Music can enhance the audio version of your book. But when creating an audiobook, you need to be careful to respect the intellectual property rights of the artists who created the music. There is music in the public domain (music that is not covered by copyright) but determining the public domain status of a work…
Category Archives: Copyright
What To Do When Someone Steals Your Ideas
“I queried a major magazine and included a list of interview sources. They rejected my idea but, one year later, they just published the article I pitched to them, and they used my sources!” “I received a form rejection letter for a series of books I pitched to a large book publisher a couple of…
Copyright Facts Every Author Should Know
While it’s generally known that authors own copyrights of their works once they put pen to paper, in this digital age, stealing someone’s work is easier than it has ever been. Authors may find it in their best interests to get their work copyrighted, or at the least, to learn the facts about copyright. Do…
Images in Books: Rights and Permissions
Writing a book that will include images can be a challenge for many reasons. Whether it’s getting quality images or securing permission to use photographs, authors need to do their research if they want to produce a quality book with stunning visual appeal. Most authors are concerned about retaining the copyright to their books, but…
Copyright and Fair Use
One of the most misunderstood aspects of copyright law is the concept of “fair use.” Some people believe that fair use allows anyone to use up to a certain number of words from a copyrighted work (such as 120) or not more than a percentage (such as 10%) of the entire work. However, the law…
Public Domain Books – Reuse Them for Profit
Books in the public domain are not covered by copyright. This means that you may freely use the text in these books without permission.
How to Investigate the Public Domain Status of a Work
This is a simplified explanation of how to determine if a work is in the public domain and not covered by copyright. It is intended to be a useful guide to copyright and public domain under U.S. law, but not to substitute for legal advice. In countries outside the U.S., consult with the copyright authority…
How Books Enter the Public Domain
There are many books and other works that are no longer covered by copyright, or were never subject to copyright. Under current U.S. Copyright Law, most new books and other works are protected by copyright for the duration of the author’s life plus 70 years. However, it is possible to find many previously published works…
Avoid Plagiarism and Create Original Works
There have been several stories over the last few years about authors who copied the work of others. In some cases, the authors claimed it was inadvertent. In the course of doing research, they got confused about what they had read and the words they themselves wrote. That is certainly possible when you consider all…
Books in the Public Domain
Public domain books are those for which no copyright exists. This may be because the books were never covered by copyright, or the copyright has expired. Public domain information can be useful in creating your next book.
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