How much of a source can a writer quote in an article without getting permission from the publisher?
The Fair Usage portion of the U.S. copyright law is unclear. Most publishers consider the limit 300 to 500 words. However, there are a couple of caveats.
One consideration is the length of material the writer quotes compared to the length of the original work. For instance, if the writer uses a quote of 300 words from a book that’s 50,000 words long, no big deal. But, let’s say it’s 300 words from a children’s book that’s only 500 words long—well, that’s a problem. That’s too much of a percentage for fair usage. Or if you’re writing a 500-word piece and 300 words are from one source, that, too, is unbalanced. This is why the ruling is vague.
But for a book or longer article, you can usually use up to 300-500 words before you have to start getting permission.
However, a few publishers do require permissions for any quotes. So make sure you have checked the permission statements in the book, or with the publisher, and have gotten any necessary permissions.
If you’re trying to cut down the number of words quoted (or aren’t sure you have permission to use the quotes), try one trick I’ve used — paraphrase the original material.
For instance, the quote in an article may be, “Don’t yell at your children when you’re angry at them. Instead, wait until you’ve had time to cool off and think through the situation. Then, you can also plan your response from a logical level and think about the most effective way to broach the subject with your children. It can keep you from being too emotional in your response.” — Dr. David Whosoever, Raising Righteous Kids
Instead, I could write: “In his book, ‘Raising Righteous Kids,’ Dr. David Whosoever reminds parents not to yell at their kids while they’re angry. ‘Instead, wait until you’ve had time to cool off and think through the situation,’ Dr. Whosoever advises. He points out that this will give you an opportunity to set emotion aside as you plan how to talk to your kids about the problems.”
See the difference? I’ve used the same information from the same source, but have treated it without the quote.
Quoting material can add great depth to an article, but if those quotes are getting long-winded, just think a bit outside the box.
— by Jeanette Gardner Littleton
Littleton has been an editor for 30 years. She has edited more than 10,000 articles for a variety of publications, and several dozen books for publishers including Bethany House, Moody, Tyndale and Guideposts.
This article appeared in the summer 2016 issue of Liaison.
