Content Evaluation

What is content evaluation?
Why does my book undergo a content evaluation?
How long is the content evaluation process?
What do you look for during content evaluation?
What are best practices to make sure my manuscript and materials meet the standards of content evaluation?
If U.S. Copyright is automatic, then why do people register for U.S. Copyright?
What is the difference between U.S. Copyright protected and U.S. Copyright registered?
How can I tell if content is U.S. Copyright protected?
Does citing the source of material clear me of U.S. Copyright infringement?
How do I obtain permission and what do I do with it?

Please note: Due to the nature and complexity of the legal system, Book Country does not claim to have intimate knowledge of the specific details regarding legal questions. For more detailed information about legal and U.S. Copyright concerns, speak to a local attorney or visit www.copyright.gov for more information.

What is content evaluation?

Content evaluation is the process in which Book Country assesses your manuscript to ensure that it meets our standards for publishing. We review manuscripts and materials for copyright, libel and content that contains sex and/or drug paraphernalia.

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Why does my book undergo a content evaluation?

We perform content evaluations on all books to maintain a standard of publishing for our authors’ work and to identify areas in your manuscript that could potentially put you at copyright and/or libel risk.

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How long is the content evaluation process?

The duration of your content evaluation can fluctuate depending on the length and subject matter of your book, as well as the number of other manuscripts we have queued for evaluation.

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What do you look for during content evaluation?

We review manuscripts and materials for:

• Text and images which are not created and/or owned by the author
• Statements or information which reveal private information about a living person and/or could negatively reflect a living person’s reputation
• Content that includes sex and drug paraphernalia

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What are best practices to make sure my manuscript and materials meet the standards of content evaluation?

Follow these general guidelines to help ensure that your manuscript and materials meet our evaluation standards:

Copyright and Original Content

• At least 75 percent of your book’s content must be original and created by you.
• Quoted poetry and song lyric content cannot be longer than four lines or 10 percent of the poem or song.
• Quoted article content can be no longer than three sentences or 10 percent of the article.
• Quoted book content can be no longer than 300 words.

Libel and Privacy

To avoid libel and protect the privacy of living people referenced in your book, you must:

• Change or remove the author’s name and/or the names of people referenced in the manuscript or materials.
• Change or remove the names of locations, businesses, organizations, educational establishments, etc. where the events in the manuscript and/or materials take place.
• Remove images (including front and back cover images) that reveal the identification of people or locations referenced in the manuscript and/or materials.

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If U.S. Copyright is automatic, then why do people register for U.S. Copyright?

U.S. Copyright protection attaches immediately and automatically as soon as you fix the work in question in a tangible form. That tangible form might be a printed manuscript, but computer disks (or even your computer hard drive) can also be considered tangible forms. Registering a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office creates a public record of the basic information of your book.

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What is the difference between U.S. Copyright protected and U.S. Copyright registered?

U.S. Copyright protection is secured upon creation of your work and provides you the right to stop another person from using your work without permission. U.S. Copyright registration is secured when material is officially registered with the U.S. government. Having your material officially registered with the U.S. Copyright office allows you to take legal action to recover a monetary value if someone uses your work illegally.

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How can I tell if content is U.S. Copyright protected?

In most cases, any picture, material, text, information, quote, map, song or illustration that you personally did not create is U.S. Copyright protected by the person who created and/or published the material. Any text or pictures found in a book, magazine or newspaper is U.S. Copyright protected by the publisher, artist, photographer or another individual. Most information found on the Internet is U.S. Copyright protected.

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Does citing the source of material clear me of U.S. Copyright infringement?

No. A citation will not protect you in a court of law in a U.S. Copyright case. You must obtain and keep written permission from the U.S. Copyright holder.

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How do I obtain permission and what do I do with it?

In order to obtain permission, you can contact the original U.S. Copyright holder and explain what work you wish to use and for what purpose. In order to not be held liable in a lawsuit you must request and obtain written permission from the copyright holder to use the material in publication.

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