The copyright page is the least read and most consequential page in the book. It is where ownership is asserted, the edition is identified, the ISBN is recorded and the legal disclaimers live. Get it wrong and the error is permanent in every printed copy; get it absent and the book looks amateur on the one page librarians and reviewers check.
What you receive
- A correctly ordered copyright page: title, author, copyright assertion, rights statement, edition, ISBN, publisher imprint and printer line.
- ISBN guidance — which identifier belongs to which format, why paperback and ebook need different ones, and what a free Amazon ASIN does not cover.
- Disclaimers where they are needed: fiction and character disclaimers, professional-advice disclaimers for non-fiction, and permission credits for quoted material.
- Trademark and attribution lines for brand names used in the text, phrased in the conventional form.
- Edition and printing history formatted so a second edition can be added without rebuilding the page.
How it is prepared
- Establish what you own. Author, publisher imprint if any, and whether rights are exclusive or shared.
- Assign identifiers per format, and check that the ebook’s ISBN matches the one entered in the store.
- Set the legal text in the conventional order and type size, which is small but never unreadable.
- Place it on the verso of the title page in print, and in the front matter of the ebook.
ISBNs, ASINs and the confusion between them
An ISBN identifies a specific format of a specific book: the paperback has one, the EPUB another, the hardcover a third. An ASIN is Amazon’s internal number and is not an ISBN — a book published only on Amazon can trade without one, which is fine until a library, a distributor or a print edition needs it. Buying your own ISBN from your national agency means you are the publisher of record; a free one ties that record to the platform that issued it.
The disclaimers that actually matter
Fiction needs a line stating that characters and events are products of the author’s imagination. Non-fiction that touches health, law, finance or safety needs a professional-advice disclaimer that is specific rather than boilerplate. Quoted song lyrics, poetry and long extracts need permission credits, and paraphrased scripture or translation needs its source named. It is short work done properly once, and expensive work done after a rights holder writes to you.
Print conventions worth keeping
Copyright sits on the back of the title page, in the smaller type size that has been standard for a century, with the year of first publication and the imprint’s location. Novels often carry the “all characters fictitious” line; non-fiction carries the disclaimer; both carry the rights reserved sentence. Readers rarely notice any of it, which is exactly the point: they notice when it is missing.
Pricing
| Tier | Scope | Price | Was | You save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1 ebook | $10 | $25 | |
| Professional | 3 ebooks | $50 | $50 | |
| Bulk / Authority | 5 ebooks | $70 | $80 |
Frequent questions
Do I need a separate ISBN for each language?
Yes. A translation is a distinct edition and requires its own identifier.
Can you register the ISBN for me?
Registration happens in your national agency’s name, so we guide the purchase and place the number correctly rather than registering on your behalf.
Is a copyright registration necessary?
Not for ownership, which exists on creation, but registration in your country strengthens enforcement. We can set out the options.
Set up my front matter — send the title, author name and formats you are publishing.