Watch the replay of our webinar held on June 10, 2026: Jeevan Sivasubramaniam is the VP of Editorial at Berrett-Koehler. He has been in publishing for thirty years in acquisitions and administration and has worked with over 700 authors and books. Steve Piersanti is the founder, CEO, publisher, and senior editor for Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Tim…
Permissions, Fair Use, Libel, and Other Messy Legalities for Nonfiction Writers
Free Online Webinar | 10 am PT / 1 pm ET | September 23, 2026
All writers think they understand permissions and the use of other people’s material. Almost none of them do.
September 23, 2026 – 10 am PT / 1 pm ET
Free to Attend
All writers think they understand permissions and the use of other people’s material. Almost none of them do. Time and again, I see authors confidently making assumptions that are completely wrong:
- It’s only one line from a song or poem.
- I took the photo myself.
- I’m only quoting forty words from another book.
- The author personally gave me permission.
- I cited the source.
- It’s already everywhere on the internet.
- I didn’t quote them—I just paraphrased their point.
Just as often, I see authors spending time and money obtaining permissions they didn’t actually need in the first place. In this Cranky Editorial session, we’ll separate fact from fiction. We’ll explore what permissions are actually required, what Fair Use really means (as opposed to what people think it means), where the biggest legal traps lie, and how to avoid both unnecessary expense and potentially costly mistakes.
You could pay a publishing attorney about $700 an hour to walk you through all of this, or you can spend an hour with this pain in the butt who has spent more than three decades dealing with these issues—for free (because we believe informed and knowledgeable authors write better books, and better books benefit everyone). Go register now.
Jeevan Sivasubramaniam is the VP of Editorial at Berrett-Koehler Publishers. He has been in publishing for thirty years in acquisitions and administration and has worked with over 700 authors and books.
Past “Cranky Editorial Guy” Recordings & Summaries
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