Book based on interviews: what rights does the interviewee have?

October 25, 2011 10:47 AM

I intend on writing a career advice book for a particular field and the content of the book will be interviews with leaders in that particular field. What legal or contractual issues should I be concerned about?

I've never written a book before but I think I'm ready to write non-fiction related to work.

I'd like to write a series of books about my field. I have some original ideas to print, but to give the book a greater sense of authority, I intend to interview some mentors and leaders in the field.

I'm concerned about the legal issues that may arise from printing their advice in the book. What if they want a co-author credit? What if they later decide they don't want the interview printed? What if they want money?

Am I over thinking this? Is there a guide to writing a book that is largely a collection of interviews on a subject?

posted by abdulf to Writing & Language (1 answer total)

Best answer: Nonfiction books aren't normally written until a publisher is involved, and publishers have legal departments that can help you figure this stuff out. And any experienced agent should be able to guide you through this process as well. Even smart writers are not expected to wrangle legal questions alone.

But, unless you plan to self-publish, you're going to want to start with a proposal first. Here's a guide to writing nonfiction book proposals that's been tremendously helpful to a few writers I know: http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Like-Your-Editor-Nonfiction--/dp/0393324613/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321468677&sr=1-1

Good luck.
posted by theletterfour at 10:42 AM on November 16, 2011