Hi Everyone,
 
This is just to let you know that for the next couple of days, the Novel Fox's first anthology is free to download at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?field-keywords=Anthology%20I%3A%20A%20Collection%20of%208%20Science%20Fiction%20%26%20Fantasy%20Short%20Stories&node=341677031
 
Novel Fox details: http://www.thenovelfox.com/anthology-i
 
The anthology contains my story, "Where's the King's Head?" This was originally entitled, "Where's the Tiger's Head?" using quite a few lyrics from Lonnie Donegan's song, "My Old Man's a Dustman". However, just before publication, I read an article about how you can't quote more than the title of a song without permission. So I wrote to the two Donegan brothers but they didn't get back so I had to re-write the story around a song I made up. Then I got an email from Sharon Donegan, the late Donnie's wife, saying I could quote from the song for £200. Since this was only £50 less than I got paid for the story, I declined.
 
Most of you probably know this about quoting lyrics, but perhaps worth highlighting anyway. And quoting from songs by the Beatles, Stones, etc, can apparently set you back thousands.
 
Terry
 

I would only ever quote the title of a song (or, indeed, a story), as I know those can't be copyrighted. Anything else is, as you say, subject to copyright (but only if the author is still alive or has died less than 70 years ago, I think).

I'm working on a story now, which revolves around a celebrity singer, and I'm very conscious of not attempting to quote lyrics from real-world songs. Whether the song that I've written my own lyrics for is convincing as a number 1 hit, I'm not entirely sure 

Yes, it's very dangerous territory.

More here, in the Society of Authors' Quick Guide to Permissions:

http://www.societyofauthors.org/sites/default/files/Guide%20to%20Permissions.pdf

If you're a member, they can advise in detail by email or on the phone.

Thanks Terry, hope the downloads went well. I've got a title which is stolen from a hymn, just very aware I need to check copyright.

<a href="www.google.com">goo</a>

Hmm, I'm planning a novel which features in most chapters a couple of lines from each song of a Nirvana album. Although its not completely necessary to use Nirvana songs - I could make up my own - I feel it's necessary to provide continuity through three books.

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Any advice?