source code and using it however you want. Some of these licenses do not even require attribution. Source code is just text ...
- 3,744
4
votes
1
answer
132
views
Do I need a star's permission to write a fiction TV series inspired but not exactly as his life?
I want to write a fiction TV series inspired by a true love story between a star and his fans except that I'm going to represent the fans as an actual female character and make it a romantic series. ...
- 9,923
7
votes
1
answer
570
views
Can I self-publish a paperback through Amazon KDP, but make the e-book available elsewhere?
I have self-published a paperback and Kindle version of a book on Amazon KDP. For the paperback, I got a free ISBN from KDP. My question is, can I also publish a free e-book version somewhere else, ...
- 11.7k
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What is "Buying Back My Book"?
I have read on a few different author blogs, as well as some answers here I think, references to the author needing to "buy back" rights to their books.
Having not yet explored all these options, ...
CommunityBot
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4
votes
3
answers
380
views
Can I retell a popular manga series as a novel and query it to an agent?
I’m working on my first draft of a retelling of a popular manga series from the 90s. It has been adapted and redone at least 6-10 times as an Asian drama TV series in many different countries. I’m ...
- 547