Thinking about using song lyrics in your book? You might want to change your mind.
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For some reason, many aspiring bookwriters put someone else’s lyrics in their books. We’ve discovered that about 65% of the manuscripts we’ve received so far include snippets of song lyrics written by someone other than the writer of the manuscript in question.
We understand the temptation. Lyrics do a wonderful job of expressing emotional intensity, defining a character, indicating an era, and creating an overall ambiance. Unfortunately, lyrics can also do a wonderful job of putting a writer in hot legal waters. That’s because lyrics are protected by copyright laws.
Copyrights in the U.S. last a long time. Generally, for works created before 1978 are protected for 95 years. Works published after 1978 are protected for the author’s life, plus another 70 years. However, descendants of the author and others can renew the protection. so, do your due diligence to be sure no one continues to hold the rights to the song.
If you are still intent on using lyrics that are under copyright protection, (even if only a snippet), you will need to seek out and pay for the permission to do so.
It is possible to use lyrics in a non-fiction work, if you abide by the fair use doctrine, i.e., for criticism, comment, news articles, scholarship, or research. The U.S. government has a wonderful resource you can refer to on their website, and you can also get details about fair use there. However, it’s seldom a bad idea to check with an attorney who specializes in copyright law just to be sure you can legally do whatever it is you want to do with someone’s lyrics.
Regardless, let’s go back to what we mentioned earlier in this post: the reason why writers like to use lyrics. We understand the temptation, we really do. But, we’d like you to see that temptation as a challenge to make you become a better writer.
If you’re using a lyric because it invokes a specific era, then why not try to outdo the power of that lyric? Why not use your writerly talent and do a better job of creating a nostalgic moment?
If you’re using that lyric because it tells the reader something about a particular character in your story, why not step up to the plate and make yourself stretch your creative wings and show us that character with your ability?
In other words, should you find yourself tempted to use a lyric, stop and ask yourself why? Then take that answer and make yourself a better writer with it.
Need help writing or finishing a book? We know several author coaches and ghostwriters who are great at their job! Just reach out: