What Readers Are Saying About
Guide to Rights Clearance & Permissions in Scholarly, Educational, and Trade Publishing

"Guide to Rights Clearance & Permissions is a must-read for every author. It contains essential information that will help authors steer safely through the sometimes treacherous waters of copyrights, fair use, permissions, and scholarly integrity. Mr. Gillen makes legal issues easy to understand, interesting, and at times downright fascinating. Even experienced authors who think they've 'seen it all' are likely to be surprised by some of the information that can be gleaned from this book."

- June Jamrich Parsons, author of New Perspectives on Computer Concepts

"Gillen’s new book on rights clearance and permissions is a perfect—and perhaps required—addition to every author’s professional library. In Gillen’s usual style, he covers topics that are well beyond the expertise of most authors in a way that makes important principles easy to understand and implement. I have already used this handy guide to find clear and useful answers to some of my questions about trademarking book titles and finding copyright holders."

- Kevin Patton, PhD, author of Anatomy & Physiology, 10e

"In today’s litigious environment, Steve Gillen’s Guide to Rights Clearance & Permissions is a godsend to all authors who want to avoid being sued. This invaluable guide also presents a set of priceless templates that will save authors incredible time and anguish in obtaining and tracking permissions."
                       
- Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey, Cengage author of three market-leading college textbooks

"Textbook authors quickly learn, but usually too late, the truth of the old saying 'a hard way to earn an easy living.' Steve Gillen has been alerting authors about 'the hard ways' for decades through his presentations at TAA conferences, in publications, and in private practice. In this new book, he tackles the complexities of clearing intellectual property rights in an expert, comprehensive, and highly readable fashion, and advises how to avoid legal jeopardy from the misuse of copyrighted materials. My reaction is the same as after reading Gillen's other invaluable publications: I wish I knew all this then!"

- Fred S. Kleiner, Professor of History of Art & Architecture, Professor of Archaeology, Boston University, textbook author

"Steve Gillen’s book is a concise and straightforward explanation of the issues that arise from the rights clearance process. It’s thorough, well-written, and accessible to non-lawyers; it’s a valuable resource for anyone who needs to understand the rights and permissions process."

- Ashley Messenger, Senior Associate General Counsel, National Public Radio, and author of A Practical Guide to Media Law

"Stephen Gillen’s Guide to Rights Clearance and Permissions is a goldmine of information explained in clear, understandable language and organized to accommodate the reader’s writing objectives. Anyone who has written or is contemplating writing fiction, nonfiction, trade books, academic books, academic journal articles, textbooks, or any activity related to copyright should not only read this book but have it in their personal library for easy reference."

- Michael Sullivan, award-winning author with 14 mathematics textbooks currently in print

“For more than two decades, Stephen’s teachings led me to take care with permissions and clearances in my own texts and to be attentive to others as they utilized elements of my work in their books. His lessons were and are invaluable to me. Now, with this new book, Stephen brings all this wisdom and knowledge to us in a concise, well-written guide."

- Robert Christopherson, author of Geosystems, 9e

“Stephen Gillen’s Guide to Rights Clearance & Permissions is an invaluable ‘how-to’ for identifying and avoiding the legal pitfalls surrounding issues of fair use, infringement, privacy, and plagiarism that can accompany publishing—and that’s just the short list of what you’ll find inside. The book addresses questions such as how to find the copyright owner of a work? What to do if you can’t? Written for both authors and publishers, this extremely useful resource includes real case studies that give context to the guidelines, illustrating the legal reasoning behind court decisions and why permissions matter. Whether you are an author wishing to minimize your liability in publishing a work, or a publishing professional with a permissions and licensing program of your own, you’ll find a wealth of good, practical advice in this book.

– Barbara Price, PhD, textbook editor/publishing professional

"A must-have reference book for authors and digital content creators. While the subject matter may sound dry, Gillen provides many short engaging vignettes that bring the legalese back to earth for authors. A necessary resource for authors when considering copyrights and permissions. A set of templates is provided at the end for many common requests and releases. Save yourself lots of legal fees, and just buy the book!"
 
-Laura Frost, Professor of Chemistry, Florida Gulf Coast University, and textbook author

"Guide to Rights Clearance and Permissions is a comprehensive, easy-to-understand explanation of one of the most challenging and vexing responsibilities faced by textbook writers. This practical guide is an invaluable resource to understanding the evolving and increasingly stringent applications of copyright laws to the use of third-party content. Authors will want to keep this book handy--and consult it again and again when writing or revising a manuscript."

– Sean W. Wakely, Vice President, Product and Editorial, FlatWorld

“If you’re interested in learning about the multiple ways in which the law protects and regulates your craft as an author or publisher, look no further. Steve’s Guide to Rights Clearance & Permissions in Scholarly, Educational, and Trade Publishing is your go-to resource!”

– Claudia Sánchez, Ph.D., Professor of Teacher Education, Texas Woman’s University

“In this book, Steve lends his considerable experience and expertise to bear on the myriad of issues surrounding the intricacies of the rights and permissions process for intellectual property holders and users everywhere. A valuable reference for all of those who spend our time dealing with these issues on an ongoing, and even occasional, basis.”

– Chris Will, Publishing and Education Professional

"This book makes me want to engage Steve Gillen as my own lawyer. He has a broad range of knowledge, the ability to explain complicated yet interesting topics directly and understandably, and more than a little subtle wit and even dramatic instinct as a story teller of the law and the creative life affected by the law. For example, he presents the most engaging description of a cease and desist letter I have ever seen, yet the information is solid, helpful, and goes beyond the mere law to address the inevitable emotional reactions in that situation. That’s ideal for a client facing such challenges the first time, instructive for a lawyer new to the intersection of creativity and intellectual property, and it brings a smile to the face of the experienced attorney. The hallmark of the book is Steve’s ability to be the reader’s guide through the topic."

– Corey Field, Corey Field Law Group, P.C., and Adjunct Professor, USC Gould School of Law