in Design
What goes on a copyright page
The copyright page is small print, but it does real work: legal notices, bibliographic data and the details that booksellers and libraries rely on.
The copyright page, sometimes called the imprint page or the title verso, usually sits on the back of the title page. Few readers look at it, but booksellers, librarians, rights agents and lawyers do. What it contains varies by publisher and by country; what follows describes common practice for books published in the United Kingdom.
The notice and the rights
The notice gives the copyright symbol, the year of first publication and the name of the copyright holder, usually the author. In the UK, copyright arises automatically when a work is created, and the notice is not required for the work to be protected. It is still standard, because it tells anyone who wants to reuse the material who owns it and when the work was published.
If different parts of a book have different owners, such as an introduction by another writer, translated text, or illustrations, each is usually credited separately.
UK books commonly include a statement that the author has asserted their right to be identified as the author of the work under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The right to be identified, sometimes called the right of paternity or attribution, is one of the moral rights under that Act, and it must be asserted to be enforceable in certain circumstances. The statement on the copyright page is a standard way of doing so.
A general reservation of rights states that no part of the book may be reproduced, stored or transmitted without permission, except as permitted by law. The wording varies between publishers. It does not create rights that the law does not already give, but it makes the position clear.
Publication details and ISBN
The page normally names the publisher and gives an address, which may be a registered office. It states when the book was first published, and in which format if relevant, and it records later editions.
A printing history or number line is common: a row of numbers, often descending, from which the lowest number indicates the impression. When the book is reprinted, the printer removes the lowest number rather than resetting the line. This lets anyone see at a glance which printing they are holding.
Each format of a book, such as the hardback, paperback and ebook, has its own ISBN, and it is usual to list the ISBN for the edition in hand, sometimes alongside those of other formats.
Many UK books include a line stating that a CIP catalogue record for the book is available from the British Library. Cataloguing in Publication data is prepared before publication to help libraries and booksellers. The statement should only be included when a record has actually been created.
Separately, UK publishers are required by law to deposit a copy of each book they publish with the British Library. That obligation applies regardless of what the copyright page says.
Other common items
Fiction usually carries a disclaimer stating that the characters and events are fictitious and that any resemblance to real people is coincidental. It is conventional rather than a complete legal protection, and it cannot fix a genuine libel problem, which is a matter for editing and, where needed, legal advice.
Other items often found here include credits for the cover design, cover images, typesetting and printing; permissions for quoted material; the typefaces used; and environmental statements about the paper. Certifications, such as those concerning responsibly sourced paper, should only be printed if the book actually qualifies for them.
Getting it right
The copyright page is often built from a template and filled in late. That is exactly how errors creep in: a wrong year, an ISBN belonging to another format, a printer’s name left over from a previous book. It should be checked against the final details, line by line, at the last proof stage.
It is small print, and it should be accurate small print.