Red Hawk Ridge

Welcome back to another installment of Self-Pub Saturday!

Note: This post is for authors publishing in the United States of America. I don’t know enough to talk on any other country’s copyright laws.

Today, we are talking about your Copyright page. While it is often overlooked by readers, it is a necessary component of a book to protect your work, although not technically required. It consists of information like who holds the Copyright, who the publisher is (even if you are self-published), the ISBN, Library of Congress Control Number (if applicable), printing details, genre, and more.

While this sounds like, and is, a legal security deposit of sorts, you can also have a little fun with it if you want. But we will talk more about that later. Let’s first go through the things that are typically found on a Copyright page and what information it gives those who take the time to read it.

A Copyright page should tell the reader:

• that the book is under copyright and you are the owner
• what rights are reserved and that they cannot infringe on your rights
• about any disclaimers
• who gets credit for what (editing, formatting, cover design)
• the ISBN for every version (paperback, hardback, ebook)
• the publisher’s details and contact information
• the CIP data (if applicable)

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Copyright Notice

The Copyright Notice tells the reader you own the copyright, even though technically you already own it as soon as you write it. Buying and registering a copyright is a layer of protection that will stand up in court if you find yourself in a copyright infringement case. (Bowker Publishing Services is the only legit place to buy ISBNs in the United States and they offer packages with a copyright through the U.S. Copyright Office. Once bought through Bowker, you will receive an email with instructions on how to register your copyright through the Copyright Office.) One copyright protects your work for 70 years, allows you to recover up to $150,000 in statutory damages, and establishes a legal record of your ownership over your book.

The Copyright includes three things:

• “Copyright” & ©: the symbol is not recognized in all countries, so include both to cover all your bases.
• Copyright owner’s name: can be a pen name or pseudonym.
• Year of publication: the year you publish, not create the work.

There isn’t one single way to show the copyright, but the following are accepted examples:

• Copyright © Emma Lee Joy, 2022
• Copyright © 2022 Emma Lee Joy
• Copyright © 2022 by Emma Lee Joy

Other information about the copyright, including dates of previous editions (talked about later), renewals and other changes, and the country of printing can also be included.

NOTE: Some publishing platforms like Draft2Digital will not accept manuscripts with the country of printing information.

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All Rights Reserved

This is a statement that asks the reader to respect the author’s rights, and usually appears as:

• All Rights Reserved, or
• The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

‘All Rights Reserved’ states that the owner of the copyright has all formal rights granted by a copyright, including the rights to publish, distribute, and make derivative works out of it (meaning future works formed from the one stated, like prequels and sequels).

‘Moral Rights’ are separate from economic rights and declares that the author was the first to create the work stated. This is a form of reserved rights typically used outside of the United States in countries that do not distinguish between moral and economic rights.

The following is an example of a formal rights statement in the United States:

• All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

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Disclaimer

A disclaimer covers all your bases in a society that loves lawsuits. Some popular examples include:

• FOR FICTION: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, or locals is entirely coincidental.
• FOR CREATIVE NONFICTION: This is a work of creative nonfiction. Some parts have been fictionalized in varying degrees for various purposes.
• FOR MEMOIRS: The events and conversations in this book have been set down to the best of the author’s ability, although some names and details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
• FOR NONFICTION: This publication was created to provide competent and reliable information regarding the subject matter covered. However, it is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, financial, or other professional advice.

These are examples of ‘professional’ disclaimers, but as mentioned at the beginning of this post, some authors like to have fun. This is the place to play, as long as you still cover your bases. Not all readers will even look at a Copyright page, but some read every page. Being creative in your disclaimer can give the small handful of readers a treat.

You can be snarky and comical while still being legalistic. That is the glory of language. It doesn’t all have to sound so stiff. Read various disclaimers for a variety of ways to accomplish creating a unique disclaimer that will make you stand out to those who read it. Share your favorites in the comments and let me know if after creating your own Copyright page if you now read them in every book you pick up…I do.

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Credits

Never forget to give credit where credit is due. The credits section of the Copyright page is specifically for anyone who helped you create your book, including your editors, formatter, cover designer, photographer (if you had original pictures taken), illustrator (for original works of art), etc.

Examples include:

• Illustrations Copyright © 2025 by John Doe
• Jacket Photograph Copyright © Jane Doe, 2025
• Cover Design by Artist Name
• Editing by Emma Lee Joy
• Formatting by Red Hawk Ridge

Some books may also need credits given for things like:

• Excerpts from copyrighted material (like bible translations)
• Forewords
• Maps

NOTE: The phrasing is up to you for the most part, but please note that in the case of The Holy Bible, with its many translations, you need to go to the particular publisher’s website for the translation that you are using and find their clause for you to copy and paste onto the Copyright page. If you use multiple translations, you will have multiple clauses to copy and paste. They are typically only valid if they are word for word.

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ISBN-International Standard Book Number

Your ISBN is a unique 13-digit number that is required to sell your book (originally 10 digits). It’s basically a Social Security Number for your book. The only legitimate place to buy ISBNs in the U.S. is Bowker Publishing Services. I also use them to purchase copyrights because they have packages with great deals, as mentioned previously.

You will need a separate ISBN for each version of your book. If you have a paperback, hardcover, and ebook you will need three ISBNs. Publishing platforms like KDP offer free ISBNs but DO NOT use them unless you only ever want to sell through the platform you got it from. They are specific to the company and will not transfer to other platforms. If you want to change the ISBN on a book, you have to unpublish it and start from scratch.

NOTE: When you buy your ISBN, go ahead and get a barcode as well. They have packages with multiple ISBNs, barcodes, and copyrights that will save you a lot of money if you buy them all together.

You should list all versions of the book with their respective ISBNs, starting with the version the page is in.

For a paperback, a list of ISBNs would look like:

ISBN 123-4-5678-9012-1 (paperback)
ISBN 123-4-5678-9012-2 (hardcover)
ISBN 123-4-5678-9012-3 (ebook)

If it’s in an ebook, it would be:

ISBN 123-4-5678-9012-3 (ebook)
ISBN 123-4-5678-9012-1 (paperback)
ISBN 123-4-5678-9012-2 (hardcover)

NOTE: If you buy ISBNs in bulk, they will have similar numbers, as shown above.

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Book Edition

If you have different editions of your book, you should add that information to your Copyright page to let people know. First editions of old books are typically worth a lot of money, but if it wasn’t stated, nobody would know. People may also prefer a second edition over a first edition because it has been edited more and possibly added to.

It should look something like:

• First Edition, or First Edition, 2008
• Second Edition, or Second Edition, 2010
• This paperback edition first published 2008
• and so on, depending on the number of editions

If in doubt, do some research and read the Copyright pages of books similar to what you are publishing. Fiction books don’t generally have different editions, unless they are extensively rewritten. Listing different editions is more for reference books used for research and other non-fiction books, so you might not even have to worry about this step.

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Publisher Details

This includes the name, address, and website of the publisher. For self-published authors, you are the publisher, not platforms like KDP, Ingram Spark, Draft2Digital, etc.

You don’t have to put your address if you don’t want it public, but you should look into a P.O. Box. They do cost money to rent, but you can add it to expenses at the end of the year when you do taxes, of which you will owe as ‘self-employed’ on you book sales, so make sure to keep track of your expenses to decrease the amount you will owe.

If you opt out of adding an address, make sure you have a URL or email stated for people to contact you if they need to. A city of origin is also good to add, even if you don’t give out a physical address, as it helps determine the nation of origin and allows businesses to benefit from trade preferences when selecting books for their stores.

NOTE: Getting your self-published book into physical stores is an entirely different blog post. Just because you publish it online does not mean you will find it on shelves.

People may reach out for permission to use parts of your book or other reasons that should be able to be dealt with in a timely fashion. Maybe an agent with a big publishing house wants to get in contact with you? You never know, so make sure they can reach you in some form or fashion.

You can also look into a sole proprietorship and establish a publishing house just for you for free. You will be given an Employer Identification Number for tax purposes. You can click here to read more about an LLC if you are interested in incorporation, but that does cost a little money. Either way, having your own publishing house is nice and simple to do. You basically own your own business.

Publisher’s details could look like:

Published by Red Hawk Ridge
Carthage, Texas
http://www.red-hawk-ridge.com

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CIP Data

Cataloging in Publication Data includes the Library of Congress Control Number (a 10 digit number) you can apply for if you want your books to be available in libraries across the U.S.. It isn’t required for publishing, but you will need it for placement in libraries. And the great news? It’s free!

You must apply for a LCCN before publishing, and the system won’t let you select the month you are already in or previous months. I learned this the hard way when I applied the month I was set to publish Blood for Honor, so I had to use October for their records instead of September when it released.

Once they send you the control number, you must put it somewhere on the Copyright page exactly as they send it to you. I prefer to place it directly above the ISBN list.

Blood for Honor’s LCCN looks like this:

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022916560

Once you have published your book, you must send them a physical copy to place in the Library of Congress to be legitimized. If not, you will be unable to place books in libraries. You can always add the cost of the book to your expenses for the year.

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All in all, the Copyright page is easy to put together once you have all the information you need. I would suggest heading over to Bowker Publishing Services to learn more about purchasing ISBNs, barcodes, and copyrights before you actually need them. (Your cover designer will need the barcode to add to the cover. Do not alter it in any way or it won’t work.)

I had to save up about $400 to purchase 10 ISBNs, a barcode, and a copyright for my book (but I’ll save money in the long run with future published books since I have extra unused ISBNs), so it’s good to know what you have to look forward to before you get blindsided with fees you weren’t aware of. Just remember, owning your ISBN is much better than getting a free one owned by someone else. If you are going to go all the way, might a well do it right.

Down below is the Copyright page for my debut novel, Blood for Honor. I would also suggest looking over the Copyright pages of other books, especially those in the genre you are writing. As you can see, mine also includes the genres that I selected when publishing. Platforms like KDP will ask what genre and sub-genres to list your book under, and it’s helpful to have it listed on the Copyright page as well.

Other things you can add:

• Some books include a brief summary on the Copyright page, but I don’t find that is needed if you have a back blurb.
• Mass produced books have a Print Run Number, which is an evenly spaced set of numbers on the Copyright page that most people don’t know anything about. Mass produced books typically have them to show how many print runs there have been. With each printing, a number is taken away. This step probably won’t affect you, but the more you know the better!
  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = First printing
  • 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = Second printing
  • 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = Third printing
• Trademark notices for things like the publisher’s logo can also be added.

When it comes down to it, add what you want. And remember, you aren’t limited to one page for the Copyright page (as shown in the first example image), but that is the typical length.

The Copyright page is generally found right after the Title page and before the Dedication and Acknowledgments pages.

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Many blessings,
Emma Lee Joy