Hi everyone

No idea who to ask about this, but I reckon if anywhere can answer this question for me, it's got to be the Postgrad Forum! I'm about to sign one of those pre-contract contracts with a publisher to publish my thesis (the one that says send it to us by such-and-such a date and we'll publish it if we like it). I'm pretty excited about this, as it's a major academic publisher and I cannot WAIT to see my lil baby in print! However... It's a Film Studies thesis, so images are a big deal, I can publish without, but I'd like to include them if I can. The publisher wants me to secure copyright permissions before submission. I have no idea how to do this and am suspecting it's going to involve the exchange of Big Money. If that's the case, then I'll be publishing without images! But does anyone have any experience of this / know how to begin to approach copyright owners / know where to start looking / etc? Any advice gratefully received!

Hello there, and congratulations on securing a contract! Publishing a thesis as a whole is not easy, so well done.

About the copyright for your images - it sounds like a bit deal, but it is much easier than it looks. However, you need to apply for permission to reproduce as early as you can, as some institutions take a long time to reply.

If you reproduce something that has already been published elsewhere, you should be able to find who is the copyright holder quite easily.

In the case of images from films, I suppose that you can enquire the producer. I don't know in which country you live, but there will be archives/ institutions and museums you can enquire about/ purchase images from (e.g. the cinema museum in London).

The cost greatly depends on the  nature of the publication, if they are b/w or colour, and how many copies they are going to print. But prices may vary hugely, especially in different countries. Some institutions will have very strict rules about how they want a photo to be printed (e.g. no larger than A5, what to write in the credit line, etc). Some will waive fees off if you purchase b/w images for an academic publications of no more than 1000 copies.

There are also associations and institutions you can apply to, to cover the cost of your images.

Some publishers have sample forms that you can use to approach your copyright holder(s). I would ask your contact at the publishing house and see if they have a specific form for this.

I hope it helps.

I just realised I never replied to say thank you for your help! Apologies - I really appreciate the advice; it was really very helpful and got me pointed in the right direction. Thank you!

No Problem Eimeo. Glad that my suggestions were of assistance.
How is your publication project going?

C.

Well, the production companies are not generally up for the idea of letting me use their images, so it's looking like it's going to have to be published without (but on the plus side, no need to worry about paying a massive licensing fee!) I'm now trying to find a copyeditor that's not going to cost me the absolute earth... any tips on that would also be appreciated, although I'm getting the impression they're all pretty expensive for a non-fiction manuscript!

Thanks again!