My characters sing a hymn in my book, and I've reproduced some of the words.

I'm unsure as to whether there is any copyright on hymns so I'd appreciate any help.
thanks

I think it depends how old it is - there's definitely copyright on the more modern ones. Even with older hymns, you need to check that the copyright hasn't been renewed more recently e.g. by a music publisher. I'm a bit hazy on all this - I'm not sure if there's a central list of who owns copyright on each song. If it's still under copyright, you have to apply to the owner and they would usually charge a fee - but I don't know whether this applies at this stage, or would come into play once the book was going to be published.

Sorry that's all a bit vague, but it's definitely something to watch out for.

A hymn book should have a list of the copyright holders, saying something like 'reproduced with permission'. If it's in the book and it's not listed you should be all right.

Emma

The 70 years rule should apply so you should be okay with a Wesley but not a Kendrick. It's a shame really as I'd like a few happy-clappy words adorning my novel.

Thanks for the advice!