Copyright page for a novel

A novel’s copyright page carries the copyright notice, the rights line, and a fiction statement saying the characters and events are invented. Fill in the form, and then copy the finished page into your book.

By the Proselis team · Updated

Your book

This is usually your legal name or pen name. The year is when the book is first published.

Novel lines
Publishing details

KDP gives paperbacks a free ISBN if you don’t have one.

Kindle ebooks don’t need one. Leave this blank unless you bought one.

Credits
Extras

UK and Australian books add a moral rights line.

Back of the title page · 6 × 9 in

Copyright © 2026 by Daniel Marsh

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

First published in 2026 by Fernhill Press

ISBN 978-1-234567-89-7 (paperback)

Cover design by Ana Petrovic

Edited by Sam Whitaker

A printed book puts the copyright page on the left-hand page behind the title page, set small and near the foot of the page.

Paste it into your book’s copyright page, in Proselis or anywhere else.

  1. 1
    Copyright notice

    It shows your name and the year the book is first published. The word “Copyright” and the © symbol together are the usual form.

  2. 2
    Rights reserved

    This tells readers they need your permission to copy the book. Proselis starts every copyright page with this text, and you can edit it.

  3. 3
    Fiction statement

    Almost every novel includes this. Keep it even when the story is set in a real town.

  4. 4
    Edition and publisher

    This line names the edition and your imprint, if you use one. Leave the imprint out if you publish under your own name.

  5. 5
    ISBN

    Each format needs its own ISBN. It must match the ISBN on the back cover and in your KDP listing.

  6. 6
    Credits

    This line credits your cover designer and editor. It is optional, but designers often ask for it in their contract.

Three ways to word the fiction statement

Pick the length that suits your book. “Use this” puts it on the page above.

Short16 words

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Standard36 words

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Historical37 words

This is a work of fiction. Some characters are based on historical figures, but their words and actions in these pages are the author’s invention. All other characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination.

Is the fiction statement required?

No law requires it, but readers and retailers expect it, and it costs one paragraph. It makes clear you are not reporting facts about anyone. It will not help if a character is plainly a real, identifiable person written in a damaging way, so it works alongside careful writing, not instead of it.

What changes for each book in a series?

Each book in a series gets its own copyright page with its own year and ISBN. Keep the wording identical across the series so the pages look like a set. Only the year, edition, and ISBN change from book to book.

Where does the copyright page go?

In a printed book, it sits on the back of the title page, a left-hand page, set small and near the bottom. In an ebook, many authors move it to the end so the free sample on Amazon shows more of the book. KDP accepts either.

Do you need to register your copyright?

No. Your book is protected the moment you write it. In the US, registration is optional, but you must register before you can sue for infringement, and registering within three months of publication makes extra damages available. The UK and Australia have no copyright register at all, and India’s is optional.

Questions

Do I need to credit my cover designer?

No, but it is a kind credit, and many designers ask for it in their contract. Check your agreement, and if your cover uses licensed stock images, check whether the license asks for a credit too.

My novel mentions real brands and places. Is that a problem?

Mentioning real places and brands in passing is normal in fiction. Problems come from portraying a real company or person in a false and damaging way, which no statement on this page can fix.

Should the book’s title appear on the copyright page?

It can, but it doesn’t need to. The title page sits right before it, so most novels leave the title off the copyright page.

Do I need an ISBN on the copyright page?

Include one if your book has one. KDP gives paperbacks a free ISBN, and Kindle ebooks don’t need one. Each format gets its own ISBN, so list each with its format in parentheses.

Can I copy this page into my book?

Yes. Everything this generator writes is free to use, change, and publish.

This page explains common publishing practice. It isn’t legal advice. For anything that could harm a real person’s reputation, talk to a publishing lawyer.

Format the rest of your book here too

Proselis is free for writing, organizing chapters, and Word export. Publishing a book as an EPUB and a print-ready PDF is a one-time $20.

See pricingOpen the editor