The copyright page is that page on the left-hand side where you find information about the publisher, ISBN, and the library cataloging number. This is also where publishers leave instructions to the reader, such as whether the material is shareable, disclaimers, and publisher contact information.
Before you send your book to layout, here are some questions you’ll need to answer:
1. Who is the publisher? Me or my business?
If you are self publishing, you choose what you want the publisher name to be. Think of your branding, if you plan on doing more than one book. You need to know this before you start applying for an ISBN.
2. ISBN number?
You always include the ISBN number. This is your book’s DNA. The ISBN is applied for in the publisher’s country of residence.
3. Edition?
Is this the first edition, or did you revamp your book and reprint with several changes and updates, in which case, you should have a new ISBN and call it the second edition.
4. “Printed in …” — what does it mean?
For printed books, you must have “Printed in Canada, U.S., China…” in the copyright page and the back cover, mainly if you intend to move books in or out of the country.
5. Format and layout of the page
The format and layout of the page is somewhat standard. The best thing to do is pick a book off your shelf that has the layout that resonates with you and copy that format.
6. Cataloging in Print data
Canada: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/cip/041003-3000-e.html;
U.S.: http://www.loc.gov/index.html. You can’t apply for a cataloguing in print number without the ISBN and you can’t generate a barcode without the ISBN.
The copyright page should be on the left-hand side.
The copyright of the written manuscript belongs to the author. As soon as you put your thoughts into physical (print, audio, electronic form), it is IS already copyright material. Ideas cannot be copyrighted. But if everyone in your address book wrote about the same idea with the same angle, each person would use different words. Each representation of that idea is copyright.
If a publisher (other than the author) publishes the book, you lend the rights to publish to that firm. Contracts vary, but with traditional publishers, you are giving your rights to publish until the publisher deems it out of print. If you are using a print on demand company, you need to CAREFULLY read the contract and know that firms have a tendency to change their contracts unilaterally without advising the author. Publish at your own risk with a print on demand firm.
