Ebook Copyright Page: How and Why to Make It (With Templates & Examples)

Writing a book isn’t an easy task; it takes a lot of blood and sweat to get your manuscript perfected and then published. Naturally, you don’t want anyone to simply steal your work or attribute it to themselves, and that is where copyrighting your book comes in.

One way of protecting your book is to include a copyright page. This is true for ebooks as it is with printed books. So if you are wondering how to make a copyright page for an ebook, keep reading this article to find out.

What Is a Copyright Page?

Simply put, a copyright page is a page that lets people know your ebook shouldn’t be treated as a public domain. It’s your way of telling people: I wrote this book and all rights are reserved. It also carries important information about the book and its publication.

While this page might not add much value to the regular reader, it is going to protect your ebook from plagiarism. So if anyone did copy the content of your book without permission, you can easily sue them in a court of law.

Moreover, the copyright page provides technical information about your ebook. This could be helpful for librarians, booksellers, distributors, and retailers.

Do Ebooks Need a Copyright Page?

Ebooks need a copyright page just as printed books do, if not more! Due to their digital nature and availability online, ebooks are more vulnerable to piracy and plagiarism. This is mainly because it’s much easier to copy and paste from electronic sources than from printed content.

Where to Place a Copyright Page in an Ebook?

Copyright pages usually come at the back of the title page in printed books. In ebooks, however, it goes right after the title page. Some people argue that it should come at the very beginning of the ebook, even before the title page. Others prefer to place it after the title and acknowledgment pages. All these options are viable; just make sure not to place it after the table of contents.

What to Include in an Ebook Copyright Page?

When it comes to the copyright page for ebooks, there are certain elements that need to be included on it (so it would be legally legit), while others are optional. Now let’s take a look at these elements, and then discuss each of them in detail.

1. Copyright notice
2. Rights reserved notice
3. ISBN
4. Disclaimers
5. Permissions notice
6. Credits
7. Publisher information

Copyright Notice (Required)

Think of the copyright notice as a declaration of ownership. You are letting others know that you created this ebook and that it belongs to you and only you. That is why the copyright notice is a must in the copyright page, and here is what it consists of;

1. The word “Copyright” or the symbol “©”, but since not all countries recognize this symbol, it’s better to write the word or include both.
2. The name of the copyright holder, which is usually the name or pen name of the author in the case of self-published ebooks.
3. The year of publication of this ebook.

Here’s an example of what the copyright notice looks like:

Copyright ©, Jane Smith, 2022

Rights Reserved Notice (Required)

This is another element that must be included on the copyright page. It is also a statement that declares your ownership of the ebook and preserves your right to publish, distribute, and financially benefit from it. 

This notice can be as short as “All Rights Reserved,” or it can be more elaborate, explaining and reinforcing the exclusivity of all rights. Technically, if you add the copyright and rights reserved notices, your copyright page is complete. 

For example, the “Rights Reserved Notice” could look something like this:

All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. For more information, contact the publisher at author@kotobee.com.

ISBN

The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) doesn’t exactly have a legal purpose, but it helps identify your ebook; that’s why it is included on the copyright page. And while not all self-published ebooks have an ISBN, it’s better for yours to have it, especially if you’re planning on selling it through different book retailers.

With that being said, not all publishing platforms require an ISBN. However, if you decide you want your ebook to have one, you can purchase it through the International ISBN Agency website.

Disclaimers

This is the part that protects you from other people’s claims and/or lawsuits. It’s where you deny responsibility for certain parts of your book. For example, if your book is a novel, you might want to deny that the characters are based on actual people. Or if it’s a memoir, you can state that all names have been altered to protect people’s privacy.

Here’s an example of a disclaimer in a novel:

All events and characters in this book are completely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people is entirely coincidental.

Permission Notice

Permission notices are close to the disclaimer notice. In case you used any copyrighted material in your book, you need to indicate that you’ve done this with the owner’s permission. When you’re writing a biography, for example, you can indicate that certain parts of the book were added with the permission of the person the book is about.

If you’re publishing a book that has lots of images (which you didn’t shoot yourself), you might want to include a permission notice like this one:

All copyright holders of pictures included in this book have been contacted and permissions were granted to use this material.

Credits

In this section of the copyright page, you can give credit to anyone who has contributed to the creation and content of your ebook. The credits could be to the graphic designer who designed the cover of your ebook, the proofreaders or editors who worked on perfecting it, or any service you used to bring this ebook to life.

The credits could be something like this:

Cover design by Kotobee Desing Services
Edited by Jane Smith

Publisher’s Information

If you are self-publishing your ebook, then you can use this part of the copyright page to promote ways your readers can connect with you. Remember that you’re still the publisher of your ebook even when you’re using a self-publishing platform such as Kindle or Apple Books. In this section, you can include your:

1. Name or pen name
2. Website
3. Phone number (optional)

Ebook Copyright Page Examples

There are tons of copyright page templates and examples out there, but they are more for printed books than ebooks. This could be confusing as the copyright page of printed books contains elements that aren’t applicable to ebooks (such as the print number or the ordering information).

So to make things clearer for you, here are some examples of ebook copyright pages. The first one is from Colleen Hoover’s novel, Reminders of Him:

This example is from Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations ebook:

Another simpler example is from the book 30 Interactive Brainteasers to Warm Your Brain.

Ebook Copyright Page Templates

If you are looking for an ebook copyright page template for your self-published book that you can just copy and paste, check the templates below and feel free to use and edit them as you see fit. 

Here is a simple, basic template:

Copyright ©, [Your Real or Pen Name], [Year of Publication]
All rights reserved. 

This is another template that can be used for fiction books:

Copyright ©, [Your Real or Pen Name], [Year of Publication]
All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be copied, distributed, or published in any form without permission from the publisher. For permissions contact: [Your Email and/or Phone Number].
This is a work of fiction in which all events and characters in this book are completely imaginary. Any resemblance to actual people is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: [Ebook ISBN Number] ebook
Cover designed by [Designer’s name]
Edited by [Editor’s Name]
[Any other credits you want to give]
Published by [Your or Company’s Name, email address, and website]

Final Thoughts

Even though the copyright page might look simple and most readers often overlook it, it is critical that you include it in your ebook to protect its content and avoid any future legal issues. And if you’re still not sure how to write a copyright page for your self-published ebook, you can use Kotobee services to help you create, design, and publish your ebook.

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Read More

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9 Ebook Cover Tips for Beginners

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