What are the legal requirements of publishing?
Copyright
The creator of an original work automatically has certain legal rights over how it is used. Those rights exist from the moment the work is first published without any requirement to attach certain symbols (such as ©) or to "register" it with a central authority.
As a copyright owner, you can control how your work is used including adaptations (such as the movie of your ancestor's life). In some circumstances, you can receive payments when others use all or part of your work (with your permission) in their book.
As an author, you must respect the rights of others and seek permission to re-use their work. If they ask for a fee, you must pay it (or not copy their words or pictures). Often, all that the owner will ask is for an "acknowledgement".
If an author is happy for others to re-use his or her material without the trouble of giving permission each time, there is a type of Licence called Creative Commons that can be attached to the work to show that. Note that not all CC Licences give the same level of approval, so read the details carefully.
ISB Numbers
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies books and book-like products published internationally. Each edition of a work (hardback, paperback, e-book etc) carries its own ISBN.
While an ISBN is not mandatory, it is the principal world-wide ordering device for the international book trade and library market. Many bookstores will not stock an item without an ISBN.
Anyone publishing a book (whether an individual author or a company) can buy one ISBN or a 1000 for future use (with discounts for bulk purchases).
Legal Deposit
Legal Deposit is a requirement for publishers (including self-publishing authors) to deposit a copy of any print work published in Australia with the National Library and when applicable, the deposit libraries in your home state. Legal Deposit ensures that Australian publications are preserved for use now and in the future.
For details of where to send copies of your work see https://www.nla.gov.au/legal-deposit and
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/publishers/legal-deposit
The creator of an original work automatically has certain legal rights over how it is used. Those rights exist from the moment the work is first published without any requirement to attach certain symbols (such as ©) or to "register" it with a central authority.
As a copyright owner, you can control how your work is used including adaptations (such as the movie of your ancestor's life). In some circumstances, you can receive payments when others use all or part of your work (with your permission) in their book.
As an author, you must respect the rights of others and seek permission to re-use their work. If they ask for a fee, you must pay it (or not copy their words or pictures). Often, all that the owner will ask is for an "acknowledgement".
If an author is happy for others to re-use his or her material without the trouble of giving permission each time, there is a type of Licence called Creative Commons that can be attached to the work to show that. Note that not all CC Licences give the same level of approval, so read the details carefully.
ISB Numbers
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies books and book-like products published internationally. Each edition of a work (hardback, paperback, e-book etc) carries its own ISBN.
While an ISBN is not mandatory, it is the principal world-wide ordering device for the international book trade and library market. Many bookstores will not stock an item without an ISBN.
Anyone publishing a book (whether an individual author or a company) can buy one ISBN or a 1000 for future use (with discounts for bulk purchases).
Legal Deposit
Legal Deposit is a requirement for publishers (including self-publishing authors) to deposit a copy of any print work published in Australia with the National Library and when applicable, the deposit libraries in your home state. Legal Deposit ensures that Australian publications are preserved for use now and in the future.
For details of where to send copies of your work see https://www.nla.gov.au/legal-deposit and
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/publishers/legal-deposit