Grant Permission to Use or Publish Materials • Example Letters, Guides and Samples
Guides
Be concise, but thorough. It is important that the reader know exactly what you will permit him or her to use. Be polite, even if you are wary of letting the reader use your material. If you do not own the copyright, tell the reader who does, and tell him or her how the owner can be reached.
How to write this authorization letter:
- Tell the reader exactly what you will permit him or her to use.
- Indicate what credits or fees you would require the reader to give you.
- If you have concerns about letting your material be published, tell the requester you want to see the galleys before the material goes to press.
Example Letter #1
I am pleased to grant you permission to photocopy and distribute the article "Rhetoric and Research" by John Doe to your writing students. I hope you and your students will enjoy the article.
Example Letter #2
I am pleased that you enjoyed my book. You have my permission to copy and include Chapter 2 in a readings packet for your health and fitness class. This permission is good for five years. Please include the title page and name of the publisher with the copied chapter so students will have the information for citing. We will need to consider a fee for using the material if you decide to use more of the book in the future.
Example Letter #3
I authorize you to reprint material excerpted from my technical manual, The Doe Handbook, as outlined in your request. I ask that you include a brief credit line for each quotation used, and my publisher requires that a note be included in the acknowledgments. There will be a one-time $100 charge, providing that only the requested material is used. This amount is payable to Doe Publishing. Please send me a final copy of the material as it will appear within the context of your publication, before printing, so that I may give final approval.
Example Letter #4
You have my permission to reprint my choral piece, "Doe Suite," for use by your church choir. I ask that you limit yourself to twenty copies and that these copies remain the property of the church. In this case, I will waive my usual reprint fee.
Write Your Letter Step-by-Step
1 Tell the reader exactly what you will permit him or her to use.
Sample Sentences for Step 1
- I give you permission to reprint my paper, "Culture and Music," for use in your classroom.
- On behalf of the John Doe estate, I grant you permission to publish John Doe's journals in their entirety.
- We are happy to give you permission to publish those specific sections of Jim Doe's article, "Work-Place Hazards: Getting out of the Sand Traps," that you identified in your letter.
- I give you permission to use reproductions of my four paintings depicting winter in Vermont in your anthology.
- We give you permission to quote from Jane Doe's speech in your pamphlet.
Sample Phrases for Step 1
- am flattered that would
- are happy to give permission to
- are concerned about
- as outlined in your letter
- as long as you credit the source
- before we grant permission to use
- do not control the rights to
- for internal use only
- for classroom use only
- give you permission to
- give permission for you to
- grant permission for you to
- have no objections to
- have our permission to
- in their entirety
- on behalf of
- publish only those specific sections
- received your request to reproduce
- suggest that you write to
- the material you requested
- to reprint the
- to quote from the
- understand that this will be for the use of
- use will be limited to
- use of our materials for profit by
- will be for in-house use only
- will allow you to use
- would be happy to have you use
2 Indicate what credits or fees you would require the reader to give you.
Sample Sentences for Step 2
- Please, simply include us in your acknowledgments. You are using so little of the paper that we will waive our standard reprint fees.
- We request that you include the following note in your acknowledgments:
- I only ask that you include my permission in your acknowledgements and that you pay a one-time reprint fee of $50.
- The trustee of the estate asks that you pay $.10 per unit published in the first run and $.05 per unit each run thereafter.
- Please acknowledge our conditional permission and pay a one-time fee of $35.00.
- We will allow you to publish up to 150 words gratis. For each additional 50 words, we ask that you pay a one-time $35 fee.
Sample Phrases for Step 2
- as long as you acknowledge
- be included in your acknowledgments
- credit all quoted material
- fee for each additional
- for the uses you have detailed
- in your acknowledgments
- include our copyright notice
- indicate the source of the material on your copy
- justifies waiving the standard reprint fees
- on the second run, and thereafter, pay
- on condition that you
- pay a one-time fee of
- per unit published on the first run
- please use the following copyright note
- please acknowledge our permission
- please include a notation stating that
- reprinted by permission of
- request that you include the following
- should contain the following note
- should use the following credit line
- simply include us in your acknowledgments
- the one-time fee will be
- there is no fee for reprinting our material
- trustee asks that you include a credit notice
- up to 150 words gratis
3 If you have concerns about letting your material be published, tell the requester you want to see the galleys before the material goes to press.
Sample Sentences for Step 3
- Because of the sensitive nature of the material to be reprinted, we ask that you send us the galleys so we can see how you have used our material.
- I would like you to send me a copy of your introduction, table of contents, notes to my essay, and galley proofs of the essay itself before you send your anthology to the press.
- Please send me your brochure before you actually publish it. I would like to make sure that my work is presented properly.
- Please send me a copy of the packet you intend to use in your class, so I can see how my article fits into your curriculum.
- Before you send your pamphlet to the press, we would like to see a copy of the manuscript, so that we can review our own material and possibly make suggestions.
- Please send me prints of the photographs and captions you intend to use as plates in your book, as well as any descriptions of my work that you intend to publish, so I can review them to see whether all is in order.
Sample Phrases for Step 3
- ask that you send the galleys to us
- before you send it to the press
- before publishing, contact the editor of
- contact us before
- describe the context in which you intend to
- due to the sensitive nature of the material
- ensure that my work is presented properly
- fax a copy of the manuscript
- hope you understand my concern
- is conditional upon your
- may I have a copy of your
- please send galley proofs of the
- please send a copy of the
- prior to printing
- request that you send prints to
- send for our approval
- so I can endorse my
- to see that everything is in order
- to see exactly how you will use
- to read the surrounding text before it is published
- to have an opportunity to review
- to see how you have used our material
- to ensure that I have no objections to
- to see how it will fit into your curriculum
- to send me a copy of
- view the layout prior to publishing
- when ready for distribution
- will there be any resale of
- would like to
- would like you to
