Thanks very much, Emma. It's not completely obvious which song she's singing wrong - it could be more than one song, I suppose - although it depends which way you look at it. Argh, this is a minefield!

Thanks a lot!

I have a couple of verses of a hymn in my book. Would I also need to ask for permissons?

Shika, yes if it's in copyright, no if not, I guess. Hymns can exist in more than one version, though: I remember my mother almost apoplectic with rage at a new hymnbook which had seen fit to 'update' George Herbert! In which case I guess the egregious updated version would be copyright, I guess, though not the original.

I think hymn books have lists of the ones which are in copyright, so you could raid your nearest church, and I'm sure there are tons online, though webby things are notoriously cavalier about copyright.

Emma

I'll have to step into a church for the first time in ages! I have another quick query. I use a saying in my book from another author. It is an African saying and I am not sure if he made it up or if it is just one of those sayings (a bit like eat your carrot so you can see in the dark) would I need to check to see if it is his copyright? S

I guess you could try googling it, in both languages, perhaps? to get a sense of whether it's all over the place and therefore presumably nobody's copyright, or only in the context of his book in which case he must have made it up and therefore have copyright. If you can paraphrase it you should be all right, though.

Emma

Hi, just been reading this thread and want to ask at what point one needs to ask permission for using lyrics. I'm assuming there's no point unless or until you have a publisher interested in the book? Or should you clear them in advance? I'm using lyrics from Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven - twice. Also using several excerpts from Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet - what happens when it's out of copyright but still in print - presumably something has to be paid to the estate?
Susiex

If it's out of copyright, there's nothing to worry about - whether it's in print is neither here nor there - BUT the translation may still be in copyright, in which case you have to get permission to use that. Check the copyright page to see.

A propos Led Zepplin, it can take ages to get permissions, but, yes, you don't want to till you get a deal. You could approach them and say, 'I want to use these if I get a deal how much would it be?'. Or you can wait, but the minute you do get a deal you have to get on with it. And be prepared to rethink when you discover it's more than you can afford.

Emma

Thanks, Emma. Oh well, little point in worrying about it at the moment. I've almost finished a non-fiction book which (because I was totally ignorant of such things when I wrote the bulk of it) I've absolutely filled up with inspiring quotations. Can I face taking most of them out? Aaargh!
Susiex