How to write a copyright page for your book

When you open up any book, you’ll notice that a couple of pages in will normally be the copyright page, now, most of us will completely overlook this and go straight to the table of contents, introduction or chapter one, but as a writer this is something that you should be familiar with and definitely have within your own book.

So, what goes into this page and what details should go there?

​Well for most books there are standard details which you should include, this can differ between non-fiction and fiction (and again with memoirs too), but you should give some thought to and ensure you have the details ready when preparing your manuscript for publication.

Here are some of the standard ​elements
​that you should consider:

One – Copyright

The first line of detail normally is quite simply letting your reader know that you have the copyright to the book, this normally reads quite simply as:

Copyright © Your Name Here, 2020

It shows the word ‘Copyright’ the copyright symbol, your name and then the year of publication.

​Two – All Rights Reserved

This part of the page indicates that the copyright holder reserves all rights to reproduce the book or elements within the book. You can simply place the words ‘All rights reserved’ or expand upon it, as below:

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form either by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
 
Three – Disclaimer

This element is proving popular with most authors and again, is something you should also consider, here are some basic examples, but we would recommend seeking legal advice before you add yours to your book:

For fiction books, the disclaimer looks similar to the following: This is a work of fiction. Characters, Names, incidents and locations are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is completely coincidental.

For Non-fiction books the disclaimer looks similar to the following: The publisher and author are providing this book and its contents on an “as is” basis and make no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to this book or its contents. The publisher and the author disclaim all such representations and warranties. In addition, the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any other inconsistencies herein.

Again, we would advise seeking further legal advice regarding your disclaimer, for example, a disclaimer for a book on new age thinking will be very different from that used in a book about fitness and diets.
 
Four – Edition

Here you should state which edition this specific copy of the book is and the year of publication
 
Five – Credits

Here is where you acknowledge the people and services that helped to produce your book, you’ll also need to have certain copyright notices placed here too, these will be for any copyrighted images, artwork, illustrations, excerpts from other material and forewords etc.

Six – ISBN & LCCN

Your ISBN (International Standard Book Number) should be printed next followed by the LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number) should you have a LCCN.  
 
Seven – Publisher details

Here is where you’ll add the details of who published your book, if your self-publishing (even if you’re using KDP or Ingram Spark) this will be your details, please note that you don’t necessarily have to place your address here if you don’t want to.
 
Eight – Website and contact details

At the very bottom of the notice you should use the space for your author website and contact email (it’s worth keeping social media addresses to your bio and not on the copyright page).
​

​So putting it all together, here is an example
​of how a copyright page can look:

Copyright © John Smith, 2020
 
This is a work of fiction. Characters, Names, incidents and locations are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is completely coincidental.
 
 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form either by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
 
First Paperback Edition Feb 2020
 
Book Design by JD&J Design
Foreword by Jennifer Roberts
 
ISBN: 978-1-1234-5678-9 (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-9876-4321-9 (eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 00000000000
 
Published by JD&J Publishing,
​123 Book Street,
Novel Town, FL 32100
www.jdandj.com
​