I've been doing a lot of research and transcribed portions of many many books. I'm working on writing a nonfiction book that brings together parts from all these different books and had some questions about publishing. And I'm wondering about this in terms of credit, royalties, standards, legality, and so on.
* Is there a limit to how much of my book can be quotes from other books?
What if my book is a series of quoted passages connected by a literary thread of my own writing that explains their place in the scheme of things?
* Is there a limit to what percentage of another book I can quote?
Say there was a short book and 60% of its 30 pages were scattered in quoted form throughout 2000 pages of text in my own book. Would that be acceptable? Where are the lines, and what are the implications for my book?
* When quoting other books, do they get a percentage of the royalties on my book sales? Does it depend on the amount quoted?
* Are there industry standards or guidelines for quoting and permissions that I can read somewhere?
* Do I need permission from the author or the publisher? Does it depend on who holds the copyright? What if the book is self-published?
* Is it common for authors/publishers to ask for money or royalties for quoting passages from their book?
* Should I go forward with my book under the assumption that I WILL get permission to quote these other books? Do writers/publishers usually get permission? Or is it a roll of the dice?
* Is it generally hard to get authors/publishers to respond to requests to quote their books in your own?
* If something is in the public domain but you've got it out of a book that published it before then, should one ask the author/publisher for permission?
* What about books that were first published in another language in, say, 1800, and then translated and republished in 2004? Is the translation public domain? Or is permission needed? And if so, from the translator or publisher of the translation?
* If I publish for education/research use, how much is quoting is permitted under "fair use" guidelines?
* What is considered an educational/research book? Does it have anything to do with whether it is carried in book stores and sold commercially?
* In regards to paraphrasing, what if the author is presenting something as fact which might not be widely regarded as fact, such as "The earth is made of jello." Can I write "James Strange states that the earth is made of jello" (and attribute it) without permission?
* Is there a limit to how much of my book can be quotes from other books?
What if my book is a series of quoted passages connected by a literary thread of my own writing that explains their place in the scheme of things?
* Is there a limit to what percentage of another book I can quote?
Say there was a short book and 60% of its 30 pages were scattered in quoted form throughout 2000 pages of text in my own book. Would that be acceptable? Where are the lines, and what are the implications for my book?
* When quoting other books, do they get a percentage of the royalties on my book sales? Does it depend on the amount quoted?
* Are there industry standards or guidelines for quoting and permissions that I can read somewhere?
* Do I need permission from the author or the publisher? Does it depend on who holds the copyright? What if the book is self-published?
* Is it common for authors/publishers to ask for money or royalties for quoting passages from their book?
* Should I go forward with my book under the assumption that I WILL get permission to quote these other books? Do writers/publishers usually get permission? Or is it a roll of the dice?
* Is it generally hard to get authors/publishers to respond to requests to quote their books in your own?
* If something is in the public domain but you've got it out of a book that published it before then, should one ask the author/publisher for permission?
* What about books that were first published in another language in, say, 1800, and then translated and republished in 2004? Is the translation public domain? Or is permission needed? And if so, from the translator or publisher of the translation?
* If I publish for education/research use, how much is quoting is permitted under "fair use" guidelines?
* What is considered an educational/research book? Does it have anything to do with whether it is carried in book stores and sold commercially?
* In regards to paraphrasing, what if the author is presenting something as fact which might not be widely regarded as fact, such as "The earth is made of jello." Can I write "James Strange states that the earth is made of jello" (and attribute it) without permission?
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