Glossary
What goes on a copyright page?
Updated
The copyright page is the page on the back of the title page carrying the copyright notice, the edition, the ISBN and any disclaimers. In most countries it creates no rights — copyright already exists — but it states plainly who owns what.
The minimum that belongs on it
- The notice:
© 2026 Your Name. The symbol, the year of first publication, the owner. - A rights line — “All rights reserved”, or a licence if you are releasing it under one.
- The ISBN, one per edition, labelled by format.
- The edition and printing, if it is not the first.
- Where it was printed, if the printer requires it. Most print-on-demand services do not.
Disclaimers worth including
Fiction usually carries a line saying the characters are invented and any resemblance is coincidental. Non-fiction that touches money, health or law usually carries one saying the book is not professional advice. Neither is a magic shield, and neither is a substitute for a lawyer where the subject is genuinely risky — but their absence is noticed.
Related terms
- Front matterFront matter is everything printed before chapter one — half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, contents, and sometimes a foreword or preface. It is what makes a book look like a book rather than a document.
- ISBNAn ISBN is a 13-digit number that identifies one specific edition of one specific book. Bookshops, libraries and distributors use it to order the right thing; it is a product code, not a copyright registration.
Write the book you keep meaning to write.
Describe it in one sentence. BookArc plans the chapters, writes every one of them and designs the cover. 30 credits free, no card.