Obtaining the copyright for your newly complete manuscript is an essential part of protecting your work. Once you have gotten the rights to your creation, you are free to start setting up your book copyright page! Now, I’m sure as a newbie writer you are wondering what exactly needs to go on your copyright page. Every book you’ve ever read probably has some variation from the next. However, there are a few key things that absolutely must be included on your copyright page.
First and foremost, you need the actual copyright symbol. For example, if I owned the rights to my own manuscript, the copyright page would have to have this included on it: © Your Name or Publishing Company. This shows the year you obtained the rights to your manuscript and the name of the owner. Another essential aspect of the copyright page is the reservation of rights. If you decide to reserve all rights, this is a sample of what your book copyright page might say: “All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means—by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise—without prior written permission.” By placing the copyright notice and the reservation of rights statement, you are protecting your manuscript from being claimed by another author. They are essential to your book copyright page.
What Else Is On the Book Copyright Page?
In addition to the copyright notice and the reservation of rights statement, you should also include the title of your book, the ISBN number, the place of printing, your publisher’s address, and what edition that particular printing will be. Your book copyright page is also a good place to credit those who helped you create your finished book like designers, editors, proofreaders, etc.
All of the parts listed in this blog post make a book copyright page great and very informational to your readers. It is important to get the information on the page to not only protect your book from being plagiarized, but to protect you from any legal trouble regarding copyright infringement.
NEXT: What Is Copyright Infringement?
If you have a book imprint and logo this is also where it's usually put.