Writing | Publishing | Self-Publishing
Does Your Book Need a Disclaimer?
Disclaimers are a way to say, “Don’t sue me.”
A disclaimer is a statement that denies something, especially responsibility. Disclaimers are a formal way to say, “Don’t sue me.”
You see them in all kinds of places (on websites, on television shows and movies, at entrances to facilities, in contracts, and in books), serving as a warning to users.
Disclaimers in books are usually found on the copyright page below the copyright information. This alerts the reader at the outset to whatever you feel is necessary to disclaim. Most book disclaimers are short, typically one to three sentences, but they can be longer if necessary.
In a work of fiction, the author would use the disclaimer to say that the work is a creation of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to real people or events is a coincidence. Or that certain places and historical events are real, but the characters and their actions are not. Or even that certain actions by actual historical figures are a product of the author’s imagination.
In nonfiction, authors use disclaimers to establish their expertise or lack of it, to point out that reading the book doesn’t establish a relationship between the author…
