Want to self publish your next book? Congratulations – and welcome to one of the fastest growing industries in the publishing world. Being a self published author is rewarding and gives you more control over when your work sees the light, and it’s not as hard to get started as many first-time writers and editors might imagine.
There are a few essential things you have to tick off during the formatting stage for your book to be viable for any self publishing platform like Lulu or Amazon KDP Select.
Just one of these things – possibly one of the most important factors – is your copyright page. Keep reading if you want to learn how to get a book published.
Without a copyright page, your book won’t be accepted for publication or distribution.
Putting one together for your book is easier than you might think. Here are the essential elements that you should make sure to have covered in your copyright page and why they’re important.
What’s it For?
The copyright page of a book is meant to serve as a quick-reference for publishers, writers and any other professionals in the publishing industry (including readers who aren’t professionals!) to see the essential factors about the book they’re holding.
When referencing a book as a journalist, writer or student, this is essential. When a book goes into a catalog of books, it’s just as essential.
Simply, you can’t skip a copyright page – and your book won’t be accepted for publication if you do.
The Name of the Writer
The name of the writer is one of the first things that a copyright page has to contain. This is important because every book should have a writer – otherwise the author is, for all practical purposes, an anonymous one.
The name included on your copyright page can be a pseudonym (Stephen King would have been ousted as the author of the Bachman novels long ago if this had not been the case!), or it can be your legal name. Usually, it’s the name the publication of the work is attributed to.
The Name of the Publisher
The name of the publisher is a key piece of information for your copyright page. Anyone who wants to know more about a book or the publication of it should head over to the publisher to ask their questions, and this is why it’s always listed on a book’s copyright page.
In cases of self published writers, the printing or publishing company is the one that will be listed here on your copyright page (for example, Lulu.com or KDP Select) unless you have purchased your ISBN number separately.
The Year of Publication
Publication year and the edition of the book helps anyone who refers to the book, quotes the book, mentions the book or ever researches the book. This is the year in which the book was published and released – not the year in which the book was written or edited! Also remember that any subsequent editions of the book will require an update to the copyright page to update the year.
The ISBN Number
Every book that gets published requires an ISBN number. If you want your book distributed through channels like Amazon, the ISBN number is essential. It’s what tells book catalogs the essential information about your book condensed into a serial number. Without one, it won’t be distributed at all.
ISBN numbers can be purchased in bulk, or they can be purchased singularly – which can be more expensive. The best is usually to purchase it through your self publishing company where it’s a lot cheaper to buy.
The Copyright Sign ©
Most copyright pages contain the copyright sign – and it’s recommended that you include it in your copyright page. While it might seem like a small detail, it’s standard for your copyright page if you want to see your book published and distributed.