Publishers’ rules on quoted content
Asked by Jason Ashwood on April 15, 2020
Hi Jerry,
What permissions will a publisher expect for quoted content in a memoir?
For example, everyone I have interviewed has checked and agreed to their final quotes, so I presume a publisher would want to see those agreements.
But the subject has also recounted quotes from third parties—e.g. a physio, dance partner and the president of Italy congratulating her when she was knighted—who I either can't find or doesn't respond to my messages.
Their quotes are short, not contentious or detrimental in any way. A dancer example would be,
…and his fingers dug into me as he held my weight, "Hold on (subject)—just a few more seconds!" as the curtain opened to the applause of thousands.
That they danced is a fact, but could there be an issue about the quote? I want to use narrative as much as possible, so I'm hoping to keep the quotes in.
What will the publisher require?
Many thanks – take care!
Regards from London, Jason
Jerry's Answer
Jason, your publishing contract will stipulate that you are responsible for everything in the prose and that you're verifying it's true, etc. If a subject challenges what you've written, it will fall to you to defend yourself.
I would just keep track of where you heard what you've written, for instance, in the example you cited, you would note that it came from an interview with your subject.