Legalities
ISBN (International Standard Barcode Number)
Getting your ISBN & Barcode, the industry-standard series of numbers used to identify your book for booksellers and readers, is imperative. We’re able to help you save hundreds of dollars on getting these in place for your book. As the author/publisher you are legally required to purchase, for each book format, an ISBN. Do you know how
and where to acquire them? As part of your book project we can undertake this for you or provide you with the links to undertake yourself - the choice is yours.
Business Number (AUS only)
To be a author/publisher and to utilise printers (Print on Demand printers platforms) you will need a business number i.e. an ABN in Australia (Australian Business Number). Have you completed this task or do you already have a business number? Do you need assistance? NOTE: A client recently paid $400+ for an ABN by paying through a third party. This is not necessary ... it can be free. Get the right advice before you start on your journey.
Barcodes
Only physical books require barcodes. However, did you know that you do NOT have to purchase barcodes when
you purchase the ISBNs? Pickawoowoo's author services can provide you with Barcodes as part of your book project for $27.50 each (A saving of $17.50 per barcode).
Pre-publication
In Australia it is called Pre-publication (previously Catalogue in Publication - CIP) and Library of Congress Catalogue Number in the USA. Pickawoowoo believes it is important to register as it is one way of providing evidence towards copyright but more importantly it allows you to sell your book to libraries and be included in catalogues. There is no charge to set this up as the AUTHOR/PUBLISHER but it needs to be done correctly to assist online outlets, retailers, libraries etc. to classify /seek your book. Will you do this or do you require assistance?
Copyright
Did you know that although the law grants you copyright protection upon the creation of your work there are
some advantage for US citizens particularly, to register their copyright? When we undertake your book project we provide you with support sheets to make informed decisions as the author/publisher.
Others Copyright
Generally speaking it is possible to use limited portions of the copyright protected work for news reporting, commentary, criticism and scholarly reports under the 'fair use' doctrine of the US copyright law? However there are no legal rules permitting ‘free use’ of a certain number of words or percentage of a copyrighted work for your book. There are several factors that you need to be aware of in the analysis of copyright. Do you know what these are? Once we undertake your book project we provide you with support sheets so you can make informed decisions as the author/publisher.
Permissions and Quotes
Are you aware of your responsibilities and requirements when using quotes from someone else in your book, blog
or website without permission of the copyright owner? Although we cannot provide you with legal advice we can
provide you with basic information to assist you to make informed decisions. Does this impact you?
Book Industry Standards and Communications
Also known as BISAC. Essentially it is the subject and category codes vital for categorisation for retailers, distributors and libraries. Do you know how to select three BISAC codes that best describe your books subject so your book can be readily found?
Local Laws (Australia)
For all intents and purposes you are a business when you set up as an author/publisher and by law - if you are operating from home - you are required to register with the local council? Is this important or can you bypass this? What are the rules in your country?
Book Plagiarism (fear of)
Worry more about obscurity than piracy. Of course, an author must take precautions, but worrying about plagiarism of your work (even sending your manuscript for quotation, editing etc.) or giving away an idea, instead of an interest in sharing your talent with others, is both destructive to your creativity, author platform building and setting up as an author/publisher. The most important part of writing, after the process itself, is to share and be read. Worrying about plagiarism keeps inexperienced writers from doing that and produces anxieties that interfere with moving forward. Incidentally, recent court cases validate that ideas can't be copyrighted. Do you require a consultation to put your mind at rest?
Moving Forward
For further assistance in any of these areas we recommend you request a consultation with our book coach
(Julie-Ann Harper) to ensure you are on the right side of the law.
-
Can you undertake my legal requirements for me?Yes we are more than happy to do this for you and we charge you a service /admin fee to undertake the tasks. You will pay for the actual costs through the relevant organisations (barcodes and isbns etc).
-
What is a legal deposit?Legal Deposit is a requirement under the Copyright Act 1968 for publishers and self publishing authors to deposit a copy of any work published in Australia with the National Library (or library of Congress in US) and when applicable, the deposit libraries in your home state. Legal Deposit ensures that Australian publications are preserved for use now and in the future. We are happy to undertake this task for you and a service fee applies.
-
Do I need an ISBN and who should own the ISBN?The short answer is yes, if you’re intending on selling your book, and you should own it. ISBN's are to most authors, just one more detail to look after when they are already feeling overwhelmed. Self-publishing companies prey on unsuspecting authors with low budgets, so when they say, “We’ll provide you with one of our ISBNs for free,” authors breathe a sigh of relief. But little do they know this is one of the worst decisions they wiill make. ISBNs can only be purchased legally from Bowker. Self-publishing companies purchase ISBNs in bulk (as can any author). In a nutshell - who owns the ISBN owns the book. When you purchase an ISBN, Bowker wants to know the name of the publisher. So, if XXX self-publishing company buys the ISBNs, they enter their name as the publisher. When they assign one of their bulk-purchased ISBNs to a book, the company becomes the publisher of the book and not the author/publisher. At Pickawoowoo Publishing Services, each author is considered an independent publisher. We do not pass control of your book over to ourselves nor forfeit a percentage of your compensation (royalties). For that reason, we will purchase ISBNs on behalf of an author with the author listed as the publisher. Total transparency and you own it.
