: Re: How to tell readers your story is a re-imagination of a popular story? If for example, I were to rewrite a story heavily inspired by Romeo and Juliet, but placed it in a complete different

@Smith147

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If your inspiration story is in the public domain (which all of Shakespeare is), you have no legal obligation to disclose your source material. Though with Shakespeare, people will of course figure it out.

The musical West Side Story is a well-known retelling of Romeo and Juliet. It was in fact pitched to producers as such and of course all the reviews mention it.

West Side Story is a musical with book by Arthur Laurents, music by
Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was inspired by
William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. (ref)

A 1961 movie poster doesn't mention R&J though (I can't read the fine print so maybe it's there).

If your inspiration story is not in the public domain, then you need permission from the copyright holders before you proceed. If they grant it, they will advise you on how to cite.

But what if your inspiration story is in the public domain but obscure? I would put it in the acknowledgments, if not the title page.

And if the story is not public domain but your inspiration is slight? That's the trickier one. The answer is "it depends." But err on the side of caution and get permission. Or change your story even more.

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