How Do Authors Get Permission to Use Quotes, Lyrics and Images in a Book?

A quotation, photograph or song lyric may add authority, emotion or historical detail to a book. It may also introduce a copyright problem when the author has not confirmed whether permission is required.

Professional book copyright permissions UK work involves identifying protected material, locating the correct rights holder, describing the intended use and securing written permission before publication.

Crediting the creator is important, but attribution alone does not give an author permission to reproduce protected work. Finding an image online, owning an old photograph or purchasing a copy of a book also does not necessarily transfer reproduction rights.

Authors should review third-party material as early as possible because permission requests can take time, involve fees or be refused. A rights holder may agree to print use but exclude eBooks, audiobooks, marketing or international distribution.

The safest publishing process is to identify each external item, determine whether copyright still applies and record the decision before the manuscript enters final design.

This article provides general publishing information rather than individual legal advice. Authors should consult a UK intellectual-property professional when the proposed use is substantial, commercially important, disputed or legally uncertain.

What Does Copyright Protect?

Copyright protects original creative expression.

Protected material may include:

• Books
• Articles
• Poems
• Letters
• Diaries
• Song lyrics
• Musical compositions
• Photographs
• Paintings
• Drawings
• Maps
• Charts
• Illustrations
• Films
• Recorded interviews
• Website copy
• Software
• Typographical arrangements

UK copyright normally arises automatically when a qualifying original work is created. There is no general government copyright-registration system that an author must use before protection begins.

Copyright gives the rights holder control over activities such as:

• Copying
• Publishing
• Distributing
• Adapting
• Communicating the work publicly
• Authorising others to use it

An author who reproduces protected material in a commercial book may therefore need a licence unless the work is out of copyright or the particular use falls within a legal exception.

Copyright Protects Expression, Not Every Idea

Copyright does not generally give someone ownership of an abstract idea, historical fact or general subject.

An author may normally write about:

• The same historical event
• A similar business problem
• A scientific concept
• A broad fictional theme
• A publicly known fact

Problems arise when the author copies another creator’s particular expression, such as:

• Distinctive wording
• Original artwork
• A detailed photograph
• A substantial table
• A map design
• A character illustration
• A protected arrangement of information

An author can research the same subject and explain it independently.

Copying the wording, structure or visual execution of someone else’s work may require permission even when the underlying information is available elsewhere.

Begin With a Permissions Audit

Create a list of every piece of material that was not created entirely by the author or publishing team.

Review:

• Main manuscript
• Chapter epigraphs
• Footnotes
• Appendices
• Cover
• Interior illustrations
• Photographs
• Tables
• Maps
• Screenshots
• Worksheets
• Promotional copy
• Audiobook script
• Trailer script
• Website downloads

For each item, record:

• Description
• Creator
• Original source
• Copyright owner
• Proposed use
• Amount used
• Placement
• Print run
• Formats
• Territories
• Languages
• Permission status
• Fee
• Credit wording
• Expiry date
• Restrictions

This document becomes the permissions log.

A permissions audit should happen before typesetting because removing a full-page image at the last moment may change pagination, chapter design and printing costs.

Ask Whether the Work Is Still Protected

The usual UK term for literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works is the creator’s lifetime plus 70 years. Different terms and historical exceptions can apply, particularly to older, anonymous, unpublished, Crown, film and sound-recording material.

Do not assume that an old item is automatically in the public domain.

A photograph taken in the nineteenth century may no longer have copyright in the original image, but a later publication may contain:

• A protected typographical layout
• A modern translation
• New annotations
• Restored artwork
• New illustrations
• A separately licensed digital image

GOV.UK notes that new material added to a public-domain work can receive its own protection, while a published edition’s typographical arrangement may remain protected for 25 years.

Check the status of the specific material being reproduced, not only the age of the underlying story or artwork.

What Is the Public Domain?

A work enters the public domain when copyright has expired or never applied in the relevant jurisdiction.

Public-domain material may generally be used without obtaining a copyright licence for the original work.

Authors should still check:

• Whether the particular edition contains new protected material
• Whether a translation remains protected
• Whether the supplied image has separate terms
• Whether an archive contract restricts reproduction
• Whether moral rights or attribution requirements remain relevant
• Whether another country applies a different copyright term

A book distributed internationally may encounter laws outside the UK.

Permission suitable for UK publication may not necessarily cover sales in North America, Europe, Australia or another territory.

Does a Short Quote Need Permission?

There is no reliable rule stating that an author may use a fixed number of words without permission.

People sometimes repeat supposed rules involving:

• 10 words
• 50 words
• 100 words
• 300 words
• 10 per cent of a work

UK copyright law does not provide a general safe word count for commercial books.

The importance of the copied material can matter as much as its length.

A short phrase may represent the most memorable or commercially valuable part of a work. A longer extract may sometimes be defensible when used for genuine criticism or analysis and limited to what the purpose requires.

GOV.UK explains that whether a part is substantial is assessed case by case, and even a small portion may be substantial when it captures an important part of the original.

When a quotation is decorative, emotionally appealing or used as an epigraph without analysis, permission may be more likely to be needed.

Understand Fair Dealing

Certain copyright exceptions may permit limited use without permission.

Relevant exceptions can include:

• Quotation
• Criticism
• Review
• Reporting current events
• Non-commercial research and private study
• Parody, caricature or pastiche
• Accessible-format use in qualifying circumstances

Several exceptions depend on fair dealing.

GOV.UK explains that fair dealing has no simple statutory formula. Relevant considerations include whether the use harms the market for the original and whether the amount taken is reasonable and necessary for the stated purpose.

A use is not automatically fair merely because:

• The source is credited.
• The book is educational.
• Only a short passage is copied.
• The author disagrees with the original.
• The book has a small print run.
• The author does not expect a large profit.
• The work was found on a public website.

Fair dealing requires a contextual assessment.

Quotation for Criticism or Review

An author may sometimes quote protected material for genuine criticism, review or analysis.

A defensible use is more likely to:

• Discuss the quoted work meaningfully
• Use only the amount needed
• Provide sufficient acknowledgement
• Avoid replacing the original
• Support a clear critical or analytical purpose
• Treat the source fairly

For example, a literary study may reproduce a short passage and then analyse its language, structure and historical significance.

Using the same passage as a decorative chapter opening without analysis presents a different situation.

The National Archives’ copyright guidance explains that criticism or review should contain substantially more commentary than copied material and should acknowledge the author and work.

When the quotation is central to the book’s design, argument or marketing, obtain legal advice instead of relying on a general assumption about fair dealing.

Are Epigraphs Covered by Fair Dealing?

An epigraph is a quotation placed at the beginning of a book or chapter.

Epigraphs are often used to:

• Create atmosphere
• Introduce a theme
• Establish emotional tone
• Connect the book with another writer
• Foreshadow a chapter

The author may not be criticising or reviewing the quoted work.

For this reason, publishers frequently seek permission for protected epigraphs.

A single line from a novel, poem or song may still be qualitatively significant.

Possible alternatives include:

• Using a public-domain quotation
• Writing an original epigraph
• Paraphrasing an idea without copying expression
• Removing the epigraph
• Obtaining written permission

Do not wait until the cover or interior has been approved before deciding whether the epigraph can remain.

How to Request Permission for a Book Quotation

Begin by identifying the rights holder.

Possible contacts include:

• Original publisher
• Author
• Author’s estate
• Literary agency
• Rights department
• Copyright licensing organisation
• University press
• Archive
• Current publisher controlling the rights

The copyright page of the source book may identify the publisher, but rights may have reverted, transferred or been licensed since publication.

Your request should include:

• Your name
• Publishing company or imprint
• Book title
• Author name
• Description of the new book
• Exact material requested
• Source title and author
• Page number or location
• Proposed context
• Print format
• eBook format
• Audiobook use
• Estimated print run
• Retail price
• Publication date
• Distribution territories
• Languages
• Marketing use
• Deadline for response

Attach the exact quotation and surrounding paragraph where possible.

A vague request asking to “use a few lines somewhere in my book” creates extra work and may delay the decision.

Request Every Required Format

A permission covering a paperback may not automatically include:

• Hardback
• eBook
• Audiobook
• Large-print edition
• Translation
• Revised edition
• Website
• Social media
• Book trailer
• Advertising
• Merchandise

Ask for the rights the project realistically needs.

A suitable request may seek:

• Non-exclusive English-language rights
• Print and digital book publication
• Worldwide distribution
• Audiobook inclusion where the words will be read aloud
• Promotional use in material directly advertising the book
• A specified print run or term

Avoid requesting unlimited rights unnecessarily when the project is small.

Broad rights can increase the fee.

What Should a Permission Licence Confirm?

A written licence should state:

• Material covered
• Permitted use
• Formats
• Territories
• Languages
• Print quantity or sales limit
• Licence term
• Fee
• Payment deadline
• Required credit
• Alteration rights
• Marketing rights
• Edition restrictions
• Renewal process
• Approval requirements

Save:

• Signed agreement
• Invoice
• Proof of payment
• Final credit wording
• Relevant correspondence
• Approved image or text file

Verbal permission is difficult to prove and may not define the intended scope.

An email can sometimes provide written evidence, but a formal licence is preferable for important commercial material.

Attribution Is Not the Same as Permission

A source line may satisfy an acknowledgement requirement, but it does not replace permission.

Writing:

“Image courtesy of the artist”

does not necessarily establish that the artist licensed the reproduction.

Similarly, listing a book in the bibliography does not authorise copying several paragraphs from it.

Authors should distinguish between:

• Permission to use
• Required attribution
• Citation of a research source
• Ownership of the physical item
• Ownership of copyright

All five may involve different people or organisations.

How Do Authors Get Permission to Use Song Lyrics?

Song lyrics are protected as literary elements of a musical work.

A book author usually needs to identify the music publisher or other party controlling the lyric-reproduction rights.

The songwriter may have transferred or licensed rights to a publisher or collecting body, so contacting the performer is not always enough.

PRS guidance notes that rights in a composition include the words and melody and may be controlled by writers, composers, arrangers or publishers. Permission may therefore need to come from the relevant music publisher or rights holder.

A permission request should include:

• Song title
• Songwriter
• Performer where relevant
• Exact lyrics
• Number of lines
• Context
• Book title
• Author
• Publisher
• Formats
• Print run
• Retail price
• Territories
• Publication date
• Promotional use

Do not reproduce the lyrics while waiting for permission and assume approval will arrive later.

Even Short Lyrics Can Create Risk

Song lyrics are often concise and distinctive.

One line may represent:

• Chorus
• Hook
• Title phrase
• Emotional centre
• Most recognisable part of the song

A quotation does not become safe simply because it contains fewer than ten words.

Lyrics used to create mood in fiction may not be supported by the same criticism or review argument as lyrics analysed in a scholarly book.

When permission is expensive or unavailable, consider:

• Naming the song without reproducing lyrics
• Describing the music
• Describing the character’s response
• Writing an original fictional song
• Using public-domain material
• Removing the reference

Do not write a slightly altered version that remains recognisably derived from the protected lyric.

Who Owns a Photograph?

Photograph permissions can be complicated because several parties may be involved.

They may include:

• Photographer
• Photographer’s employer
• Photographer’s estate
• Agency
• Archive
• Museum
• Person who owns the physical print
• Person depicted
• Publisher
• Stock-image provider

Owning a physical photograph does not necessarily mean owning copyright.

A family member may possess the only print while the photographer or photographer’s estate still controls reproduction.

The person depicted also does not automatically own the photographer’s copyright.

Privacy, confidentiality, data-protection or contractual concerns may exist separately, particularly when the subject is living or the image was created in a private setting.

Artwork May Require More Than One Clearance

To reproduce a painting or illustration, an author may need:

• Permission to reproduce the underlying artwork
• Access to a suitable image file
• Permission from the image supplier where separate contractual terms apply
• Correct creator and source credits

The museum holding a painting may own the physical artwork but not the artist’s copyright.

An artist’s estate or licensing organisation may control reproduction of the work.

DACS provides book-publishing licences for visual artwork represented through its service and can also supply licensed high-resolution images for many artists.

Confirm whether the fee covers:

• Artwork copyright
• Digital image supply
• Print publication
• eBook
• Cover use
• Marketing
• Territory
• Duration
• Print run

Do not assume one payment covers every layer.

Cover Use May Cost More Than Interior Use

A photograph or artwork used on the front cover usually has greater promotional and commercial prominence than the same image printed inside the book.

Licensing fees may depend on:

• Cover or interior placement
• Image size
• Print run
• Retail price
• Formats
• Territory
• Duration
• Language
• Marketing use
• Exclusivity

A quarter-page black-and-white interior image may have different terms from a full-colour cover image.

DACS explains that artwork licensing fees vary according to how prominently and commercially the work will be used.

Tell the rights holder the intended placement from the beginning.

Moving an image from an interior page to the cover without updating the licence may exceed the permission granted.

Obtain Permission for Letters and Diaries

Family letters, diaries and unpublished papers may involve:

• Copyright
• Ownership of the physical document
• Privacy
• Confidentiality
• Personal data
• Archive restrictions
• Defamation risk

The recipient of a letter may own the paper while the writer or writer’s estate owns copyright in the words.

An archive holding the document may impose reproduction conditions in addition to underlying copyright requirements.

Before publishing private correspondence, ask:

• Who wrote it?
• When did the writer die?
• Who owns the copyright now?
• Who owns the physical item?
• Is anyone living identified?
• Does the text contain sensitive information?
• Does an archive agreement restrict publication?
• Is legal review needed?

Changing names may not remove all risks when the people remain identifiable from context.

Permissions for Interviews

An author may record an interview and assume that the participant’s agreement to speak authorises every future use.

Clarify permission before publication.

A release may cover:

• Recording
• Transcription
• Editing
• Quotation
• Print publication
• eBook
• Audiobook
• Promotional excerpts
• Worldwide distribution
• Translation
• Use of the participant’s name and biography

Interviewees should understand the nature of the project.

A consent form cannot solve every issue, but it creates a clearer record than relying on memory.

Do not substantially change a speaker’s meaning during editing.

Podcast Material Also Needs Clearance

Authors who turn podcast into a book should review rights in:

• Guest interviews
• Listener messages
• Episode transcripts
• Music
• Intro recordings
• Photographs
• Programme artwork
• Co-host contributions
• Producer-created material

A guest may have agreed to audio publication without granting the right to reproduce an edited transcript in a commercial book.

Review the original guest release.

When the release does not clearly cover book publication, obtain an additional written agreement.

Music licensed for podcast use may not be cleared for printed lyrics, an audiobook or a book trailer.

The podcast archive is source material, not an automatic bank of unrestricted content.

Maps, Tables and Charts Can Be Protected

Facts and data may not be protected in the same way as creative expression, but a particular visual presentation may be.

A copied chart can contain protected:

• Design
• Labels
• Colour system
• Layout
• Selection
• Arrangement
• Explanatory wording

Instead of reproducing the original chart, the author may be able to:

• Return to the underlying data.
• Confirm that the data can be used lawfully.
• Create an original analysis.
• Design a new chart.
• Cite the source accurately.

Do not redraw a protected image closely and assume the new artwork avoids permission requirements.

A near-identical recreation may still copy substantial original expression.

Website Material Is Not Free to Copy

Material displayed publicly online may still be protected.

This includes:

• Blog posts
• Photographs
• Infographics
• Maps
• Product images
• Social posts
• Reviews
• Screenshots
• Website design
• Downloadable reports

A search engine’s image results do not form a free image library.

Check the original page and identify:

• Creator
• Rights statement
• Licence
• Terms of use
• Required credit
• Commercial-use restrictions
• Modification restrictions

When material is offered through Creative Commons or another standard licence, follow every condition.

A non-commercial licence may not suit a book sold for money.

Stock Images Require Licence Review

A stock-image subscription does not necessarily permit every publishing use.

Check whether the licence covers:

• Book interior
• Book cover
• eBook
• Audiobook cover
• Print quantity
• Worldwide sales
• Promotional graphics
• Merchandise
• Templates
• Sensitive subject use

Some stock licences impose extended-licence requirements when:

• The image is central to the product
• Print quantities exceed a threshold
• The product is sold for resale
• The image appears on merchandise
• The image is used in a logo
• The licence holder is working for a client

Keep a copy of the licence terms in force on the date the image was downloaded.

Online terms can change.

Commissioned Illustrations Need a Written Agreement

A professional book illustration brief explains the creative work, but the contract should address ownership and permitted use.

The agreement may specify:

• Number of illustrations
• Style
• Dimensions
• Colour
• Deadlines
• Revision rounds
• Fees
• Payment schedule
• Copyright ownership
• Licence scope
• Credit
• Portfolio use
• Marketing use
• Merchandising
• Translation
• Future editions
• Cancellation

Paying an illustrator does not automatically transfer copyright.

GOV.UK states that a copyright transfer or assignment must be recorded in a signed written agreement.

The author may instead receive a licence while the illustrator retains copyright.

Either arrangement can work when the terms are clear.

Budget for Children’s Book Artwork Rights

The children’s book illustration cost UK authors budget should include more than drawing time.

The final cost may reflect:

• Number of pages
• Complexity
• Character development
• Background detail
• Colour
• Revision rounds
• Cover
• Endpapers
• Copyright transfer or licence
• Worldwide rights
• Marketing rights
• Merchandise
• Series use
• Source-file delivery

A low initial quotation may cover only the first print edition.

Ask whether the illustrations can also be used in:

• eBooks
• Audiobooks
• Social posts
• Retail graphics
• Book trailers
• Activity sheets
• School materials
• Foreign editions
• Sequels
• Merchandise

Expanding the licence later may require additional negotiation and payment.

Permissions for a Book Trailer

A book trailer script may include third-party material not present in the book itself.

Possible rights include:

• Music
• Recorded performance
• Photographs
• Video footage
• Artwork
• Typography
• Voiceover
• Quoted reviews
• Book-cover elements
• Stock assets

Music can involve separate rights in:

• Composition
• Lyrics
• Sound recording
• Performance

Permission to quote a lyric in the book does not automatically permit the recording to be played in the trailer.

Use properly licensed production music, original music or another track whose licence clearly covers the intended commercial video and distribution channels.

Record the licence and keep evidence of purchase.

Audiobook Permissions Need Special Attention

The audiobook production cost UK authors calculate should include rights review and adaptation.

Material silently visible in a printed book may be read aloud in the audiobook.

This can include:

• Quotations
• Lyrics
• Poems
• Letters
• Interview extracts
• Translated passages

A print licence may not include audio reproduction.

Ask whether the permission covers:

• Spoken performance
• Downloadable audiobook
• Streaming
• Subscription services
• Retail sample
• Promotional clips
• Worldwide audio distribution

Images and charts may need to be described or placed in a companion PDF. Any companion file requires its own permissions review.

Do not assume the audiobook is covered because it has the same title as the paperback.

Permissions and Large-Print Editions

A licence limited to one edition or format may not include a later large-print version.

A large-print edition may:

• Reproduce the same quotations
• Enlarge copyrighted images
• Use a new cover
• Change page placement
• Increase image size
• Receive its own ISBN
• Be distributed through libraries

Review every existing permission before releasing the new edition.

Ask whether the licence covers all print editions or only the original paperback.

The rights holder may require updated circulation figures or an additional fee.

Permissions and Bookshop Distribution

Authors comparing IngramSpark vs KDP UK should understand that distribution platform choice does not solve copyright clearance.

Both platforms require the publisher to have the necessary rights to the uploaded material.

Wider distribution can increase the importance of securing:

• Worldwide rights
• Print and digital rights
• Marketing rights
• Suitable print-run limits
• Territorial coverage

A licence covering 500 copies sold only in the UK may be insufficient if the title becomes available globally through wholesale distribution.

Review permissions before expanding the book into additional territories or sales channels.

Permissions and UK Libraries

Authors attempting to get self published book into UK libraries should keep an organised rights file.

Libraries and suppliers may expect a professionally published book whose:

• Images are licensed
• Quotations are lawful
• Sources are acknowledged
• Private information is handled responsibly
• Cover artwork is authorised
• Metadata is accurate

Legal deposit does not confirm that all material has been cleared.

A deposited book can still infringe someone else’s rights.

Local-history and family-history titles deserve particular care because they may contain privately owned photographs, letters and archive materials.

What If the Rights Holder Cannot Be Found?

A work whose right holder is unknown or cannot be located may be an orphan work.

The absence of an identifiable rights holder does not make the work free to use.

The UK Intellectual Property Office operates an orphan-works licensing scheme for commercial and non-commercial use in the UK. Applicants must check whether copyright still applies, consider available exceptions and complete a documented diligent search before applying.

An orphan-works licence:

• Applies to UK use
• Is non-exclusive
• Can cover commercial use
• May last for up to seven years
• Requires an application
• Requires a diligent search
• May involve application and licence fees

The scheme does not necessarily solve worldwide publication.

A licence applying only in the UK may be unsuitable for a book distributed internationally without territorial restrictions.

What Is a Diligent Search?

A diligent search is a documented attempt to identify and locate the rights holder.

Depending on the material, the search may involve:

• Copyright page
• Publisher
• Author’s estate
• Literary agency
• Artist-representation service
• Image agency
• Archive catalogue
• Collecting society
• Professional association
• Probate information
• Rights database
• Previous publication records

Record:

• Sources searched
• Dates
• Search terms
• Organisations contacted
• Responses
• Evidence obtained

Writing “I searched online and could not find anyone” may not satisfy the official orphan-works process.

Follow the IPO checklist appropriate to the type of work.

Allow Enough Time

Permission requests may take:

• Several days
• Several weeks
• Several months

Delays can occur because:

• Rights changed hands.
• An estate must approve the use.
• Several creators are involved.
• The request lacks information.
• A publisher needs to locate an old contract.
• A fee must be negotiated.
• The rights holder wants to see the final context.
• International approval is required.

Begin permissions work during editing, not after the book has been uploaded for publication.

Create internal deadlines such as:

• Request date
• Follow-up date
• Final decision date
• Replacement deadline
• Payment deadline
• Credit approval date

If permission has not been obtained by the replacement deadline, remove or replace the material.

Budget for Permission Fees

Rights holders may charge according to:

• Amount reproduced
• Placement
• Print run
• Formats
• Territory
• Language
• Retail price
• Licence period
• Promotional use
• Commercial prominence

A short quotation may be free, while another may require a significant payment.

Song lyrics and prominent cover images can be particularly expensive.

Include a permissions allowance in the production budget.

Also budget for:

• Image-file supply
• Archive reproduction charges
• Legal review
• Translation rights
• Renewal
• Additional editions
• Marketing use

Do not commit to a full-page design before confirming that the required rights are affordable.

Negotiate Where Appropriate

A quoted permission fee is not always the only possible arrangement.

The author may ask whether the rights holder would consider:

• Fewer words
• Smaller image
• Interior use instead of cover
• UK-only rights
• Lower print run
• Shorter licence term
• Print-only use
• Removal from marketing
• One language
• Non-exclusive use

Reducing the scope may lower the cost.

However, a narrow licence may create problems later when the publisher wants to release an eBook, audiobook or translation.

Balance current budget with realistic future plans.

Create a Credit List

Every licence may require particular wording.

Examples can include:

• Creator name
• Work title
• Date
• Rights holder
• Publisher
• Image source
• Photographer
• Copyright symbol
• Licence statement

Do not rewrite the credit to fit the design without approval.

Create one master credit list and send it to:

• Editor
• Designer
• Proofreader
• eBook formatter
• Audiobook producer
• Marketing team

Check credits in:

• Caption
• Copyright page
• Acknowledgements
• Endnotes
• Audiobook credits
• Companion PDF
• Trailer description

A credit may need to appear beside the image rather than only in a general acknowledgements section.

Respect Moral Rights

Copyright licensing does not remove every creator interest.

UK moral rights can include:

• Right to be identified as creator
• Right to object to derogatory treatment
• Right to object to false attribution
• Privacy rights relating to certain commissioned photographs and films

Moral rights cannot generally be transferred in the same way as economic copyright, although some may be waived or require assertion.

Do not crop, recolour, edit or combine artwork in a way the licence prohibits.

Ask for approval when the intended treatment substantially changes the original.

What If Permission Is Refused?

A rights holder is not normally required to grant permission merely because the author believes the material is important.

When permission is refused, consider:

• Removing the material
• Rewriting the passage
• Paraphrasing the underlying idea
• Selecting a public-domain alternative
• Commissioning original artwork
• Creating an original chart
• Using another authorised image
• Restructuring the chapter
• Seeking legal advice on a possible exception

Do not publish first and attempt to negotiate after receiving a complaint.

A refusal is useful information. It allows the author to change the book before money is spent on printing and distribution.

Keep Permissions With the Publishing Archive

The final project archive should contain:

• Permissions log
• Signed licences
• Emails
• Invoices
• Payment evidence
• Image files
• Credit instructions
• Licence expiry dates
• Print-run limits
• Territory restrictions
• Edition restrictions
• Diligent-search records
• Legal advice
• Replacement decisions

The archive should remain available for as long as the book is sold.

A future publisher, distributor or estate administrator may need to understand why the material was used and what rights were obtained.

Review the archive before producing:

• Revised edition
• Translation
• Large-print edition
• Audiobook
• Course
• Trailer
• Documentary
• New marketing campaign

Common Copyright-Permission Mistakes

Frequent problems include:

• Assuming a credit replaces permission
• Following a false word-count rule
• Treating online images as free
• Believing ownership of a photograph means ownership of copyright
• Using lyrics because only one line is copied
• Asking the performer instead of the music publisher
• Requesting print rights but releasing an eBook
• Forgetting audiobook rights
• Moving an interior image to the cover
• Ignoring archive reproduction terms
• Publishing private letters without review
• Assuming old material is public domain
• Using a free stock licence for an excluded commercial purpose
• Paying an illustrator without agreeing copyright terms
• Failing to record the licence
• Distributing internationally under a UK-only permission
• Waiting until final design to request clearance
• Using orphan works without a diligent search or licence

A permissions problem can delay publication, require redesign or expose the author and publisher to a legal claim.

A Practical Copyright-Permissions Process

A reliable workflow may include:

• Identify every piece of third-party material.
• Record its source and creator.
• Determine whether copyright is likely to remain active.
• Check whether a legal exception may apply.
• Seek legal guidance when relying on fair dealing is uncertain.
• Identify the current rights holder.
• Define the exact intended use.
• Request print, digital, audio and promotional rights where needed.
• State territory, language, print run and publication date.
• Negotiate the fee and scope.
• Obtain written permission.
• Pay the required fee.
• Record the required credit.
• Store the agreement and correspondence.
• Give the terms to the editor and designer.
• Check the final proof against the licence.
• Remove material whose permission remains unresolved.
• Review the rights again before releasing another format or edition.
• Preserve the complete permissions archive.
• Monitor licence expiry dates and sales limits.

Copyright clearance should be part of the publishing schedule, not an afterthought.

A well-organised permissions process allows authors to use valuable external material while respecting creators, reducing publication risk and preserving the option to expand the book into future formats.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much of another book can an author quote without permission?

UK law does not provide a universal safe word count. The purpose, amount, importance of the extract, market effect and fairness of the use must be considered in context.

Is attribution enough when using a photograph or quotation?

No. Attribution identifies the creator or source but does not itself grant reproduction rights. The author may still need written permission.

Can authors quote one line of a song without permission?

Even one line may be a substantial and recognisable part of a song. Authors should assess the specific use carefully and normally seek permission when lyrics are used decoratively or commercially.

Can an old family photograph be published freely?

Not automatically. Ownership of the physical photograph may differ from ownership of copyright, and privacy or archive restrictions may also apply.

What should an author do when the copyright owner cannot be found?

The author should complete a diligent search and consider whether the UK orphan-works licensing scheme applies. An untraceable owner does not make the work free to use.

Does permission for a paperback cover an eBook and audiobook?

Only when the written licence says so. Authors should request every required format, territory, language and promotional use before publication.