In my work as a freelance editor, I often work on manuscripts that contain verbatim quotes and/or referenced quotes from other sources.  My editorial comment in these cases is usually along the line of “You might need permission for this quotation.” I’m not an attorney, so I can’t say with absolute certainty that a specific quote is or is not fair use, but I’m sharing this excellent article about the use of copyrighted material from Jane Friedman’s blog that might help you answer that question for your own book. You might want to bookmark this one: Is It Fair Use? 7 Questions to Ask Before Using Copyrighted Material.

Related articles

• Plagiarism, Attribution, Citation, Quotation (onecoolsitebloggingtips.com)
• Navigating Copyright and Fair Use Online © (bluefountainmedia.com)

Candace Johnson is a professional freelance editor, proofreader, writer, ghostwriter, and writing coach who has worked with traditional publishers, self-published authors, and independent book packagers on nonfiction…

“The value andrank of every art is in proportion to the mental labor employed in it, or the mental pleasure produced by it” declared the very erudite 18th century portraitist Sir Joshua Reynolds with respect to the particular branch of painting learned by the students who formed his then auditory, nevertheless managing to encompass the whole spectrum of activities men generally practice in their attempt at self-expression, writing included.

Still, what amount of truth conveys the affirmation?

A great deal.

In literature as in sculpture or cinematography the only channel through which people receive the intended message is intellectual and therefore all works conceived to deliver certain ideas, share certain moods, illustrate particular visions et cetera must first engage the mind to eventually arouse the senses. An alternative has yet to be devised. Because, indubitably, no artistic feeling can emerge from outside the brain.

Vivid colors may excite our…

So you published a book and it did pretty well. Congratulations! That is amazing. Look at what you did! You have already surpassed thousands of others who said they were going to publish but never did anything with that dusty manuscript. Now that you have settled in to being a published author, have a marketing plan and can breathe again, what next?

Thoughts of doom. We all go through it. Why is this author so much more popular than I am? Surely it cannot be looks. Have you seen this guy/girl? Hairless chihuahuas are cuter. Is their book better than mine? Is my book too closely related to what they published? Should I take it down and edit it again? NO. Then it will be more like so and so’s book.

There comes a point when most of us authors sit and obsess. We obsess over facts, figures, sales, prices…

All good things must come to an end eventually I suppose. This is the farewell post of the marketing and publishing series with Harry Steinman. I would like to personally thank him for sharing his insight, humour and overall knowledge and experience with all of us over the course of these weekly posts. Harry! You are one of my very best friends. Would be lost without you. (Enough mush.) Put your hands together for Mr. Harry Steinman. If you are all really nice we might be able to get him back for a random guest post here and there:)

How to Break Into Amazon’s “Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store”

(Advice On Staying There, Not Included)

A Farewell Post By Harry Steinman

Anyone with a damned good book, blurb, and cover can have a Kindle best-seller, if only for a few days.

Is Kindle too…

This week’s guest blog is brought to us by the delightful, funny, and hard-working Ionia Martin of Readful Things.  She also is the mastermind behind The Community Storyboard where writers and readers from all walks of life can gather for some fun.  Did I mention she’s hard-working?  If you haven’t had the joy of checking out both of Ionia’s blogs then I suggest you take the time to do so.

Now, I asked Ionia to make a list of Do’s and Donts’ for the Indie Authors.  I thank her for taking up the challenge and having fun with it.  Enjoy.

So you have decided to be an indie author, huh?

I can always count on Charles Yallowitz, the owner of this here excellent blog for two things. Number 1: He writes great books.

Number 2: He is always entertaining and ensures that his posts far outweigh any other responsibilities…