Historical Fiction Books for you!
BLURBS
This is for those published or about to be who have had similar experiences. My ARC is almost ready, and I have two blurbs from best selling authors who read and commented on my novel several years ago when it was manuscript form.
First some background.
One has given me permission.
The second read and edited the first 70 pages of an early draft without my asking, and after I completed the novel thought so highly of it she gave it to her editor who also liked, it but her publisher thought historical fiction was too difficult a sell. After major successes, the author moved to new residences, and I and our mutual friends lost contact with her.
As a courtesy, I have sent three emails requesting permission to her web site, which has a disclaimer that she does not answer all emails, and there have been no responses yet from her, her agent, or her publisher to my publisher's requests for permission.
My take is this. The odds of her objecting should be slim, and even if she would complain for any reason, we could always remove it for the subsequent hard cover release. I would like to have both blurbs on the ARC because some in the industry are followers, and the blurbs may give me an edge obtaining the attention of potential reviewers. -- for more favorable blurbs of course.
Question: Do I need her permission? Is everything she wrote to me my property now to do as I wish with it? In other words, after making many good faith attempts to contact her, do I have a legal right to use her blurb anyway?
First some background.
One has given me permission.
The second read and edited the first 70 pages of an early draft without my asking, and after I completed the novel thought so highly of it she gave it to her editor who also liked, it but her publisher thought historical fiction was too difficult a sell. After major successes, the author moved to new residences, and I and our mutual friends lost contact with her.
As a courtesy, I have sent three emails requesting permission to her web site, which has a disclaimer that she does not answer all emails, and there have been no responses yet from her, her agent, or her publisher to my publisher's requests for permission.
My take is this. The odds of her objecting should be slim, and even if she would complain for any reason, we could always remove it for the subsequent hard cover release. I would like to have both blurbs on the ARC because some in the industry are followers, and the blurbs may give me an edge obtaining the attention of potential reviewers. -- for more favorable blurbs of course.
Question: Do I need her permission? Is everything she wrote to me my property now to do as I wish with it? In other words, after making many good faith attempts to contact her, do I have a legal right to use her blurb anyway?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tim on -
I would say it is a fair assumption that you have certain rights and therefore if you a have made attempts to gain consent with out success you have every right to use this material.
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Permalink Reply by Donald Michael Platt on -
Thank you for your response, Tim. That is what I think too. It would surprise me if she complained after seeing it on the ARC, and in a worst case scenario, the blurb could be removed.
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