Marketing - to Publishers Electronic Press Illustrations Pedigree

22 October 2011, Marketing - to Publishers Electronic Press Illustrations Pedigree
Introduction: I realized that I need to introduce this blog a little.  I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon.  The working title was Daemon, and this was my 21st novel.  Over the last year, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing.  In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes.  You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published.  I'll keep you informed along the way.  At this moment, I'm showing you the marketing material I put together for a novel.

Today's Blog:  Concerning illustrations and dingbats in published works.  Just as you don't want someone to take credit for and make a profit on your writing, likewise, you shouldn't expect to make a profit or take credit for any type of picture or illustration that is not in the public domain.  If you didn't take the picture or draw the illustration or dingbat, you can't use it without the permission of the owner.  This is the point of copyright laws.  You can be sued if you use works improperly and that includes pictures and illustrations. 

If you own the work, it is in the public domain, or you receive permission to use it, then you are allowed to include it in your book--however, you must always attribute.  No matter where the work came from, you should always give credit to the creator.  This is the basic rule between artists and writers. 

Copyright and ownership issues can be a big deal.  Depending on your work, you should seek legal council if you think you might be touching a copyright issue.  In publishing The Second Mission I had my lawyer look into the ownership of the translations I used, and I gave complete credit to those translations.

More tomorrow acceptance and beyond.

I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples:   http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites:  http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.