Are the blurbs on the backs or in the dust jackets copyrighted? If I am writing a review of a book on my website, is it legal/moral for me to put a copy of what the original blurb is before I add my own and put a review in?
I assume by “blurb” you mean the multi-paragraph description of the book, not the one or two lines of praise from some celebrity. I believe that in the publishing world, both are known as blurbs.
If the first, yes it is copyrighted by the publisher and technically speaking it might be a violation of copyright to reprint it in its entirety. However, since it is the publisher’s preferred description of the book, it’s highly unlikely they would object to your using it that way. It’s kind of like a press release in that respect.
Speaking as a journalist, doing that would, IMHO, be lazy, like reprinting a press release verbatim. Since you’ve obviously read the book, why not simply make it a habit to start your reviews with your own straight, non-judgmental outline of the book, without the publisher’s puffery? Then go into your opinions about it. Of course, this also has the advantage of avoiding any possible copyright problems.
If you decide to use the publisher’s blurb, I would suggest you make it clear that that’s what it is, rather than allowing your readers to assume that it reflects your views.
Since under current law, all writing is copyrighted the moment it is written, blurbs are most definitely copyrighted.
Copyright law, however, has a provision called Fair Use. As blurbs are designed to sell books, it is considered Fair Use to quote a blurb when promoting that book, as in a review. Just make sure that it is clear to the reader that the book’s blurb is not your work.
Thanks for the info guys. I was thinking of doing the blurb along with my own personal blurb and a review. I am not sure I will, as my own blurb should be good enough. Nice to know at any rate. 