CHAPTER 15

Permissions letters

The letters in this chapter were written to seek permission of one sort or another. In most cases the letters seek permission to reprint or use copyrighted material. When you use part of an article or book it is crucial that you receive the permission of the owner of the copyright on the material, not only to protect yourself, but also to appropriately acknowledge the person whose work is being used.

Many of the letters in this chapter can be sent as emails or as attachments to emails. For those letters in this chapter that can be adapted to emails, it’s simple enough to copy the text of the sample letter into the text of your email. In that case, remember to change “the enclosed” to “the attached” as appropriate.

Letters Seeking Permission to Reprint

Sample Letters 15.1 through 15.4 were all written to seek permission to reprint material. Sample Letter 15.1 was written by an editor to an author to seek permission. Sample Letter 15.2 was written by an author to a publishing company seeking permission to reprint. Sample Letter 15.3 was written by the permissions editor of a publication seeking permission to reprint material. And Sample Letter 15.4 was written by an editor to a reviewer seeking permission to use part of his review in the advertising copy for a book.

Sample Letter 15.1.   Letter from editor requesting permission to reprint material.

[date]

Mr. Mark Nies
45 Productive Row
Northcross, WI 53045

Dear Mr. Nies:

I am editing a book tentatively titled Basic Market Research and wish to include a reprint of your article entitled “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Market Research.” The material intended for use will extend from November 20X8 through November 20X3. I have already acquired permission to use the material from The Reader’s Review with the understanding that I will meet the regular requirements governing such use.

Any comments you wish to make would be most welcome. I am enclosing a postage-paid card, which I ask you to return to me to grant your permission.

Cordially,

 

Christina Dinah
Editor

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Sample Letter 15.2.   Letter from author requesting permission to include material in book.

[date]

Ms. Zoe Long, Permissions Editor
Best Books Publishing Company
86 Grampian Way
Plattsburgh, NY 12901

Dear Ms. Long:

In my book on marketing, which is designed for use as a hardcover textbook priced at approximately $50, and is scheduled for publication by Business Textbook Publishing Company, Inc., in June 20XX, I would like to include material found in the first two paragraphs of Chapter 3 (page 45) in Basic Marketing by John Struddelson, published by your company in 20XX.

May I have your permission to include this material in my forthcoming book and in all future editions and revisions, covering nonexclusive world rights in all languages? These rights will in no way restrict republication of your material in any other form by you or others authorized by you. If you don’t control these rights in their entirety, would you tell me who does?

A release form is provided below and a copy of this letter is enclosed for your files. Your prompt consideration of this request will be appreciated.

Sincerely,

 

Jeffrey Palay

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I grant the permission on the terms stated in this letter.

CREDIT LINE TO BE USED: __________________

Date: _______________________

By: ________________________________________

 

Sample Letter 15.3.   Letter from publication’s permissions editor seeking permission from author to reprint material.

[date]

Mr. Max Kemper
45 Troublesome Road
Boston, NJ 07076

Dear Mr. Kemper:

We are considering the enclosed item for possible use in Home Life.

May we have your permission to use this material in every edition of Home Life worldwide? Such use will be limited to one-time publication in each edition. Should this item be used in a foreign edition, it may be translated and the wording may vary to conform to local idiom.

Payment of $120 will be issued upon first publication of your item in an edition of Home Life.

You warrant that you have the authority to grant the above rights. We have already received permission from Boonton magazine, where your work first appeared.

If you are in agreement with these terms, we would appreciate your signing and returning one copy of this letter at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

 

Jacob L. Alan
Permissions Editor

PERMISSION GRANTED

BY: _________________________________________

If additional permission is required, name and address: _________________________

Date: ________________________________________

 

Sample Letter 15.4.   Letter requesting permission to quote from critic’s review.

[date]

Professor Larry E. Duerr
Campbell College
13 Bethany Hall
Campbell, WV 26056

Dear Professor Duerr:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for reviewing the Business Communications manuscript for us.

We are now working on the advertising copy for the book and would very much appreciate it if we might have your permission to quote you in our advertisements. The quotation we’d like to use from your review is enclosed with the letter.

If we may have your permission to quote you, would you kindly sign both copies of this letter, return the original to us, and retain the other for your personal files? I have enclosed a stamped, self-addressed envelope for your convenience.

Sincerely yours,

 

Marvin Norts

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____________________________________
Signature of Professor Larry E. Duerr

 

Letters Indicating More Information Needed for Permission

Sample Letters 15.5 and 15.6 both instruct people on the appropriate procedure to take for getting permission to reprint. Sample Letter 15.5 informs the letter reader that he must get in touch with the author of the material to secure permission and gives him his address.

Sample Letter 15.5.   Letter referring permission request to author.

[date]

Professor Carlton Long
Sathceko University
45 Kit Clark Lane
Dorchester, MA 02145

Dear Professor Long:

We have your letter of October 25, 20XX, requesting permission to reproduce material on pages 134 and 135 from Labor Negotiations Handbook in your forthcoming publication by Important Management Books Corp.

I am sorry but I am unable to grant you this permission since the copyright has been assigned to the author and it is to him you must direct your request. The latest address we have for him in our files is: Professor Simon Nemplar, University of the Upper Midwest, 56 Cochran Hall, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58201.

I am sorry I could not be of more help.

Sincerely,

 

Serge Bukoski
Permissions Editor

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Sample Letter 15.6 acknowledges receipt of a request for permission to reprint but asks for more information before permission can be granted.

Sample Letter 15.6.   Letter asking for more information before permission to reprint can be granted.

[date]

Mrs. Rita Margolis
23 Point Breeze Drive
Allentown, MI 48045

Dear Mrs. Margolis:

We have your letter of October 20, 20XX, requesting permission to reprint from page 435 of Introduction to Management.

I am sorry, but I cannot consider your request until I know exactly what material from that page you wish to reproduce, and in what context the material will appear. Would you kindly resubmit this request, quoting the beginning and ending words of the passage? I will then be happy to consider your request.

I would also like to know the approximate size of the printing of your book, the tentative publication price and date, and the name of your publisher.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Cordially,

 

Serge Bukoski
Permissions Editor

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Letters Granting Permission

Sample Letters 15.7 and 15.8 grant permission to reprint material. Sample Letter 15.7 grants permission to reprint from a specified page and indicates how the permission line should read in the book holding the reproduced material. Sample Letter 15.8 is a letter from a publisher to an author granting him permission to republish specific portions of a book he had published with the publisher’s company.

Sample Letter 15.7.   Letter granting permission to reproduce material from a book still in print.

[date]

Ms. Joan W. Sherman
45 Heritage Drive
Dictionary, PA 15034

Dear Ms. Sherman:

We have your letter of May 29, 20X9, requesting permission to reproduce material from page 345 of Professor Janice McNurty’s Basic Marketing.

We are pleased to be able to grant you permission for use of this material. The fee is $50 and is payable upon publication of the reprints. We ask that a credit line appear on the first page or on an acknowledgments page of every copy as follows:

Thank you again for your interest in this title.

Best regards,

 

Serge Bukoski
Permissions Editor

sb/mn

 

Sample Letter 15.8.   Letter from publisher to author granting rights.

[date]

Mr. John L. Neorn
34 South Street
Massasoit, NJ 07045

Dear John:

You have our permission to use any and all information that appears in sections one and three of your book, Business Writing Handbook, in any and all books that you write on any subject so long as the book(s) that you write does (do) not compete with the sale of the above-mentioned book. We would consider a book to be competitive if it were sold to the same audience and written on the same subject.

I wish you the best of luck with your future writing efforts.

Sincerely,

 

Adam R. Quartermain, Jr.
Executive Editor

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Letters Denying Permission

Sample Letters 15.9 and 15.10 were written to deny permission to reprint material. Both letters clearly state reasons why the permission is being denied. Sample Letter 15.9 explains that allowing the requested material to be used might hurt sales of the existing book. Sample Letter 15.10 explains that the volume of material requested is too large for permission to be granted.

Sample Letter 15.9.   Letter denying permission to reprint because of potential to hurt sales.

[date]

Mr. Webster Berrigan
24 Watershed Drive
Maui, HI 96790

Dear Mr. Berrigan:

We have your letter of July 15, 20XX, requesting permission to reprint from pages 345 to 365 of America’s Entrepreneurs by Alice Gompers.

After careful consideration, our editorial board has advised me that, although permitting sections of America’s Entrepreneurs to be reprinted freely in magazines throughout the country might publicize the book to some extent, it could seriously curtail its sale.

We are extremely sorry not to be able to give you permission to use this material. We are compelled to take this position because we have had previous requests of a similar nature and are likely to have many more.

Cordially,

 

Serge Bukoski
Permissions Editor

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Sample Letter 15.10. Letter denying permission to reprint because of volume of material asked to be reproduced.

[date]

Ms. Patrice Rhodese
56 Trainway Parkway
Montclair, PA 15056

Dear Ms. Rhodese:

We have your letter of March 1, 20XX, requesting permission to reproduce material on pages 233 to 253 of Acting Techniques by Dr. Edmond Jonson for use by you in a book you are writing for Best Books Publishing Company.

After careful consideration, our editorial board has advised me that they do not feel justified in allowing this material to be reproduced. While it has been our policy to be as accommodating as we possibly can be in the matter of granting permission to use material from our books, we feel that, in all fairness to our authors and to ourselves, we should not give permission for such an amount of material to be reproduced or reprinted.

I am very sorry not to be able to grant your request.

Sincerely,

 

Serge Bukoski
Permissions Editor

mn

 

Cover Letter for Contract

Sample Letter 15.11 was sent as the cover letter to accompany a contract being offered an author. The letter writer cordially welcomes the author, explains that the company will support the author, introduces the author’s in-house editor, and requests that the author fill out enclosed material.

Sample Letter 15.11. Letter used as cover letter for contract.

[date]

Mrs. Venita Applebaum
34 Lucrese Drive
Winchester, PA 15055

Dear Mrs. Applebaum:

Our entire staff joins with me in extending our best wishes to you as a future Andoris Publishing Company author. Your decision to work with Andoris is appreciated. I am confident that your textbook on macroeconomics will make a unique contribution to the field of economics. A copy of our agreement is enclosed for your personal records.

Andoris is ready to assist you in every way possible. Our editorial facilities are at your disposal, and we want you to call upon us for any guidance or help that we can give.

We look forward to working with you for many years to come. With this in mind, let me take this opportunity to remind you of the importance of timely revisions of successful textbooks. Your editor, Nan Long, will remain in close contact with you throughout your association with Andoris, and she will work with you on plans for future editions.

Please complete and return the enclosed contract. Again, welcome to Andoris.

Sincerely,

 

Kate Allen
Executive Editor

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Letter Requesting Reversion of Rights

Sample Letter 15.12 was sent by an agent to a publisher requesting the reversion of rights on a book his client has written. Such a letter would be written when a book has had slow sales or a publisher has decided to take the book out of print. The letter writer introduces himself, makes his request, and closes.

Sample Letter 15.12. Letter requesting reversion of rights.

[date]

Mr. Mark More
Andoris Publishing Company
23 Lathrop Avenue
Boonton, NJ 07005

Dear Mr. More:

As the agent for Loren Gray, I am writing to request reversion of rights to two of his books, Fun on a Shoestring and Fun with More Shoestring, which he wrote for Andoris under the pseudonym Bud Genry. I believe that these two titles are both out of print.

Please include the original certificate of copyright for both of these titles when you acknowledge reversion.

Thanks for attending to this matter.

Cordially,

 

Ephrain Noldercan

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