Legal Issues in Non Fiction Writing

BelleIvy said:

I'm trying to write a short non fiction ebook about the industry I used to work in.

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Why are you focusing on this being an e-book and not a printed book? I don't understand why the format is an issue for you at this stage.

It's basically like an insiders view and mostly just my opinion, which I think I should state and make clear at the beginning.

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Most books are made up by their authors' opinions. This is not an issue. But stating that the opinions are yours and yours alone won't give you any legal protection.

I want to possibly include opinions (along the lines of "what so and so thinks you need to know...") of people I used to work with, they would be anonymous opinions because I would want them to feel free to be as honest as possible. 1. What would be my financial obligation(if any) to someone who anonymously contributes a sentence or two?

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If you promise to pay them for their contribution, you would have a financial obligation to them. If you make it clear that you're not going to pay them for their contribution and they agree to being interviewed under those terms, then you'd have no financial obligation to them. I have in the past provided a brief contract to all my interviewees which sets out what I want from them, how I might use the results of our interview, and what their obligations and rights are. I include in this the information that I will not pay them for their time.

2. What other legal issues should I consider?

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If you find a trade publisher willing to sign this book up then they will perhaps take legal advice before publication, to ensure that they are covered. If you're going to self-publish then it's up to you to ensure that you've not said anything actionable in your book. Remember, though, that ensuring you've remained within the law is no protection against litigation: if people take exception to your book they can still sue you, even if you've not done anything wrong.

I should state also that I am planning on publishing this under a pseudonym as I would not want what I am writing to be connected to any people I used to work for or with.

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A pseudonym won't protect your identity. It is so easy for a writer's true identity to be discovered: it's happened many times. The only way to ensure your writing won't be connected to the people you used to work for is to not write the book. If you're concerned that they might object to your book then consider why that might be. If it's because you think they would have a legal case against you, then you really shouldn't publish your book if you're not prepared to be taken to court over it.

Old Hack said:

If you find a trade publisher willing to sign this book up then they will perhaps take legal advice before publication, to ensure that they are covered. If you're going to self-publish then it's up to you to ensure that you've not said anything actionable in your book. Remember, though, that ensuring you've remained within the law is no protection against litigation: if people take exception to your book they can still sue you, even if you've not done anything wrong.

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Case in point : The Library Diaries.

BelleIvy said:

I wanted to ePub to get it out faster

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E-publication is a format, just like print and audio books; self publishing and trade publishing are ways to bring your book to market. It's important not to confuse the two.

However, it seems at this time it makes more sense to write it and save it until I have the money to pay literary attorney to look at it.

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Or you could write something else; or you could write a book about this subject, but make it something a trade publisher would be interested in.