: Re: Writing a Novel based on a Self-help Guide Book I just want to be clear on this before I do any sort of writing with regards to the subject. So I have an idea for a novel that shows a

@Karen856

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A real-life case of this (not a self-help book but a cookbook) is the book (and movie) Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen.

Julie Powell's book is about her experiences of making every recipe in Julia Child's classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It's told in a novel-like style, though it is nonfiction.

As it happens, someone has written about the legal ramifications. First, the basic copyright issue. In this case with recipes, but also with idea. The conclusion is that, no, using the recipes and the ideas in Child's book is not a copyright violation.

Second, is a legal issue called "right of publicity." This conclusion is that there is a possible but unlikely potential violation requiring permission. But that Child's death also made the problem a lot less important. Here, the issue is using the name and persona of the first author to promote the book of the second.

So you have two choices:

Write the book and let your publisher (or your lawyer if you self-publish) work out the details before publication.
Get permission ahead of time.

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