How to Do Book Reviews Without Getting Into Copyright Issues?

Morningstar

Morningstar

Member
I'd like to do a series of videos on related book reviews. I was thinking about structuring them to where I focus on the top three or five main points that I got out of them. I don't want to step on any toes or create any copyright issues. Thoughts?
 
I have moved this here for you, I am not an expert on this subject @Tarmack might have some good advice but as long as you aren't reading the whole book and chapters etc and presenting it in either a review/presentation format you shouldn't run into issues.
 
I don't expect that you bump into too many issues to be honest. In every newspaper there are book reviews (at least in Holland) and I've never heard of any problems. I'm not an expert tho, but it should be alright!
 
to avoid copyright issues;
discuss the book, show the front cover but don't show anything inside?
but i've seen thousands of reviews with nearly the whole book shown, and they haven't been taken down.
 
Morningstar said:
I'd like to do a series of videos on related book reviews. I was thinking about structuring them to where I focus on the top three or five main points that I got out of them. I don't want to step on any toes or create any copyright issues. Thoughts?
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Read and become familiar with the concept of Fair Use. You will be just fine doing reviews, so long as you are cautious in how much material from the book you use and how you present it.

For example, if you put up an entire chapter and go through it line by line, that's a pretty tough sell on the fair use side of copyright law. But if you pick out 3-5 major themes, as you mentioned, and pull quotes and small paragraphs out of the book that support your thematic interpretation, then you'll be just fine.
 
I don't think you'd have any issues as long as you were discussing your thoughts and not reading passages etc. I put up a book review a couple of months ago and I've not had any complaints.
 
kpop said:
why is it allowed to make product reviews like food but not books?
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It is allowed. A book review is a product review. You just have to be careful how much of the book you give to the audience, because at some point, it's possible for the other side to make the piracy argument since a book isn't a physical product.
 
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