Sunday, December 9, 2018

novel - Can I add quotes from other authors in my book?


Can I add quotes from other authors in my book, mentioning their names. E.g. I want to mention quotes by authors like Franz Kafka, Michael Crichton, George Orwell before some of my chapters.


Can I do it legally, or I need to take some permission? I am mentioning the author name.



Answer



As long as you keep the excerpt brief, put the remark in quotes and cite the author, it's fine. This falls under the heading of "fair use." People do this from time to time in everyday conversation as well. "As Descartes would say, 'I think therefore I am.'" If anything, an author would be flattered to be quoted.



As cloudchaser pointed out, you probably need permission if you were using the quote for "promotional" purposes such as advertising. That falls outside for "fair use."


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