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How to Copyright Your eBook (with examples of copyright pages) -

Nov 26, 2022

It's the reason it's important to protect your copyrighted eBook to ensure that in the unlikely case that someone does attempt to use your work as their own, you've got an amount of legal defense.

One of the most simple, yet most effective, ways to secure your eBook is by incorporating an author's copyright page. Here's everything you need to learn about copyright pages on eBooks, and how they safeguard your publication.

Here are a quick list of topics that we'll be covering:

What exactly is what is a Copyright Page?

If you've ever opened a physical book, chances that you've come across copies of the copyright pages near the start, but flicked straight past it in order to reach the contents page or the initial chapter.

The copyright page is the part of a book that lets people know that the piece isn't the public domain. It's the best method to inform readers that work isn't to be used again, or published, without explicit written consent.

A copyright page will not immediately stop someone from copying your work. However, it is an effective discouragement. A detailed copyright page makes it much easier to take legal action against someone who plagiarizes.

Copyright pages not only aid in protecting your work from being copied However, they also include details about your work's technical aspects. Specific information like ISBN numbers are useful for retailers and distributors.

Do eBooks require a Copyright Page?

Even though an eBook is a digital asset however, it's vital to have a copyright-related page. Since eBooks are accessible on the internet, and can be easily shared electronically they are most likely to be more susceptible to being copied as well as piracy.

Where to Place an eBook Copyright Page

When printed books are published The copyright page in printed books is usually found on the reverse on the page that is called the title. The structure of eBooks is different and it's not uncommon to find to have an eBook copyright page to immediately be placed after the title page.

There's no strict rule for which copyright page to be placed, however. Some people may put it after the acknowledgement page, while some may have it appear in the middle of even the name page.

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What Should You Include in Your eBook Copyright Page

Achieving an eBook copyright page can only be useful if it has all the necessary information. Some details are required, for it to be legal, while others are optional. Here are a few examples of possible features to add to your eBook copyright pages.

The copyright notice is the first example of a element that every copyright page must be able to include. It's basically a statement of ownershipthat establishes you as the legally-owned rightful owner of the work. A copyright statement should contain three key pieces of information:

The term 'Copyright' as well as the '(c) symbol. Due to the fact that the '(c) symbol is not accepted across all nations while the word 'Copyright' may not be recognized in countries that do not speak English, you can include both in order to cover all bases.

Name of copyright holder. In the case of most eBooks that are self-published, it will be the name used by the author or pen name if one was used.

The year in which the ebook was released.

A complete copyright notice should look something like this:

2. Rights Reserved Notice

The other essential component of copyright pages is the notice of rights reserved. It is used to prove your ownership of the work, and preserves your rights for publication and distribution of your eBook. It also secures you the ability to earn a financial benefit from your work.

The sole text that is required to create an authentic rights reserved notice is the words "all rights reserved". But, other information may be provided at the creator's discretion. For instance, you could add details explaining the exclusivity of rights.

A good example of a reserved notice is the following:

When your copyright webpage has a copyright notice and a rights reserved notice, it is complete. You may want to add additional details, such as the following.

3. ISBN

An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) doesn't serve a particular legal purpose. But, you might want to add one on your copyright webpage since it aids in identifying your eBook. It can also be beneficial if you plan on making your eBook available for sale via a range of online retailers.

An ISBN can be purchased by contacting the appropriate national ISBN Agency for the publisher. An exhaustive list of these by country is available via the International ISBN Agency website.

4. Disclaimers

The purpose of a disclaimer is to protect you, as the publisher of your eBook from any legal action taken by others. It's basically a way to declare that you are not responsible in certain areas of your work.

For example, if your work is an autobiography, or even a biographies it is possible to add a disclaimer that states that names have been altered to ensure privacy. If your book is a novel that has been written by a fictional author it is possible to include a disclaimer which states that the characters in your book have not been inspired by real people.

A typical disclaimer in a copyright document could be as follows:

5. Permissions Notice

A permissions note is the best way to show that you've been granted permission to make use of copyrighted content that others have included in your eBook.

If, for instance, your book includes photographs or drawings that you didn't personally create, you could include a permissions notice to indicate that the author's permission was sought from the owner. The notice could be read in the following manner:

6. Credits

The section titled "credits" on your copyright webpage gives you the possibility to recognize anyone else who has contributed to your ebook. It could be the illustrator who created the cover per an commercial proposition as well as the editors and proofreaders who helped you to improve the quality of your text.

1. Credit Images

Any images or graphics used in your eBook must be properly acknowledged in the event that they were created by you. These include images of historic figures, famous buildings or places, as well as diagrams or graphs derived from studies.

You may be disqualified from giving credit when you've bought an commercial license or an alternative Profit sharing contract in place, which explicitly states that source attribution isn't mandatory. You should verify the conditions of any license that you've bought to determine if it is the case for your.

2. Use Proper Citations

Make sure that the references you use within your eBook are properly cited. Most authors make this happen using footnotes, but there are alternative ways to format references. Be sure to keep the formatting to cite references the same throughout your book.

3. Attribute Quotes

The quotes you use from other sources are required to be correctly cited within your eBook However, this by itself does not suffice to cover allegations of plagiarism. You should also ensure you're following best practices, such as adding your own unique thoughts and analysis of any quotes that you use.

It's recommended to keep track of the laws regarding fair use when you plan to include quotes from others in large numbers. Quotes should be included as a reference to your unique work. Any quotes you include must be expanded on in your own phrases.

It's important to note that you are not able to copyright content that is within the public domain. But, you are able to copyright unique and original modifications you've made to the material.

In accordance with US copyright law it is your right to have ownership and control over any work you create in the original form. It's the same for eBooks. you don't need to sign up to protect your copyright.

It is possible to choose whether or not you want to make your eBook copyright-free but. The U.S. Copyright Office recommends this for two reasons.

In the first place, it issues the certificate of registration and places the facts about your copyright into the public document.

Additionally, registered works could be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's costs in a court case that is successful in a copyright dispute. If you wish to bring a copyright infringement lawsuit for the U.S. work, you must first be registered for the copyright.

Copyright Page Examples

In order to give you an idea of the way that different copyright pages can look in diverse eBooks, we've collected a selection here.

Copyright Page of Great Expectations

The novel was first published around 1800, the copyright page of The Great Expectations eBook focuses more on the current publisher instead of the author who wrote it, Charles Dickens. However, it does have some of the features we've discussed here, but not as many it does not include the copyright and rights reserved warnings.

Image source via Amazon

Copyright Page of Akata The Story of an American Girl Finding Her Roots

In the form of an autobiography Akata: The Saga of an American Girl Finding Her Roots is a wonderful example of a copyright page that includes the disclaimer.

Image sourced from Amazon

Copyright Page from Andy Warhol: A Life From the Beginning to the End

As a biography of artists, photographs are important to Andy Warhol: A Life From the Beginning to the End. As such, it features the best example of an image credit in its copyright webpage.

Image source from Amazon

Secure Your eBook with Copyright Page

Writing is a part of your daily job or you're doing it for a hobby, you need to ensure the work you produce is secure. While a copyright page does not provide a full defense against piracy, plagiarism or legal actions but it's a good place to start.

Two of the most important aspects of a copyright page are the copyright notice itself, and the notice of rights reserved. Additional elements can be included as required, including the ISBN number, disclaimer credits and even contact information for the editor.

Examine some examples of successful copyright pages for similar works to determine what yours should contain, and then put it in as one of the finishing steps to safeguard your job.

At , you can implement an additional level of protection for your eBook sales by setting an download limit, PDF stamping and by electronically delivering the terms of use or copyright info when you are distributing your eBooks to customers.