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How to Write Copyright and Disclaimer for Your Ebook

An ebook is a collection of digital content, typically in the form of text, imagery, and audio files, that can be read on an electronic device such as a tablet or smartphone. Ebooks are often sold as part of a package containing other content (e.g., short stories, novels, or collections of articles), and they can be downloaded and stored on a digital reader (e.g., an iPad, Kindle, or Nook) or uploaded to a content host (e.g., Apple’s iCloud) and rendered online via a dedicated browser (e.g., Safari or Chrome).

While the format and structure of ebooks may vary from vendor to vendor, there are some standards that apply. In general, an ebook should include some citations and bibliographies. There should also be a copyright notice at the beginning of the text and a disclaimer at the end. The following article will discuss how to write the copyright and disclaimer for your ebook.

Choose a Copyright-Protected Theme

As the name implies, an ebook’s copyright protects the content within it from being duplicated or distributed without the permission of the copyright holder. As a general rule, the simpler the better when it comes to choosing a copyright-protected theme for your ebook. In choosing a theme, make sure to consider the type of device on which you will read the book (e.g., tablet, iPhone, or laptop).

For instance, if you are writing an ebook for the iPad, you will want to consider the Sustainability Guide for iPad owners, as it is very simplistic and does not contain many details. On the other hand, if you are writing an ebook for a Kindle, you will want to balance between ease of use and amount of content.

Use a Registered Mailing Address

An ebook’s registration details must include the copyright holder’s name, the title of the book, and the name of the publisher. In addition, the details of one or more copyright agents should be included. You can use the official registration form from the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) for this purpose or use a third-party vendor for the same service. You need to complete this step even if you are using a mailing address that is already registered with the CCC. This is because you can’t be sure that the address you provide will be the same as what is on file with the CCC. By doing this, you will ensure that anyone who receives a package containing your ebook will be able to verify its contents and origin.

Addresses For Reviews and Interviews

If you are planning to seek reviews or interviews for your ebook, you will have to notify the media of your intent. This can be done by adding the reviewer’s or interviewer’s mailing address to your contacts list or by sending them an email. Just remember that interviewees or reviewers may ask for exclusives or preferred treatment in exchange for the use of their names and images. Make sure to find out what the policy is of the publication you are submitting to before doing so. Some publications will allow the use of unretouched images, while others require you to submit images that have been altered to fit their style.

The Copyright Notice

The copyright notice is typically placed at the beginning of the text in a conspicuous location, and it should include the following information:

  • the name of the copyright holder
  • the year of first publication
  • the name of the publisher
  • the media type (e.g., print, online, or mobile)
  • a legal notice disclaimer (this is a requirement, and it cannot be deleted)
  • a prominent link to additional legal information (e.g., a licensing agency website)

The above information must appear in this order: name of copyright holder, year of publication, name of publisher, media type, disclaimer, and link to additional information. It is important to ensure that these details fall within the 5-10 words offered in the free paragraph space at the beginning of your book. If these space restrictions don’t allow you to include all five of these items, you can include the first four and leave out the last one. However, the link to additional information needs to be included in order to complete the legal notice.

If you are using Microsoft Word as your word processor, you can find a template for a copyright notice at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/legal/copyright-sample-form.aspx. Alternatively, you can use a third-party tool to create a personalized copyright notice. For instance, the Legal Form Creator from MakeTechCheck is an online tool that can be used to create a complete legal notice, including the URL of another website if you want to provide additional information. The advantage of using an automated tool is that you can create a legal notice in a few minutes and then move on to the next item on your list.

If you are writing an eBook for the Apple platform, the legal information can be found in the Info icon on the toolbar of your device on which the book is being read. You can click this button to open the iBookstore, from where you can find the About This Book link. From here, you can easily find the copyright information as well as the Disclaimer and Legal Notice, which must appear at the end of the book. You do not need to go through the iBookstore’s review process to get to these documents. They are made available to you automatically upon purchase.

The Legal Notice

The legal notice is typically placed at the end of the book, but it can be located either at the beginning or the end depending on the format. In some cases, it is even possible to break the text up into various sections and include the notice at various locations within the book. Regardless of where it appears, the legal notice needs to include the following information:

  • the name of the copyright holder
  • the year of first publication
  • the name of the publisher
  • a legal notice disclaimer (this is a requirement, and it cannot be deleted)
  • a prominent link to additional legal information (e.g., a licensing agency website)

The above information must appear in this order: name of copyright holder, year of publication, name of publisher, disclaimer, and link to additional information. It is important to ensure that these details appear within the 5-10 words offered in the free paragraph space at the end of your book. If these space restrictions don’t allow you to include all five of these items, you can include the first four and leave out the last one. However, the link to additional information needs to be included in order to complete the legal notice.

How to Format Your Book For eReading

Books published in the 21st century are no longer bound by the traditional 8.5 x 11″ paper size. Ebooks can come in any size and shape and can be displayed on any device. In order to make your ebook look as good as new, you will need to format it for eReading. There are several options for formatting your book for the eReading format, and you can use any one of them depending on your needs. Keep in mind that these formatting choices will affect the way your book looks when read by a device’s screen. You don’t want to choose a formatting option that doesn’t look good when displayed on a device, but you also don’t want to keep the device close to the screen because the image may not be as good as it would if the screen were farther away from the book.

The Epub Standard

The ePub standard is a format designed to allow for easier sharing of content among various devices and platforms. It is a portable, open standard developed by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). The ePub standard is also a wrapper format; it is a collection of HTML files, XML files, and a text file called a manifest. The manifest file contains a list of the other files within the ePub and provides information about them such as their MIME type (e.g., image/jpeg), size (e.g., 4MB), and any other information that may be helpful to a device or platform.

The HTML files are used to format the text, and the XML files contain metadata such as the title, author, publisher, and description for each of the books.