how can i legally publish a fictional book about real people?

Question

ive based alot of my characters in my short stories on people i know or knew. will i have to get a consent from each of these people. i'm self publishing. so how do i do this?

Answer 1

Is it OBVIOUS to a casual reader who the characters are? In such case, to cover your butt you should get the people to sign a release, particularly since you know them. It is always better to be safe than sorry. They may say they are cool with it now, but what if you sold the story to a publisher and got a $5000 advance, and suddenly these folks all want money because you used there likeness?

Legally, you are probably OK, anyway. But that doesn't mean someone wouldn't try to sue, And can you afford to defend yourself in court? Better to avoid the problem entirely.

Why are you considering self-publishing? Particularly for fiction. The average self-published title sells 50-100 copies. Unless you already have a lot of industry know-how, I think you will be extremely dissappointed with the results. Even if you use a company like Lulu.com, which doesn't require any upfront investment, self-publishing is an extremely expensive route. You will have to spend money on advertising, sending out review and promotional copies, and distribution.

Answer 2

Self publishing is simple, although it involves a real knowledge of typography and layout, a good editor, lots of printing quotes, and finally, the hard work - distribution and sales (start by solving that!) As for characters - you either have to get written consent from them, including for safety, approval of the final manuscript. That's no way to go for a creative author; it limits the work really to acceptable biography, which may or may not interest readers. Alternatively, for short stories etc, one invariably bases characters on real people observed, but the thrust of the story itself, and its telling, will inevitably mix characteristics, distort some, etc, making the character "universal" - which is what allows readers to engage. That said, some great books have been written about the writer's family, with or without consent. I don't know what uproar, or family celebrations, may have resulted. I'm not optimistic. Perhaps I've seen too many family Christmases. Luckily invited guests get the pudding and the material, but not the jibes or tears. Remember, protesting innocence or intentions is not enough - if the offended character is identifiable in any way, bringing them into ridicule and contempt as used to be said (or anything else they can object to) you are in trouble. Good luck.

Answer 3

specific, I marketed Sarah and the Watermelon competition... a e book I wrote for toddlers. I paid $1500 for 500 copies... yet I extensively utilized finished-shade for the illustrations which ran up the value. I did this previously laptop publishing grew to alter into much extra effectual... I had Jostens (the yearbook corporation) make the copies. I did finally end up with some extra books, and that i donated all of them to a college. I went to the college, examine the tale to the youngsters, and then gave them each and each a replica. by potential of how, this is a tax write-off for you, too.

Answer 4

No,not really. As long as it's classified as "fiction", you won't have to. If they confront you about it, you could always say it's not really about them. Why not just change their names though? I write about people I know all the time, but I just change their names. Sometimes drastically, and some times slightly. Just lie, and tell them it's not them.