All Questions
Tagged with publishing legal
55 questions
0
votes
2
answers
133
views
Publishing anonymously; using a "proxy" author
I'd like to submit a short story for publication with (publisher here).
However, I'm a very private person and I'm not entirely happy with the protections afforded by a pseudonym.
If I were to sell my ...
- 101
3
votes
2
answers
74
views
Writing a short story set in a real museum - how much can I include?
I have written a short story set in a museum in Ireland. It is a private museum that contains various displays and sculptures. I am happy with the story and would like to submit it to a few journals/...
- 131
2
votes
3
answers
314
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Recreating public domain children's stories and using the original illustration?
Personally, I love old children's books. The artwork is phenomenal. Recently I saw more than one person selling Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. I do not intend to take public domain stories from one ...
- 53
1
vote
0
answers
116
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How do Fair Use and Copyright laws apply to allusions in writing?
I'm working on a novel where one of my main characters is young, and supposed to be obsessed with anything under the brand name "Star Wars"(Especially pertaining to the movie.) When talking ...
- 11
6
votes
1
answer
221
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Do I have to attribute Apache font license when using it for e-book and print book?
I'm currently in the process of writing a book, and I'm using mostly OFL fonts in it, but I also find some Apache licensed fonts very attractive and would like to use them.
The condition for using ...
- 61
3
votes
2
answers
168
views
Publishing Contract - Unsure about the legal wording
So I've just been sent through a publishing contract for my debut novel. I don't have a literary agent as I submitted straight to the publisher. They liked the manuscript and have sent me a contract ...
4
votes
1
answer
127
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Publishing a book with anonymity as a foreigner
I want to publish a book in the United States as a foreigner in anonymity because of political risks in my country.
How can I do this? I don't have any credit card and no reach to global banking ...
- 41
1
vote
0
answers
98
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Searching for an author with unpublished fantasy writing for my mobile game [closed]
I would be extremely grateful for any advice on how to search for or reach an agreement with an author. I'm a solo indie game developer, unreleased. My game is a fantasy random gacha hero collector. ...
6
votes
2
answers
720
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Do I have to pay royalties if I include excerpts from other works?
In a lot of books, at the beginning, the authors include quotes from poetry or songs that are relevant to the theme of their story or to their characters' situations. Obviously I would have to ask ...
user34214
7
votes
2
answers
112
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I want to traditionally publish my work but I have multiple ISBNs what do I do?
I have four poetry books and two nonfiction books I have self-published but now I have removed them from the web so I can traditionally publish them. Is there anything I need to do? Can I keep using ...
- 91
10
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4
answers
2k
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How can I safely use "Thalidomide" in my novel while respecting the trademark?
Thalidomide is a tricky one, as I am referring to its disastrous past regarding birth defects; however, Thalidomide is still used as a immunomodulatory drug today - and even though its used under ...
- 561
4
votes
1
answer
56
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Do we need to find another publisher when we want to publish our novel in a different language in another region?
I was wondering if we needed to find another publisher if we wanted to have a novel that's already published in English speaking countries translated, and published in a different region. What are the ...
user36239
3
votes
1
answer
75
views
Use of stock image on book cover
My book was published by a now defunct publisher. They returned my records to me (locked, and I could not open any of the documents) and I've since re-published my title under my own name. However, ...
- 31
6
votes
3
answers
490
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 ...
- 706
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 ...
- 658
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 ...
- 559
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 ...
- 281
5
votes
4
answers
8k
views
Should I copyright my material before sending to my publisher?
Should I copyright my material before sending to my publisher? Can they steal my content?
- 713
1
vote
2
answers
492
views
Is it legal for my book title to be similar to another book's title?
My book's title is similar to Around the World in 80 Days. The premise is making a journey in 80 days and while I am sure that using a similar premise is fine (especially since my book is a bit of a ...
- 2,232
1
vote
1
answer
83
views
Can you claim postage as an expense in the US if it's for a non-paying market?
As a writer, there are many things that can be claimed as expenses if they help you to generate income (or try to generate income). Postage is one, but my question is specifically this: Can you claim ...
- 210
1
vote
1
answer
893
views
How does public domain/copyright work across different countries?
What if I want to modify/sell a book that is copyrighted in my country, but is under public domain in X country? If I download a file containing the X country version, am I allowed to do this? If not, ...
- 13
2
votes
1
answer
201
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How do I reconcile the difficulties of writing a roman à clef?
I've just finished reading Saul Bellow's Humboldt's Gift and, in reading the reviews afterwards, discovered that it's a roman à clef (which has been defined as "a novel about real life, overlaid with ...
1
vote
3
answers
362
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How can I ban someone from publishing my work without my permission?
So I wrote this article on my own, and shared it between my friends via online, but I did not want anyone to use it for any monetary reasons, such as publishing it into a book and selling it. Is there ...
3
votes
1
answer
263
views
Can different publishers publish books taking place in the same story universe?
I have recently published a sci-fi novel, and I am planning on writing another novel set in the same universe. I plan to send it to a different publisher this time.
Is it legal that I have two ...
- 31
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 ...
- 41
7
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Is fan fiction publishable?
This is a question that has been touched on here and there, and yet I can't find a good answer.
Suppose I am writing a story set in the Star Wars universe. I don't want to dodge copyrights and ...
- 6,153
5
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Using Trademarked Public Domain Characters as supporting characters in story
I've been trying to find a decent answer to this question for days but no luck so far. I've decided to pose the question to you all, and hopefully some of you will know the answer.
Tarzan is in the ...
- 51
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 ...
- 31
1
vote
2
answers
99
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'Out of print' not profitable or holding rights indefinitely by a Publisher?
Umm... The main cause the Publishers give more often than not is, the book was not successful to warrant a second run and hence it's out of print or 'it's just old'. I just read this question which ...
- 225
4
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4
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2k
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How do we draw the line between plagiarism and allusion?
It’s no secret that in literature we see characters that remind us of other characters. Furthermore, it’s no secret we see plots that remind us of other plots.
For example, an author reads Book A and ...
- 115
2
votes
1
answer
192
views
Do I need copyright, trademark or other registrations, to publish stories by Shakespeare?
I have written summary and storyline of Shakespeare's plays. I need to know the process of publication, and the legal notes, on publishing synopses, where the original author is someone else.
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. ...
- 81
3
votes
2
answers
510
views
Can you make (Negative) references to real people and places in a novel?
I was wondering about how much freedom a writer has to refer to real people and places in a fictional work and in what situations it's best to get permission or avoid it altogether.
I do know that ...
- 979
2
votes
1
answer
218
views
Are "print world rights in English" the same as "First World Print Rights"?
I am considering selling work to "Shoreline of Infinity" however they say
We buy first digital and print world rights in English, but your
rights are returned to you after 6 months of original ...
3
votes
4
answers
518
views
Can I change my work and seel it if I am published with no contract?
I have had a falling out with my publisher. She has published many of my works and is telling me I am not legally able to resell my work anywhere. I have no contract to refer to. There is no verbal ...
- 31
18
votes
3
answers
828
views
Getting My Rights Back
Back in the late 90's I wrote a picture book which eventually was published in 2002 by a big name publishing house. The book was critically acclaimed, won an award, and went through a couple of ...
- 56.5k
4
votes
2
answers
563
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Do published authors have rights to use their own book cover images?
With the caveat that I'm sure it varies based on publisher, genre, etc., but -- generally, if you were an author who was published and the book cover was designed by the publisher, but you wanted to ...
- 43
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is it legal to use a parental advisory on a book?
I am a motivational speaker and am self publishing a nonfiction book about child abuse. i ahve some inappropriate language in the book and want to know if my designer by law can use a parental ...
- 91
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. ...
8
votes
1
answer
7k
views
How can I get permission to translate and republish a book?
I am interested in translating an English book into my native language.
How can I get permission to translate the book? Would that also include permission to republish the book in the native ...
- 81
8
votes
3
answers
687
views
Published on blog but taken down: Still remains previously-published?
A whole lot of publishing houses look at works posted on blogs as "previously published".
Now, let us say I put something on my blog and it is around for some months (or an year or two). One (not-so) ...
- 1,805
0
votes
2
answers
394
views
My publisher copyrighted my book cover and interior
My illustrator designed the cover of my book, but my publisher did not want to use his cover. They wanted their illustration department to do it. What I didn't know was that they copyrighted the cover ...
5
votes
2
answers
152
views
How would an agent approach a debut piece written by two new authors (co-authors)
This is still all in the realm of the hypothetical, but given that it becomes closer to the reality, I'm very curious...
Let's say you have two new, previously unpublished and unrepresented authors ...
- 151
8
votes
1
answer
1k
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Is Sherlock Holmes public domain for use in a story?
I am writing a short story and would like to name check Sherlock Holmes as a character; according to the ever reliable (?) Wikipedia the stories of Holmes are UK Public Domain. Does this mean I can ...
- 183
2
votes
2
answers
630
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When self publishing, are there benefits to making a company to represent your books? Is that then a publishing house?
Is it possible to create a company that acts like a publishing house?
I imagine registering a company and contracting the novels I write under its name, and then putting them on Amazon and ...
- 407
3
votes
2
answers
206
views
UK laws broken by piracy of novels
I'm preparing some briefing notes on various open licences and I'm looking for some clarification on legal aspects of standard practice in the UK. (If there is a better SE site for this question feel ...
- 245
-1
votes
1
answer
223
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Is there a way to ask online booksellers to pull pirated editions of my books?
Eight of my books are available on Google Books as 100% online, downloadable, but no Creative Commons licensing. Now I am starting to see them show up in bookstores, in versions I didn't have printed. ...
- 399
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Do different formats of the same book need to be registered separately?
We're self-publishing a book in both paperback and e-book format. The content between the versions will be identical except for some formatting corrections (mainly white-space) made for the digital ...
- 153
8
votes
2
answers
12k
views
How to publish public domain books?
It is known that the copyright permission is not needed for old books (usually 70 years after the author's death), because the copyright has been expired. However, I am not sure how easy a public ...
- 840
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 ...
- 840