When self publishing a book, it’s easy to focus on editing, cover design, and distribution while overlooking a quieter question: do you have the right to include every borrowed passage, photograph, illustration, or lyric? Getting permission can take time, and some uses may require changes to your manuscript. Checking early helps you avoid last-minute delays and reduce the risk of a rights dispute.
This guide explains what to review, when permission may be needed, and how to keep a clear record. Copyright decisions depend on the specific work, how you use it, and the laws that apply. When the stakes are high or the answer is unclear, consult a qualified intellectual-property attorney.
Permissions checklist for self publishing a book
Start by identifying material that you didn’t create yourself. Read through your manuscript and flag anything that comes from another source, including:
- Extended quotations from books, articles, speeches, or online posts
- Song lyrics, poems, and lines from plays or screenplays
- Photographs, illustrations, maps, charts, and screenshots
- Text or images copied from websites, newsletters, or social media
- Third-party material in an epigraph, appendix, workbook, or promotional excerpt
Make a simple rights log with the item, creator, source, planned use, rights holder, permission status, and any restrictions. A spreadsheet is enough. It gives you one place to track requests and helps ensure that a permission covering the ebook does not accidentally get treated as permission for print, audiobook, or marketing use too.
What usually requires permission?
Copyright generally protects original creative expression—not every fact, idea, title, or short phrase. But the boundary between an unprotected idea and protected expression can be less obvious in practice. A passage copied word for word from a published article is different from a factual statement you researched and rewrote in your own words.
As a practical starting point, investigate permission when you reproduce a substantial or distinctive part of someone else’s work, or when the material is central to your book. The amount that matters depends on context. There is no universal rule that a certain number of words, lines, or percentage is always safe.
Quotes and excerpts
A brief quotation used to comment on or analyze a work may be treated differently from a long passage included for atmosphere or decoration. Still, “it’s only a few sentences” does not settle the question. The source, purpose, amount used, and effect on the original work’s market can all matter.
Attribution is good editorial practice, but crediting the author is not the same as getting permission. If your use depends on an exception such as fair use, attribution alone does not make it fair use. Consider whether you can make your point with a shorter excerpt, paraphrase the underlying idea in your own words, or remove the passage.
Song lyrics and poetry
Lyrics are a common rights problem because even a short, recognizable line can be important to the work. A song may involve separate rights holders for the composition and the recording; quoting lyrics in a book usually concerns the composition. The artist who performed the song may not be the person or company authorized to grant permission.
Poetry can raise similar concerns. If a poem or lyric is important to your manuscript, identify the publisher, rights administrator, or other authorized contact and ask about the exact use. If you cannot confirm the rights or obtain permission, replacing the quotation is often safer than guessing.
Photos, art, and screenshots
Finding an image online does not mean it is free to reuse. A photographer, illustrator, agency, or other rights holder may control it even when the image has no visible copyright notice. Screenshots can also reproduce protected text, photographs, interface design, or other creative material.
For each visual, check the license and its conditions. Confirm whether commercial book use is allowed, whether edits are allowed, what credit is required, and whether the license covers all formats and countries where you plan to distribute. “Royalty-free” describes a licensing model; it does not necessarily mean free of charge or free of restrictions.
Can you rely on fair use or another exception?
Some uses of copyrighted material may be allowed without permission under legal exceptions. In the United States, fair use is assessed case by case, considering factors that include the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the original work, the amount used, and the effect on its market. Other countries have different exceptions and rules.
There is no dependable shortcut such as “under 10 percent is fine,” “one line is always okay,” or “nonfiction can quote anything.” A commercial book can still have a fair-use argument, and a short use can still raise concerns. But a publisher, retailer, or rights holder may challenge your interpretation, and responding can cost money and time.
Ask yourself: Are you analyzing or criticizing the original, or using it as decoration? Is the excerpt necessary to your discussion? Have you taken more than you need? Could your use substitute for the original or a licensed excerpt? If those questions leave you uncertain—and especially if the material is prominent—seek legal advice or pursue permission.
How to request permission
Make permission requests while the manuscript is being edited, not after your cover and release date are set. Rights holders may need weeks or longer to respond, and some may decline. Follow these steps:
- Identify the rights holder. Check the original publication, copyright page, publisher website, image agency, or licensing information. The author or creator may not control all rights.
- Describe the exact material. Include the passage or image, its creator, source, and enough surrounding context to identify it.
- Explain your planned use. State the book’s title and subject, whether it is commercial, the formats you need (such as ebook, paperback, and audiobook), territories, languages, and expected publication date.
- Ask about terms and fees. Confirm the required credit line, any limits on print run or duration, and whether the permission also covers excerpts in advertising or on your website.
- Save the written approval. Keep the email or signed license with your rights log and share any required credit wording with your editor and formatter.
If you receive no reply, don’t assume silence means approval. Follow up once or twice, then decide whether to wait, use a licensed alternative, rewrite the passage, or remove it.
Check public-domain and Creative Commons material carefully
Public-domain works can generally be reused without copyright permission, but you need to verify the status of the particular version you plan to use. Copyright terms vary by country, and a modern translation, edited edition, photograph, or recording of an old work may have separate rights. Keep notes on what you checked and which edition or file you used.
Creative Commons licenses can make reuse easier, but each license has conditions. Some require attribution; some prohibit commercial use; others restrict adaptations. Make sure the license applies to the specific image or text, not merely the page where you found it. Save a copy of the license details and source information in case the web page changes.
Final review before you publish
Before approving your final files, run a rights check alongside your proofreading and production checks:
- Every third-party item in the manuscript appears in your rights log.
- You have permission or a documented basis for using each item.
- Licenses cover the formats, territories, and uses you intend.
- Required credits appear in the correct place and match the approved wording.
- Permissions are saved somewhere you can find them after publication.
- Book descriptions, sample chapters, ads, and social posts do not reuse material outside the permission’s scope.
If you are coordinating editing, design, and distribution yourself, include permissions in your production schedule rather than treating them as a final legal formality. SelfPublishing.pro’s free AI Publishing Plan can help authors map out publishing tasks and timing; rights research and permission decisions still need your own careful review.
Conclusion: protect your book before release
A permissions review is a practical part of self publishing a book, not just a concern for large publishing houses. Flag borrowed material early, verify who controls the rights, and ask for permission when your planned use needs it. When the legal position is uncertain, don’t rely on a word-count myth or an online assumption—revise the material, find a properly licensed alternative, or get professional advice before publication.
