Angela's Desk

Don’t Invite Lawsuits by Real People Featured in Your Book! (Hint: You Can Still Be Sued Even If You Don’t Name Them!)

July 31, 2013

Don’t Invite Lawsuits by Real People Featured in Your Book! (Hint: You Can Still Be Sued Even If You Don’t Name Them!)
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Angela Hoy is not an attorney and nothing in this article is legal advice. If you have questions about the legality of your book (or lack thereof), contact an attorney.

Did you see the news last week about a libel lawsuit against a deceased author? A judge has ruled that the lawsuit can proceed but it now involves his widow. Aside from only publishing facts that you can prove beyond any doubt, how can you protect yourself and your family from these types of lawsuits?

We receive quite a few book proposals at BookLocker.com each year that are either memoirs, are other types of non-fiction, or are even fiction based on actual events. Every author who includes real, living individuals in their book or novel (whether they have changed those individuals’ names or not) should take every step they can in order to avoid potential legal problems down the road.

The good news is lots of people like being featured in books, even novels, and will be flattered, and happy to sign any release you give them. Unfortunately, there’s no way to obtain this type of release from people who may be angry by your portrayal of them in your book. For the former group, you need to have a notarized agreement from them to protect yourself. You never know when they might change their mind someday, especially if your book makes you rich!

If your book features real, living people, you should try to obtain a general release from each individual that absolves you and your publisher of any liability related to the book’s contents and, thus, avoiding future (expensive!) legal problems.

Below is an example. If you do this, you should have your attorney provide a release for your specific book.

SAMPLE GENERAL RELEASE

I, ____________________, being of legal age and sound mind, do hereby
release, acquit and forever discharge [AUTHOR] and the publisher and
distributors of the book, [TITLE], of and from any and all actions,
causes of actions, claims, demands, damages, costs, loss of services,
expenses, and compensation, known and unknown, or in any way growing
out of the references made to [SUBJECT'S NAME] in [BOOK TITLE]. I
confirm I have read all passages that name or reference me in [BOOK
TITLE] and I approve and/or agree with the publication of these
passages and references.

I, the undersigned, hereby declare and represent that I rely wholly on
my own judgment, belief, and knowledge of the nature, extent and
duration of any possible personal injury and I have not been
influenced to any extent whatsoever in making this release by any
representation or statements regarding any injury or regarding any
other matters, made by the persons who are hereby released, or by any
person or persons representing them.

This release contains the entire agreement between the parties hereto,
and the terms of this release are contractual, not a mere recital. The
undersigned further represents that I have carefully read the
foregoing release, knows its contents, and signs the same as my own
free act.

In addition, I, the undersigned, am advised that, should I have any
questions about my own legal rights or responsibilities, I should seek
the advice of an attorney of my own choice.

Date:__________________
Name:____________________________________________
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the party has signed this agreement on the date
opposite her name.
Dated:________________
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this _____ day of [MONTH], [YEAR].
Notary Public for [STATE]
My Commission Expires:

If you can’t obtain permission from individuals featured in your book, you should anonymize not only the individual, but also the location, circumstances and anything else in the book that may lead even one lone reader to figure out who that person is. For someone close to you (or formerly close to you), that may even mean you will need to write under a pseudonym so individuals who know you won’t be able to identify the person you’ve portrayed in a bad light in your book.

For more on that, please see:
Don’t Invite a Lawsuit with Your Memoir

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Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.

About The Author

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Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).

Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.

WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.

BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."

Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.

PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!

Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.

Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)


See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.


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