Using Quotes in Your Self-Published Book: How I Learned the Hard Way

“Whatever you may have heard, self-publishing is not a short cut to anything. Except maybe insanity. Self-publishing, like every other kind of publishing, is hard work. You don’t wake up one morning good at it. You have to work for that.” - Zoe Winters, Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author

Self-publishing always terrified me, so I avoided it. This resulted in years of unsuccessfully reaching out to publishing houses and agents. After I wrote Lucy’s Amazing Friend, a picture book about a young girl who befriends a boy with autism, I decided to take the plunge and self-publish. It was important to me that others read this book, and I wanted absolute control over every aspect. 

I spent weeks researching self-publishing, along with finding a reputable self-publisher. I had no problem with the idea of self-marketing because I had a mentor, a long list of connections, and pages filled with marketing ideas. I also had the motivation and determination to make my book well known. 

Every day my excitement grew as my book went through the format stage before it was ready for publication. Although the whole process was a lot of work, preparing myself for what to expect had made it less stressful. Or so I thought.

     
Two months before my book was to be published I was reading through the PDF file to check for last minute typos when I realized something. I had failed to research an important aspect of my book, which was using someone else’s quote in my own published work for profit. I stared at my computer screen in disbelief. How could I have overlooked it?

Rosemary Crossley is an Australian author and advocate for disability rights and facilitated communication. She is also the founder of the Anne McDonald Centre, which works for people with little or no speech across Australia and around the world. She originated the quote “Not being able to speak is not the same as not having anything to say.” It was everything I was trying to say in my book, and I used the quote in one of the illustrations as seen below.

I also used it on the back of the book.

Did I need her permission to do so?

     
I went back online. The more I read about quotes and saw how mixed the responses were, the more I realized I needed to get her permission. I was not going to risk getting sued despite what I read. 

Rosemary is in the big leagues. She’s a published author and even has her own Wikipedia page. Also, one of her books was made into a movie. I didn’t think she would have a problem with me using her quote because the content of my book promotes acceptance and embracing the uniqueness within each other and ourselves. My problem was getting in contact with her. She lives in Australia and I live in the United States.

I quickly got to work and found the Facebook page and website for the Anne McDonald Centre. I emailed the Centre and also left a message on its Facebook page. I sat in front of my computer for hours with knots in my stomach, waiting for a response. Australia is fourteen hours ahead. Who knew when I would get a response or even one at all? I could easily take the quote off the back of the book, but not off the illustration. The future of Lucy's Amazing Friend was currently in her hands. I don’t think I’ve ever been more stressed out in my entire life.

Thankfully, the next day I received a response on the Centre’s Facebook page that said Rosemary was traveling out of the country, but they would pass the message on to her. I was somewhat relieved. I was halfway there. Every day I continued to check my computer for her response, but still there remained nothing. Every day my stomach sickened a little bit more.

Three weeks later I still hadn't heard anything. I was in complete panic mode and eating Tums like it was candy. My next step was to call the Centre once I could line up the time difference so we were both awake. In the meantime I sent another message to the Facebook page. Immediately, Rosemary wrote back and said she had replied a while ago giving me permission, but for some reason I never received the email.

Instantly, my stomach felt better and about twenty pounds of anxiety lifted from my shoulders. What made me smile the most was Rosemary's response to using her quote. “Just go for it,” she wrote.

While I was researching online about using other people’s quotes in your own published work for profit I came across four questions.

     1. How are you using the copyrighted work?

     2. What is the nature of the copyrighted work?

     3. How much of the copyrighted work do you use?

     4. Does your use harm the copyright owner's ability to market the work?

My first honest answer was “huh?” My second answer was I needed to get her permission.

No matter what, if you want to publish someone else’s quote in your book, get his or her permission and get it in print. If you want to go further than that there are official forms online you can print out to have them sign. Crediting the source is not a substitute for permission. As far as using quotes when authors are no longer living or from very old books, I would definitely do more research on what to do.

     
It’s not worth the risk, even if you find some way around it. The author of the quote will be flattered and maybe even give you a great review, helping with the promotion of your book. I recommend sending them a copy of your book as a form of gratitude, as well. I sent a copy of mine to Rosemary and she really enjoyed it, even expressing a desire to share it in schools in Australia. I was lucky things turned out okay. Hopefully, you will have the same positive outcome I did.

(praise the lord cat image via memegenerator.net) (open books with flying letters image via Getty Images by Dominik Pabis)