Planning to write a book

[billyfiske]

I know this is not directly linked to a book review but I have a retirement project in mind. I have set myself a goal to write a history of the 9th battalion Devonshire Regiment. I would like to seek the advice of members who have already written books into matters such as copyright etc. For example, where do I stand in quoting from the War Diary? I have assiduously been collecting extracts and photos from contemporary newspapers, is it ok to use this material? Finally, there is one major book on the Devonshires by CT Atkinson is it possible to quote from the book with the provision of a suitable reference?

I have planned this for a number of years and want to make sure that I do things correctly. So any advice is welcome.

Regards

Billyfiske

[bmac]

War diaries and any NA documents - quote away. Commercial books - first, are they still in copyright? If not then fine. If so then some publishers can be a**holes and demand a fee for a quote but pretend you are in the US where they have a 'fair use' provision (roundly and soundly abused, of course). Personally, I just make sure that every quote is properly credited: author, title, publisher, date of publication, page and then keep my fingers crossed. Same with newspapers. If you are considering self-publishing (which personally I do and would recommend) then, to be blunt, no-one is going to hassle you about how you handle this aspect. Commercial publishers might be more sensitive. On photographs if you use stuff from the IWM they will usually not charge a licence fee if the book is only going to sell in small numbers. Otherwise you just pay for the costs of any prints. Should check with them first. If you want any info about self-publishing let me know I have a brief write up on the subject which a few others have seen and might have found useful.

[John_Hartley]

Newspapers of the time are also going to be out of copyright

[billyfiske]

Thanks both for the quick replies, that is a weight from my mind. I just need to start, my retirement is getting nearer by the day.

bmac - I would be interested concerning the info on self publishing as I am sure that will be the route I will go.

[Moonraker]

Good luck, Billy. You may find

this thread

and

this one

useful.

Bear in mind that the flow of WWI books is increasing by the month as the centenary approaches, and I wonder if and when some "fatigue" may enter the market. But many of us enjoy the research and writing, with sales figures being not too important.

Moonraker

[John_Hartley]

Bear in mind that the flow of WWI books is increasing by the month as the centenary approaches, and I wonder if and when some "fatigue" may enter the market.

I think it may already be upon us. I have recently had some preliminary discussions with a possible publisher and have not had an immediately encouraging response. They comment that there is an increase in submissions and that they have a need not to overload the market (and, of course, make a profit) - as such, they are being more selective.

I suspect it will mean more self publishing, whether entirely on one's own, as Bill has done successfully, or buying in expertise from companies such as Reveille Press (as I did with my latest 17th Manchesters book).

John

[billyfiske]

Thanks very much for the links. The more information I have the better. I have had this 'itch' to write the book for a number of years so I guess it is not directly linked to the centenary. As suggested I guess it is the research, the sense of achievement and basically there is very little stuff written about the Devonshires. Having said that there was a recent addition to the collection with a book about the 2nd battalion.

[Nick Thornicroft]

With regard to newspapers, in the past, out of courtesy, I have contacted the current Editors requesting permission to use extracts from the 1914-1918 archives. I have yet to receive a negative answer, & on occasions the Editor requests a copy of the book, when published, so that they can run an article, which is of course another worthy outlet for potential sales. Self-publishing is much more satisfying (but more expensive) than putting yourself in the hands of a recognised publisher, although both have their pros & cons. Unless you are a marketing genius you are not going to sell as many copies as you would via a recognised publisher, but with self-publishing you have total control over everything - front cover, number of photos, proof-reading, contacting relevant magazines, etc. Publishers often take over & may 'dilute' your original work, which can be frustrating, but bear in mind they are solely looking to make a profit, whereas you have put your heart & soul into a project which sometimes takes over your life! If you are proud of the end result, however, then that is half the battle.

Nick

[gilly100]

You will be doing a good thing for the men of the 9th Devonshires. If you include rolls and lots of portrait photos to go along with a good narrative you should be able to build numbers of those wishing to get a copy. Advertise in any place you can to build a list of contacts and people willing to allow you use of letters, diaries and photos. Support is usually good from my experience.

I say good luck to you and enjoy the whole process. Self publishing has advantages that allow you to do what you want with the content. If expensive to print, go cardcover in lieu of hardbound. Better a book out than none at all.

Cheers

Ian

[EastSurrey]

In my experience (one unit history published and another Gt. War book due for delivery in January)different publishers have different views about how much you can quote from copyright books. Local collections are generally cheaper for permission to reproduce photos etc. than national collections. Do identify a very wide range of possible sources before writing,,not just local papers and the regiment's own records, but inc. such as WO files for officers ,and correspondence with the Official Historian at TNA; and memoirs letters, etc at IWM.; and published memoirs etc. from other units in the same division. Do read modern works on other units,like K.W. Mitchinson's on the L.R.B., which is, I think, especially good. Include a roll of honour, list of awards, etc., to help your sales.

Good luck!

Michael

[billyfiske]

Thanks, once again for the continued replies, it has certainly given me more food for thought. I do have the structure and outline in my head but these replies have expanded my horizons. The 9th battalion does appear to be one of the more forgotten battalions even in its home county where I am finding there is much more in the contemporary newspapers about the 8th Bn, or 'Buller's Own' as they proudly call it. I found an article in 1919 which even acknowledges that little was reported about the 9th during the war.

[Moonraker]

.. I suspect it will mean more self publishing, whether entirely on one's own, as Bill has done successfully, or buying in expertise from companies such as Reveille Press (as I did with my latest 17th Manchesters book).

John

Reveille published the book we've been recently discussing

here

which has excellent subject matter but also, apparently, a larger number than usual of typos and the like, possibly because its author didn't take up some of the options offered by the company. You would appear to have been happy with what the company did for you, and in fairness to it, you may wish to outline what expertise you bought in.

Moonraker

[John_Hartley]

I'm not about to get into a critique of Reveille. Ryan is a member of this forum and can do that for himself if he wishes.

I think Reveille describes its service as "assisted self publishing" and I think that's a good phrase. The effective difference between its service and that of a mainline publisher is that you pay it, rather than it pays you. It is, in effect, buying in the services that Bill, for example, has had to learn for himself.

I only bought into the basic service. I was happy to do this as I didnt feel I needed the extras. Nor do those extras come cheap. In terms of things like typos, I take the view that this is the responsibility of the author. I found no difference in that aspect between Reveille and Pen & Sword who published my previous book. I would certainly agree that getting at least one other person to read the manuscript is vital - not just for spottng typos and the like but for checking the book's general readability.

I'm content to admit that neither of my two published books are entirely error free - my typing skills are not that good and I then miss typos. However, I would be upset with myself if I had written the passages that Grumpy provides on post #4 on the link you give.

In terms of process, Reveille took my manuscript on CD. Within the manuscript, the author is asked to indicate where images should be placed. There were the odd occurances where the image had to be moved a little to a better accommodate page layout. I then received a pdf for a final check.