Forum: Author Hangout

Gee, thanks, now I have a few new chapters to add to my Fiction Writing and Style Guide.

:D
You are one the few authors who add covers to their books. But, very few other authors have the time and skills to create covers, or they just don't recognize the need for one.
It should be a separate manual. The skills and knowledge needed to create cover-art have very little to do with writing.
What you could add to the existing Fiction Writing and Style Guide is a few lines that expand on the importance of a cover.

I use public domain or Creative commons attribution images, but be careful as not all CCA images allow cover images.

See, that's what I mean with the specific knowledge needed concerning copyright. I guess a manual needs at least two authors: one for the artistic stuff and one for the legal stuff, and maybe a third for the different technicalities between the formats.

making me wonder whether there would be any demand for a default SOL cover

That's what I see on some sites like Goodreads. They display a simple default image/thumb for books that don't have one of their own. It really makes the books that do have a cover stand out.

I'm not an author but I know how to create a cover. I use GIMP on Linux myself but I have no knowledge about copyright for individual images.
My point was that with the upcoming SOL sales site multiple authors will find that they are in need of a cover. The original post is a call out to readers/authors to see if there are people among them with that required knowledge and if they are able/willing to help out authors that need that help.
If an author asks me I can help out creating a cover with an image and text but I can't take responsibility for the copyright side because I simply lack the specific knowledge. It would be best to have a pool of people with the complete skills and knowledge for covers like there is a pool of reviewers and editors.

Also, most US government agency images are public domain by US law, so they also make good choices.

You have to be very careful with that.

1. The US government (and AFIK, this applies to state and local governments in the US as well) is barred from claiming copyright in the US by the US Copyright Act in any government work product. However, the US federal government has claimed that it has the right to enforced copyright in it's work product outside the US under the Berne Convention.

2. Not everything you find on a US government website is government work product. The US government does a lot of work with contractors and you can run into things that are actually contractor work product and not government work product. Those contractor work products can be under a valid and enforceable copyright.

thus my use of the word 'most' in the quote you have.

You apparently didn't read my first point very well. According to the executive branch, None of them are public domain for you. While they are bared by law from asserting copyright in the US, the claim that they can do so internationally under international law. You are in Australia and SOL is in Canada.

It all comes back to the basic point of checking the copyright information.

If I understand it correctly: you can't use any image if you can't find the copyright for it or if the copyright disallows usage on a cover.
Doesn't that leave very few images if you can't afford to pay for the image?

I suggest authors put those smart phones with a decent camera to work. Try to catch an image that represents the overall 'feeling' of your book but try to avoid having recognizable people in the picture because that requires a model consent.
It doesn't have to be a perfect photo. Someone with the correct skills can turn that photo into a very good cover image using scaling, cutting, and filters.

As to taking your own photos, that's a good idea, but if you can't use it for a cover if there is anyone in the image that can possibly be identified unless you have a model clearance form from them n- regardless of how well they are or not known.

I did say "... but try to avoid having recognizable people in the picture because that requires a model consent." so I know that's required.

I know that other countries may have stronger trade mark protections.

Under US law, you do not need a license to use a trade mark to refer to the product or company for which it was registered.

Further more, under US law, trade marks are limited to a specific field / industry. They can have multiple registrations for the same mark to cover different fields. IF Harvard University hasn't specifically registered their name as trade mark for books, you could use it as the title of a commercially published book and they can't touch you.

At least under US law, no, photos that show trademarks as part of the cover art on a book are generally not a legal issue.

A bunch of students in sweaters naming a specific college can also get you into trouble due to them trademarking their names etc.

Also any abstract design on clothing is likely trademarked or copyrighted.

However, a good photo editor may be able to remove them.
Caveat: Some clothing of some brands are recognizable without visible trademarks.

Even some of those images are not allowed. One that comes to mind is the Eiffel Tower at night.

I read that ridiculous copyright rule some time ago. Seems to go for a few more "national landmarks". Then again, there are way better pictures to create themed "Paris by night" without the iron ;)

However, one of my stories, _Rampant_, described the hero's coat of arms, and a fan "painted" the shield to go with it. I used to use that as a cover for that story.

Original content created specifically for your book. You can't get it any better.