Are book writers allowed to publish a book with a title that has already been used by another writer?

Question

Your quick answer would surely be a no but what if the content of the book is different from the other book that first used that title? For example, I want to use the title "The Red Dress" and it is about murder while the other "Red Dress", which was written by a different writer, is about fashion.

I can't seem to find a website that explains the rules of book publishing.

Answer 1

Yes, usually.

Titles of books cannot be copyrighted. (A title of a series of books can be.) However, in some cases where the book has acquired what trademark law calls "secondary meaning" the title can be a trademark. Secondary meaning means that the book-buying public associates the title with a given work, i.e., the title is famous.

So, while I remember two books published simultaneously a while back called "Home Before Dark," you might not be able to publish a new book called The Vampire Lestat.

Answer 2

There are already three books with the title Red Dress. One is by Valerie Steele, one by John Watson, and there's a book of poetry by Mary Ann Mulhern.
That shows that more than one book can use a title. You could think about making yours stand out by make it The Scarlet Dress.
For information about publishing a book, go to the public library and look at the Writer's Market. They will also have a number of books about writing and getting published and probably even some magazines tool (like Writer's Digest).

Answer 3

Yes and no.

What other people have said is correct - a book title is not copyrightable. However, the logo is, so if you wanted to write "Jurassic Park" you would have to have different enough cover art, colors, and fonts that nobody would mistake your book for Michael Crichton's. Also, the title may not contain terms that are already trademarked (usually brand names, or licenced character names) - so since the name "Star Trek" is already trademarked, you couldn't call your book "The Last Star Trek" without running into trouble, even if you book has nothing to do with "Star Trek" as people would otherwise think of it.

Answer 4

I'm not sure about the rules in writing, But there are several books out there with the "same" title.

Second Chance: Danielle Steel

Second Chance: Jerry B. Jenkins,Tim F. LaHaye

No Second Chance: Harlan Coben,

Second Chance: L. M. Carroll, Lee Carroll

2nd Chance: James Patterson

There's also a song title out there by the name of Second Chance

So . . . . examples aside, I think your title will work.



Good Luck on your project!

Answer 5

There are no copyrights to Book , Movie, or Song Titles. Copyright law states no one has any right to a title of a book, movie or song title .

Answer 6

You will need to explain how it is determined which "select few" receive the necklace. Your readers may find it unbelievable that two teens in the same town (considering the size of the world) each are in possession of a necklace. You might want to read books on plotting. With some work, this could be an interesting story.

Answer 7

Yes, or it would be really hard for some authors ro find a title. One word titles would be much rarer.

Answer 8

Yes, they are.

You can copyright many, many, MANY things, but one of the things you can NOT copyright is the title of a book.

Answer 9

Book titles CANNOT be copywrited, so that happens all the time.

Answer 10

Yes, titles cannot be copyrighted.